Description
Crispy, juicy oven‑baked “fried” chicken made healthier with a buttermilk marinade and crunchy breadcrumb coating.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks (≈3½ oz each), skinned
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup crushed cornflake crumbs
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1½ tsp kosher salt (coating)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1½ tsp sweet paprika (coating)
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder (coating)
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- In a bowl, season chicken with salt, paprika, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper. Add buttermilk and lemon juice; refrigerate 6–8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Place baking rack on sheet; lightly spray with oil.
- In a shallow bowl, combine panko, cornflake crumbs, Parmesan, salt, parsley, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder.
- Remove chicken from marinade; dredge each piece in crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.
- Arrange chicken on rack, not touching; spray tops with cooking spray.
- Bake 40–45 minutes, until golden and cooked through (internal temp 165 °F).
Notes
- Press crumbs firmly so coating stays on.
- Use a rack-on-sheet for crispiness.
- Time varies by piece size; thighs/legs may need longer.
- Let rest 2 minutes after baking for extra crispiness.