Name: The Best Oven-Fried Chicken
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: US & Canada
Ingredients: 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 1 box plain Melba toast (about 5 ounces), processed to sand and pebble texture (see illustration 1 of "Coating the Chicken"); 2 large eggs; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 3/4 teaspoon table salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional); 4 chicken leg quarters , separated into drumsticks and thighs, skin removed (see illustration below), and patted dry with paper towels

Why This Recipe Works

To create an oven-fried chicken recipe with real crunch and good flavor as a quick weeknight alternative to the real thing, we dipped the chicken in egg beaten with Dijon mustard and dredged it in crushed Melba toast, which we found provides better texture, flavor, and color than cornflakes, bread crumbs, bagel chips, or any other coating we tried. We used legs and thighs rather than breasts because they don't dry out as quickly (breasts are OK if that's your preference) and baked the chicken at 400 degrees for 40 minutes for a deeply browned, but not burnt, coating on our oven-fried chicken recipe.

Before You Begin

For those who like breast meat, use a whole cut-up chicken instead of drumsticks and thighs. Be careful not to over-crush the Melba toast; crumbs that are too fine will leave the chicken wanting in crunchiness. If you own a spray bottle for oil, skip the step of tossing the Melba toast crumbs in oil. Instead, once the chicken is coated with crumbs, spray the pieces evenly with oil.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet pan with foil and set large flat wire rack over sheet pan.

Drizzle vegetable oil over Melba toast crumbs in a shallow dish or pie plate; toss well to coat. Mix eggs, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and optional cayenne with a fork in a second shallow dish or pie plate.

Working one piece at a time, coat chicken on both sides with egg mixture. Set chicken in Melba crumbs, sprinkle crumbs over chicken, and press to coat (see illustration 2 of Coating the Chicken). Turn chicken over and repeat on other side. Gently shake off excess and place on rack. Bake until chicken is deep nutty brown and juices run clear, about 40 minutes.