Oven Fried Chicken

Love fried chicken? We have a healthy alternative that will make the Colonel jealous!

The next few recipes in our series are going to be healthy alternatives to comfort foods, which are generally very high in saturated fats. One such favorite is fried chicken. Although baking instead of frying is the obvious alternative, it is difficult to obtain that deep-fried crispiness we crave. This recipe achieves the crispiness-goal by using almond meal.

Almonds contain natural fats (the healthy ones) that, when baked, leave a crunchy coating without all the bad-for-you grease. If you can’t find almond meal, almond flour will do nicely. And, if you’re feeling especially DIY in the kitchen, grind your own in the food processor (carefully, or you’ll be spreading it onto bread with some jelly).

What You'll Need

• 2 cups almond meal

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• Sea salt

• Black pepper, freshly ground!

• 3 eggs

• ¼ cup buttermilk

• Approximately 6 pieces of skin-on chicken

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°

• Mix together almond meal and seasonings (salt and pepper to taste) in a medium bowl.

• In another bowl, whisk eggs and buttermilk together

• Pat chicken dry, then dip in egg/milk mixture. Next, drag chicken through almond flour and seasonings until well coated. Place breaded chicken onto a baking sheet.

• Bake chicken for about 40 minutes, adjusting time if necessary for the size of your pieces and whether or not they are boneless.

Enjoy The Crispy Goodness!

Note: Feel free to experiment with boneless and/or skinless chicken. However, the breading may not stick quite as well to skinless chicken, and don’t forget to adjust your cooking times accordingly (boneless chicken cooks faster).