One of my weaknesses is fried chicken. I can't explain why; it's horribly greasy and makes me feel awful and gluttonous after eating it. But I still crave it all the time.
This recipe was inspired by some delicious fried chicken I had at Lucy's Fried Chicken in Austin. It came out in a bucket sprinkled with fresh jalapenos. I couldn't get enough of it (well I did, and felt pretty shitty after). So I made it a personal challenge to replicate their fried chicken and somehow make it not horrible for my health. What I did was I marinated some chicken thighs in buttermilk and spices overnight, then dipped the thighs in a crushed pork rind, diced jalapeno, and cajun spice blend, and then baked them til deliciously golden and crispy.
I improvised the recipe so forgive me if it's lacking in detail. I think this dish is a great candidate for trial and error (regarding the marinade and spices) as long as you keep the basic idea the same.
The results were an extremely juicy, flavorful and crispy "fried" chicken. I honestly don't think I'll have to succumb to the crappy fast food version again.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs (mine were pretty large)
- 1 cup buttermilk (or add 1 TBS white vinegar to regular milk til it curdles)
- Sriracha
- 1 bag of pork rinds (I got the plain salted kind)
- cajun seasoning
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- chili powder
- some butter
- a few jalapenos
Recipe
- Create your buttermilk mixture by combining buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tbs vinegar), 2 squirts sriracha (or more), and half a teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder (or if you don't have these.. just use a bit of all purpose seasoning like Lawry's but be weary of the salt content). Let mixture sit til it curdles.
- Season the chicken thighs with cajun seasoning (which should have salt in it). Make sure you get under the skin.
- Combine the chicken and buttermilk mixture in a bowl or zip lock bag and let marinate overnight in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Crush a whole large bag of pork rinds. Put in a large bowl and add some cajun seasoning (you can taste test this.. should taste like delicious crushed up chips)
- Cut a small jalapeno in half and remove the seeds and membrane. * * Chop finely and add to crumb mixture.
- Using tongs, dip chicken into the mixture and coat evenly. Place onto a roasting pan or sheet.
- Add a small pat of butter to the top of each piece of chicken. This will make it golden and crispy.
- Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes for medium/large bone-in thighs, less if smaller.. the way I check is to prick it and make sure the juices run clear.
- Serve with sliced jalapeno and enjoy!
