Family Favorites 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 makes 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 350°. 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 all 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 on you.