Sunday, May 15, 2011

Oven baked chicken with garlic and parmesan

A good friend asked if I would be able to cook an after wedding dinner for her family.  Her sister was getting married and many of her large family were going to be in town and she wanted to provide a meal but was feeling that along with everything else she was doing it would be much less stressful for her if I did  it.  So she was looking for something that she could take and serve with little or no work on her part.  So we came up with oven fried chicken and salads.


This recipe is adapted from a Delia Smith recipe and is one that I have done many times when cooking for a crowd. I made enough for 15, but I will give the ingredients for 4.

I chicken cut up or 8 pieces of chicken (I used drumsticks and thighs) Skin on
4 cloves of garlic grated or smooshed to a paste
3 eggs beaten
11/2 cup of fine breadcrumbs
1 cup of grated parmesan (you can even use that already grated fine parmesan)
Handful of fresh chopped herbs, I used rosemary, basil, sage and parsley
salt and pepper



Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish ideally large enough to hold them in a single layer.  I had so many that even though I used two dishes mine had to double up. Whisk together the garlic and eggs season with salt and pepper and pour over the chicken.

Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, I have done this over night before now, but not this time they barely got their 4 hours.

Combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and herbs together in a shallow dish.  then take the chicken out of the egg mixture and coat in the breadcrumbs.


Place the coated chicken on a cookie sheet with sides on it lined with parchment paper.  This helps to stop the chicken from sticking and also helps with clean up.


Bake the chicken in a 400 oven for about 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the coating is crispy. Place the cooked chicken on to wire racks when you take out this helps keep it crispy while it cools.

finished chicken
 This can be served hot or at room temperature as long as you do not leave it for more than a couple of hours from cooking to serving.  Or you can refrigerate it and serve it cold, but then it looses some of its crispness.  I have cooked this for a wedding for 100 guests and for a picnic for 4 and it always a hit the coating is savoury and crunchy and the chicken is moist.



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