Oven-fried Chicken and Sriracha Deviled Eggs

When I think about my favorite foods to cook it all comes down to comfort food. Comfort food may be an overused term, but I can’t think of a better way to describe my favorite way to eat. To me, comfort food feels like home. It connects you to the people around the table. Often, you eat it with your hands. It’s never pristine and rarely neat. My favorite comfort foods are things like spaghetti & meatballs, smothered burritos, baked macaroni & cheese, garlicky tomato bruschetta, cheesy chicken noodle casserole, and oven fried chicken. To put my spin on it, I like to jazz up these foods with fresh ingredients and healthy(er) preparations. Then I can feel good about making a delicious meal for my loved ones and eating it too!

I recently made a Saturday lunch for friends and oven fried chicken was the star. Marinated overnight in buttermilk, it became incredibly juicy. The panko crust gives you that crunch factor, and it’s baked instead of fried! This is “fried” chicken you can feel great about! I served it with potluck classic, deviled eggs, jazzed up with spicy sriracha. Enjoy!

Oven-fried Chicken
Crunchy and juicy without the grease!
Serves 4

1 whole chicken, cut up (3 ½ pounds)
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
2 T. spicy brown mustard
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
½ tsp salt
2 tsp Cajun seasoning

2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
3 tsp Cajun seasoning
3 T olive oil

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine yogurt, mustard, Tabasco, ½ teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning. Seal bag and massage to mix ingredients thoroughly. Add chicken pieces and gently massage the bat to ensure chicken is well coated. Marinate overnight, refrigerated.

Combine breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning in a large shallow dish. Remove chicken from the marinade and wipe off excess marinade. Roll chicken in breadcrumb mixture.

Drizzle chicken with olive oil. Spray a cooling rack with cooking spray, then place on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. Arrange chicken on rack and bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then flip chicken pieces over and return to oven. Broil for 2 minutes, or until brown and crispy on reverse side.

Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Eggs with a creamy filling and gentle heat are delicious on any occasion!
Serves 4-6

6 eggs
2 T sriracha sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise, I use low fat
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, for garnish
finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Place eggs in a medium saucepan and fill with water to cover the eggs by one inch. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover pan and allow eggs to stand in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse eggs under cold water. Cool completely.

Peel eggs and cut in half. Remove yolks and place in a medium bowl. Mash together with the sriracha, mayo, salt and pepper.

Pipe or gently fill the egg white halves with yolk mixture. (If you don’t have a piping bag, do what I did- fill a small plastic baggie with filling and cut a small hole in a corner to pipe.) Dust with paprika and parsley and chill until ready to serve.


Recipes adapted from Ina Garten and Tonka Times