You guys are gonna hate me for this one.
Here, I present to you, a “light” version of fried chicken. ‘
It’s kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it? Putting the word “light” right next to “fried”? But sometimes, an occasion or your taste buds just scream for something fried, don’t they? Life sure does get boring eating grilled chicken and salads every day. Trust me, I KNOW. But I believe, that you can eat anything you want, IN MODERATION. Although, I have to be honest, this fried chicken is so delicious that you might find it difficult to only eat one serving.
Just ask Christy, I made it for her when she visited me last.
This is some damn good chicken and yes, I used the word damn to describe chicken because folks, this fried chicken ROCKS THE HOUSE.
LEMON-GINGER FRIED CHICKEN
(Cooking Light August 2009)
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned
- 2 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
- 2 chicken drumsticks, skinned
- 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup peanut oil
- 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Preparation:
1. Place rind, juice, and next 5 ingredients (through drumsticks) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.
2. Sift together flour and next 3 ingredients (through red pepper). Place flour mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Remove chicken from marinade bag, reserving marinade. Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly over chicken. Add chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal bag and shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Place chicken on a wire rack; place rack in a jelly-roll pan. Cover and refrigerate 1 1/2 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350°.
4. Return chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal bag and shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture. Discard remaining flour mixture.
5. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, turning once. Arrange chicken in single layer in a shallow roasting pan. Discard remaining oil in pan. Combine broth and reserved marinade in a small bowl; pour broth mixture into pan. Sprinkle chicken evenly with sugar, and top with lemon slices. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden and a thermometer registers 165°.
(serving size: 1 breast half, or 1 thigh plus 1 drumstick)
Calories 375; Fat 15.5g; Protein 30.8g; Carb 30.5g; Fiber 2.4g; Chol 85mg; Iron 2.6mg; Sodium 578mg; Calc 48mg
Modifications/Review
- The only modification I made to this recipe was to substitute all chicken breasts. In addition, I was out of the ground red pepper so I did not use it at all.
- Read through this recipe carefully as I did not! You have to let the chicken marinate (I let my chicken marinate overnight), then you also have to let the chicken sit in the fridge for 1.5 hours after you dredge it through the flour mixture and prior to cooking it.
- This chicken was fantastically awesome, moist, delicious, heaven in my mouth. The children at my table that evening proclaimed it was “the BEST chicken ever”. Christy declared that she would be making it for her husband very soon. My neighbor, who just happened to call during dinner, was quickly invited over to try it out and she too, decided it was the “best chicken ever” and she promptly made it for dinner guests two nights later.
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