Better than “Fried” - Honey Nut Oven “Fried” Chicken

Like most people, I love a crispy piece of fried chicken but hate all the fat. I also hate frying it. The oil pops everywhere, the house gets all smoky and, too often, you wind up burning your hands. It’s a big, messy job, and one that I gave up many years ago.

Since I figured out how to make great tasting oven-fried chicken, I never deep-fry it anymore. I have also experimented with different coatings. One of my favorite techniques to make oven-fried chicken is with Bisquick® mix and Honey Nut Clusters® cereal. It’s a terrific way to include whole grains into the meal and to add wonderful flavor and texture.

My kids especially love this dish. I usually just serve it with a salad or some vegetables because the cereal coating makes it almost a complete meal on its own.

I start with a cut-up whole fryer chicken and usually slice the breasts in half crosswise so they aren’t so big. Once you give the pieces a good sprinkling of seasonings, the chicken is ready for a buttermilk bath. I like to soak it in buttermilk, cover it and refrigerate it for 12-24 hours.

Before baking, I give the chicken a 3-step breading process. It comes out of the buttermilk, gets dredged in the Bisquick® mix, is dipped in an egg-and-buttermilk mixture and then is dredged in crushed Honey Nut Clusters® cereal. This process will give you a nice, crispy crust.

Instead of baking the chicken right on a foil-lined pan, I prefer to place it on a cooling rack or cooking rack over the foil. This way, the heat can get under the chicken. Just coat the rack well with cooking spray before topping with the chicken. Give the chicken a spray with cooking spray and pop it into the oven.

The end result will be a golden Honey Nut Chicken that the whole family will love.