Fried Chicken #2 - Oven Fried Chicken (get pdf)

  Here's another recipe for fried chicken that meets the 'thumbs up' requirement to make it again and again. This is 'fried chicken' in the oven however, and by my experience, chicken fried in the oven normally fails. I took the original idea from my mother's hand-written recipe book and added things I had learned to it. This is the final result.

5 chicken thighs, skin on, fresh or fully thawed

Step 1 - maybe the most important step!

Render your chicken! I found this little secret out some time ago, and faithfully execute this step when applicable. This step insures your chicken's skin will not be soft and fatty, but thin and crispy!

Lay your raw chicken on a cookie cooling tray or any sheet pan that has drainage holes, and put this in your sink. I think the piece shown is a bread tray.

Boil water, and slowly pour the water over the chicken.

You will see the fat in the skin dissipate, and the edges will curl up. Take your time, get the top and bottom, and all sides. For these 5 thighs I used 3 full teapots of boiling water. Remember, take your time. This is the end result.

For contrast, here is the raw chicken compared to the rendered chicken.

Step 2: After the chicken cools, use paper towels to remove any excess water.

Step 3: Use my rotisserie rub to coat all sides of the chicken. You can lightly brush the chicken pieces with olive oil before using the rub if desired - I just used the rub. This rub can be found on my rubs page, but I have listed it here for your convenience. I can't say if this quantitiy is enough or if you should double it, or whatever. I make this rub in large quantities and use it regularly.

Rotisserie rub:

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 sprig rosemary, chopped

Step 4: Preheat your oven to 425°. While oven is preheating, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron pan large enough to hold the chicken. The quantity of 6 tablespoons is from my mother's recipe book, but I thought it a bit much and used about 3-4 tablespoons and added a bit of oil.

Step 5: When the butter has melted, place the chicken skin-side up in the pan. Try to lay the chicken out so pieces are not touching.

Step 6: Put the chicken in the oven and cook for about 18 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces to skin-side down and cook for another 18 minutes. Flip once more - skin side up, and cook a final 10 minutes.

The tops of the chicken should be nicely browned, and you'll find the skin to be a definite plus. Take out of the pan and let the chicken rest a few minutes on paper towels.