Peggy Lampman's Sunday dinnerFeed: 'Fried' Chicken

Sunday Dinner "Fried" Chicken

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

Growing up in Alabama, Sunday dinner generally meant fried chicken prepared by my grandmother, Mary Ellen. She'd roll over in her grave if she knew I was baking today's Sunday "fried" chicken in the oven. Rolling the chicken in oat bran would surely be a further assault to her Selma sensibilities.

She needn't worry. I still prefer her version, which uses snowy mountains of Crisco, a cast-iron skillet, and a heady dredge in white flour, liberally seasoned with salt and pepper. And oh, I always put that extra pat of butter under the chicken breast skin before frying, just as she advised, for added flavor.

Alas, these days maintaining a healthy cholesterol level demands I reserve my grandmother's recipe for special occasions. And today, being an ordinary Sunday, means I can't come up with an excuse to cave to the temptations of Crisco, chicken fat and butter.

For the past few months I've had good luck recreating recipes from Runner's World magazine. This recipe was more problematic than the others, since the chicken wasn't browned after baking according to the original recipe. I solved that issue by running the meat under the broiler a minute or two before serving.

I use air-chilled chicken breast and thick, local buttermilk to help ensure the chicken breasts remain moist.

I also substituted panko and chopped fresh rosemary for the seasoned bread crumbs. To increase the odds the chicken would remain tender, moist and plump, I used air-chilled chicken and locally produced Calder's buttermilk, both purchased from Whole Foods, in the recipe.

Final Verdict: It was pretty tasty and a side of sweet potatoes and cabbage added to the nutritional value of the meal. But if the truth be told, I can't wait till I've got a valid excuse to fry some chicken my grandmother's way!

Yield: 4 chicken breasts
Active Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 55 minutes
Cost: apx. $9.50

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk
4 skinless and boneless chicken breast halves
Olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup oat bran

Directions

1. Pour buttermilk over chicken; let sit 1-6 hours, refrigerated. Line a baking sheet with foil, liberally brushed with oil.
2. Preheat oven to 375Ëš.
3. Remove chicken from buttermilk and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Put panko, rosemary and oat bran in a plastic bag one by one, place chicken breasts in bag and shake to completely cover, then place chicken on baking sheet.
4. Cover chicken in foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. In the last couple of minutes, turn up the stove to broil and cook until nicely browned and crispy, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. Serve.

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