Oven Fried Chicken

  The picture of the chicken in the Barefoot Contessa’s Family Style looked so good that I just had to try it. I think one of the things I really like the most about her cookbooks, besides recipes that really work are the photos. Marvelous pictures on glossy paper make reading and looking a real pleasure.

  The chicken turned out just as great as the photo and will be on my rotation list from now on. It is more of a method than a recipe and was fairly easy to prepare, I did take her tip and browned it in a high sided pot instead of a skillet, a lot less mess. I could not find a three pound chicken. Mine was about 5 pounds, left some nice leftovers and I used the back to make some stock for gravy with the meal.

Oven Fried Chicken

2 chickens (3 pounds each) 

1 quart buttermilk ( just to cover well)

1 ½ to 2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt (I used about ½)

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil or shortening

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

  Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Take chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large high sided pan to about 1 inch.*  Heat to 360°. Adding chicken, do not crowd, brown on both sides about 3 minutes on each side. They will continue browning in the oven. Remove to a wire rack set on a sheet pan. Making sure the oil is hot, brown the rest of the pieces. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot and crispy.

*A skillet works, but it is messier on the stove and you.