Zesty Parmesan Crusted Oven Fried Chicken

These chicken drumsticks looked like they were deep fried; crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside.  These babies were coated with parmesan coating mixture then baked crisp to perfection.    A great recipe for people who like the crispiness of deep fried chicken without all the oil or guilty feeling.   The great thing about these chicken drumsticks?  They are easy to prepare and with minimal clean up.  Prepare them, bake them and forget about them for at least an hour or so.  All you need to do afterwards is to wash the baking dish. That’s it!  How easy is that?

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This recipe has been one of my family’s favorite dinner chicken recipe for many years.  Thanks to my dearest friend, Juliet Shirey for the inspiration.   The coating was a store bought.  But, instead of using an already prepared coating from a box, I decided to make my own and I have been using it ever since.   When my family opt for something fried, I try to compensate by making them something a bit lighter than the deep fried chicken; oven fried chicken that is.  I haven’t made this in a while, so tonight is the night.

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My son, Justin anticipated the chicken with great enthusiasm and was so happy when it was finally cooked.  Look at how moist the chicken is. The meat was so tender  it literally fell off the bone when you bite it.

I hesitated cooking all the 11 pieces of chicken because I didn’t want to have leftovers, but my mistake.  Justin wanted more and I made just enough for all of us.  So, I ended up cooking the other five pieces and I was quite surprised when my son waited for an hour and a half minutes (the chicken drumsticks were larger than the first batch) to have his seconds without any complaints.

Ingredients:

• 6 – 11 pieces of chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, or thighs**
• 1 1/2 cup unbromated, unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons Weber Zesty Lemon Seasoning
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons regular paprika or smoked paprika (optional)
• salt
• extra virgin olive oil

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Preparation Methods:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For easy cleanup, combine flour, parmesan cheese, zesty lemon seasoning, paprika, and black pepper in a large Ziploc bag.  Shake to incorporate. Set aside.
• Wash the chicken thoroughly.   Lightly season with kosher salt then add two pieces of chicken at a time to the flour mixture in the Ziploc bag.
• Coat well with the flour mixture then place in a glass baking dish lightly coated with Pam’s “grilling” oil spray.
• Drizzle each chicken with olive oil.
• Bake for one hour and twenty minutes or to your desired crispiness depending on your oven.
•  Serve with ketchup as dipping sauce. Believe me, ketchup is a very good complement for the oven fried chicken. Simple but great and tasty combination.  Just try it. 🙂

**Note:   Chicken wings cook faster than the drumsticks and thighs.  Please adjust cooking time accordingly. You can double or triple the recipe called for a larger crowd.    Bon Appetit!

VARIATIONS:

You can add chopped, fresh or dried rosemary in the flour mixture or garlic powder.

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