I Love Christopher Kimball!

I only got The Cook's Country Cookbook as a gift little over a year ago and already many pages are stained from various sauces and liquids made for dishes from the book. I could watch the dvd's of season one over and over, and finally I am getting around to season two on dvd this weekend since its going to rain here in New York. I love America's Test Kitchen, but there is just something even better about Cook's Country!

And lets face it, who doesn't love Chris Kimball? He is a true farm boy from Vermont with the foodie snobbery of a top New York City food critic. And that bowtie - what a character! I would actually be quite nervous working for him and find he is always giving Jack too much of a hard time with tastes tests. Julia and Bridget are master chefs, though, and just plain hold their own when it comes to Kimball's doubts about a recipe! The cookbook is a favorite gift of mine, as are subscriptions to both Cook's Country and Cook's Illustrated, all from dear friends.

I never eat fried chicken and wish I could, so how could I pass up Chris Kimball's oven fried chicken if he is telling me its crispy and I won't miss the deep fried flavor? No matter what, any foodie worth his salt will tell you that you have to use corn flakes for oven-fried chicken.

And he did.

I served mine with buttermilk mashed potatoes and asparagus roasted with onions and garlic. Enjoy!

Fiery Oven-Fried Chicken (courtesy of Cook's Country)

Ingredients:

2 cups lowfat buttermilk

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

pepper

1 tablespoon hot sauce

6 bone-in chicken thighs (skinless)

1 slice of hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces and pulsed in food processor into coarse crumbs

2 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes

1/2 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning (I used Penzey's)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1) Whisk buttermilk, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the hot sauce together in a large bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat well, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

2) Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set a wire rack on the sheet, and coat with vegetable oil spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3) Gently toss the bread crumbs, corn flakes, remaining garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, poultry seasoning, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne in a shallow dish until combined. Drizzle vegetable oil over the crumbs and toss until well coated.

4) Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge in the crumbs mixture, firmly pressing the crumbs onto the sides of the chicken. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet leaving 1/2 inch between the pieces.

5) Bake until the top is a deep golden brown and the juices run clear, about 35-45 minutes.