Ina's Fried Chicken

I felt like doing something nice for James. He has been super sweet lately and I had a defrosted chicken in the fridge, I just didn't feel like dealing with disposing or straining all the oil it takes to make a good fried chicken. So, I decided to compromise with an over fried variation and after a google search came up with a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa. I have to say I laughed out loud. Ina Garten may be a lot of things but her recipes are never short on fats (oils, mayonnaise, etc) -- in fact I generally cut the fat in half when I use her ideas and sure enough, IG's idea of "oven fried" chicken starts with frying the pieces in a skillet with an inch of vegetable oil or shortening. Not exactly a denizen on low fat cooking, Mrs Garten.

But, it seemed like a good technique to try, and a good, slightly less messy compromise for James' dinner. First I soaked the chicken pieces in some salted buttermilk for a few hours (IG said overnight but today was our chicken day). Then I dredged them in seasoned flour (I used salt, cayenne, white and black pepper) and laid each piece into the oil for about 3 minutes on a side, until just lightly golden brown. I used a combination of vegetable oil, olive oil (left over from those braised potatoes) and a bit of bacon grease from James' breakfast. When the chicken was nice and golden I placed it on a rack on a baking sheet and popped the tray in the oven for about 30 minutes at 375º.

Deep fried? No. Oven fried? Not exactly. An easy way to make "fried" chicken for a crowd? Maybe, just maybe.