Crunchy-fried chicken is fast, tasty, relatively cheap, and tastes great. After a long day of work and school, I am three things: tired, lazy, and hungry; these things aren’t particularly copasetic. Crunchy chicken is a meal that comes about as close to remedying this situation as you’re ever going to get. This meal also goes great with a lack of grocery shopping within recent memory, as you can usually make it with what is on hand (as long as you buy some chicken). So, let’s get started!
For this recipe you will need:
-Chicken breasts (one for each person eating)
-Bread crumbs
-Eggs (or mayonnaise/salad dressing)
-Spices
First, begin preheating a frying pan to just above medium with a fair amount of oil; remember that we’re effectively frying the chicken, so we need a fair bit of oil. Prepare the breast by cutting off any large amounts of fat, and wash off any blood that may be on it. Using a chicken breast with skin can be great for this one, as you can get a more KFC-style crispy skin. You can also use ones with the bone in them, but be sure to adjust cooking time accordingly.
Next, we need a binding agent. Normally I prefer an egg, but since it’s just me tonight, mayo or salad dressing also works well. Mix your binder with any desired spices (I chose some pepper, salt, and chili powder) and slather the chicken in it. Next, you will need to cover the chicken in breadcrumbs: crushed crackers also work if you have no stale bread to mash up. Make sure the chicken is fully covered. Begin to pre-heat the oven to about 325F.
Once the pan is heated, put the chicken in. You should immediately hear it sizzle, as we are looking to fry the outside of the chicken. Cook until the outside is noticeably darkened brown on both sides. Once this is done, put it in a baking pan and place in to the oven. Cooking time will vary depending on size, but 20–25 minutes should come pretty close.
Because we fried the chicken in the first step, gauging when it’s done in the oven by appearance can be a bit tricky, so if you’re really unsure I recommend using a thermometer, or if you’re not out to impress, cut a piece open and check. But once done, you should have a moistly cooked chicken inside a crunchy bread shell.
Beyond being simple and cheap, I decided that with New Year’s resolutions well underway, it was time to fry something. So to round out the meal, I recommend making some mashed potatoes with cheese for cheesy mashed potatoes, and some form of vegetable with butter. Just to keep it healthy. Happy eating!