Cooks Corner Recipe: Un-Fried Chicken

      Dear Readers:  I absolutely love this recipe.  If you like or even love chicken, I think that perhaps, you might even love this chicken recipe, too.  I am interested to know how you liked this recipe; give it a try and please let me know!  One of Oprah’s Cooks’, Rosie Daley, describes the secret to the success of this recipe is to make sure that both the chicken and the yogurt are very cold (hence, soaking the chicken in the ice water.)  The preliminary soaking will help the breading adhere and produce a crisp coating, much like that of fried chicken.  If, you’re serving the chicken on a platter, rather than on individual dinner plates, it looks great on a bed of flowing kale or lettuce. Enjoy healthy nutrition!

Ingredients:

1. Light cooking spray
2. 6 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
3. 3 whole chicken breasts, halved and skin removed
4. 3 1/2 cups cups ice water
5. 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Breading:

1. 1 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
2. 1 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
4. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
6. 1/8 or pinch of black pepper
7. 18 or dash cayenne pepper
8. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
9. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
10. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preparation:

• Coat a baking sheet with 3 sprays of vegetable oil.
• Put the chicken in a large bowl with the ice water.  Put the yogurt into a medium bowl.  Set both bowls aside.
• Toss all the breading ingredients into a  large, tightly-sealing plastic bag.  Seal and shake well to mix.
• Remove 2 pieces of chicken from the ice water.  Roll each piece in the yogurt.  Put the chicken into the plastic bag, reseal, and shake to coat thoroughly.  Transfer the breaded chicken to the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat the process until all 12 pieces are breaded.  Spray the chicken lightly with the vegetable oil.
• Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake for 1 hour, turning the pieces every 20 minutes to allow even browning.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

Source: In The Kitchen With Rosie, Oprah’s Favorite Recipes, © Rosie Daley 1994.