Oven 'Fried' Chicken

Great recipe! A must try, especially if you are a fried chicken lover like me.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces

1/3 cup yogurt

1 cup skim milk

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1-2 tsp hot sauce (optional)

1-2 tsp vinegar (optional)

1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup corn flakes, crushed

1 handful oats (optional)

cooking oil spray (or olive oil and an oil brush would do just as well)

In a large bowl, whip together the yogurt, milk, garlic paste, hot sauce, vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt. Add chicken, cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F (about 200 C).

In a flat plate, mix well the flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. In a separate plate, toss together the crushed corn flakes, oats and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Take a piece of chicken from the milk-yogurt marinade bowl and coat it in the flour mixture. Next, lightly dip it in the marinade bowl again and then cover it with the corn flakes. Repeat with all the pieces of chicken.

Place a grill on a baking sheet and lightly coat with the oil spray. Place the chicken on it and lightly spray on top of the chicken. Put it in the oven for about 35-45 minutes (till a thermometer insert reads about 160 degrees or till the chicken is no longer pink on the inside). Do not over cook or else the chicken will dry out, both from the inside and from the outside.

Serve hot.

Alternative suggestions:

I have tried mixing crushed whole wheat crackers as the coating for the chicken (with, or in place of, the corn flakes). They work quite well combined with the corn flakes. On their own, the crackers sometime become soggy.

Another thing I tried, which turned out amazing, was finely chopped walnuts (in place of the corn flakes). Walnuts have fat in them, but it is good fat, so no need to feel guilty!