Oven-Baked Fried Chicken: A Feast for July Fourth

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. It evokes in me a wave of nostalgia and patriotism. I have sweet memories of family and friends gathered together, a sense of pride uniting the nation, sparklers dancing in the dusk, and a fireworks display in my parent’s backyard that brings the neighbors out onto their decks every.single.year. And then there’s the food … barbecue or fried chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, an abundance of watermelon, homemade ice cream, strawberry shortcake.

So to celebrate Independence Day and the general spirit of summer dining, I have a simple, yet delicious recipe for oven-baked fried chicken that is sure to be the star of your July-Fourth table. Pair this with a simple potato salad and oven-baked corn on the cob, fresh fruit and dessert, and you have a complete meal for the holiday and throughout the summer.

Oven-Baked Fried Chicken
Serves 4
Please note that this isn’t so much an exact recipe, as it is an approximation of ingredients and a recommended cooking time. If you’d like your chicken spicy, add more cayenne pepper. Want to sweeten it? Drizzle on some honey before baking.

1 Whole chicken cut into pieces or a grilling pack that has legs and breast meat
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the flour with the salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Pour into a wide, shallow bowl, or a baking dish that will allow you room to dredge the chicken. Then mix the eggs and water. Coat the chicken pieces in the egg and water mixture, then dredge the chicken in the flour and spices until it is completely covered. Repeat with all the pieces. I usually do this ahead of time, then refrigerate the chicken until I’m ready to cook.

Pour oil into a saute pan, coating the bottom with about 1/4-inch of oil. (I usually use a combination of butter and olive oil.) Heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (you want the chicken to sizzle), carefully place the chicken pieces in the oil. Don’t crowd the chicken. I usually have to do this in three batches. Sear each piece for about 4 minutes or until the coating is brown, then flip and repeat until all sides are evenly browned.

Place the browned chicken on a cooling rack nestled inside a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 350-degree oven for approximately 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and move to a platter.

You can also place corn on the cob, still in its husk, directly on your oven racks to bake alongside your chicken. The corn steams inside the husk and peels with ease when done. It’s my now-favorite way to prepare corn-on-the-cob, and it makes the prep for this dinner a snap!

Enjoy! And have a Happy Fourth! I’ll be back with a few more Independence Day posts later this week. See you then!

P.S. To celebrate the Fourth, I’ll be sharing one patriotic-inspired image each day this week on Instagram. You can follow me here, if you don’t already. I’d love to have you join me! 

Also, if you weren’t the lucky winner of the Good Enough Mom giveaway, you can still snag a shirt from Charity’s shop. And she’s offering 10% off for F&C readers with code: faithandcomposition.

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All content on F&C is ©Faith&Composition by Shalene Roberts, unless otherwise noted.