Cast Iron Oven-Fried Chicken
By Ashley MoorePublished on June 25, 2018
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
To fit 3 pounds of chicken pieces, you will need a 12-inch cast-iron skillet for this recipe. Note that the cast-iron skillet should be preheated along with the oven in step 1. One 4½- to 5-pound whole chicken will yield the 3 pounds of parts called for in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position. Place 12-inch cast-iron skillet on rack and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Lightly beat eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in medium bowl. Whisk flour, paprika, baking powder, granulated garlic, cayenne, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon pepper together in second medium bowl. Add water to flour mixture; using your fingers, rub flour mixture and water until water is evenly incorporated and shaggy pieces of dough form.
- Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off; then dredge in flour mixture, pressing firmly to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to large plate, skin side up.
- When oven temperature reaches 450 degrees, carefully remove hot skillet from oven (skillet handle will be hot). Add oil to skillet and immediately place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Return skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven and flip chicken. Return skillet to oven and continue to bake until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, about 15 minutes longer.
- Transfer chicken, skin side up, to paper towel–lined side of prepared wire rack to blot grease from underside of chicken, then move chicken to unlined side of rack. Let chicken cool for about 10 minutes. Serve.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
UPDATE: This recipe has been slightly reformulated to be more foolproof since its initial publication. The revision you see here was published in April of 2022. Many of us crave fried chicken more often than we're willing to put in the time and effort to make it. We wanted to find an easier way to get that crunchy, deeply seasoned exterior and juicy meat we all love—without deep frying. This meant using the oven instead of the stovetop. We started by preheating a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in a 450-degree oven. Next, we dredged the chicken in a well-seasoned flour mixture; added just ½ cup of vegetable oil to the preheated skillet; placed the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet; and returned the skillet to the oven to “fry” the chicken. We flipped the chicken halfway through cooking, which helped crisp both sides of the chicken. Is this oven-fried chicken absolutely indistinguishable from true deep-fried chicken? No. But because it is fried in just ½ cup of oil, it is quite a bit easier to make and has many of the same attributes.
Before You Begin
To fit 3 pounds of chicken pieces, you will need a 12-inch cast-iron skillet for this recipe. Note that the cast-iron skillet should be preheated along with the oven in step 1. One 4½- to 5-pound whole chicken will yield the 3 pounds of parts called for in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position. Place 12-inch cast-iron skillet on rack and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Lightly beat eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in medium bowl. Whisk flour, paprika, baking powder, granulated garlic, cayenne, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon pepper together in second medium bowl. Add water to flour mixture; using your fingers, rub flour mixture and water until water is evenly incorporated and shaggy pieces of dough form.
- Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off; then dredge in flour mixture, pressing firmly to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to large plate, skin side up.
- When oven temperature reaches 450 degrees, carefully remove hot skillet from oven (skillet handle will be hot). Add oil to skillet and immediately place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Return skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven and flip chicken. Return skillet to oven and continue to bake until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, about 15 minutes longer.
- Transfer chicken, skin side up, to paper towel–lined side of prepared wire rack to blot grease from underside of chicken, then move chicken to unlined side of rack. Let chicken cool for about 10 minutes. Serve.
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