A Spice of Life

Some days you look at everything currently cooked and uncooked in the fridge and feel like, “Everything in here is fine, but I’ve eaten the same combos too many days in a row. Normally that wouldn’t bother me but the past few days have been stress and I want something… very slightly different.”

Like, some days you want something spicy. Just not too spicy. Enough spice and enough different flavors to be Not Quite what you’ve been noshing lately.

This recipe is one I haul out every so often for that. I can’t seem to get the coating nearly as crispy-good as standard fried chicken, and it tends to stick to my pans (I never got in the habit of using cooking spray) so I don’t make it frequently. But it does make a good change from just plain baked chicken. And leftovers reheat well. If you’re feeding a family you likely won’t have much in the way of leftovers, while if it’s just you or a couple people you can shove the rest in the fridge or freezer for alternate meals.

I find it goes well with pasta, kind of like chicken parmesan. Baked potatoes also work. Or even just a salad if your gut’s being cranky about starches. Though if you do that I’d recommend some tomatoes in the salad; they pick up the spices nicely!

Dishes you will want: Two shallow bowls. At least one pan to spread the meat out in. A spatula to turn the chicken during cooking. A teaspoon, a tablespoon, and a half-cup measure. Yes, I’ve used regular flatware spoons to measure. Recipe was originally from Carol Fenster’s Gluten-Free 101.

GF Oven-Baked Chicken

Base coating:

1/2 cup buttermilk or substitute (yogurt, sour cream, soured plant milks, etc.)

1/4 tsp cayenne (or less)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

 

Dry coating:

1/4 cup brown rice flour

3 tbsp cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper (I omit, I’m not a pepper fan.)

1/4 tsp paprika (I tend to add more of this instead.)

4 large boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 1 lb. (I’ve also used breast pieces, and if you scrape the bowls this recipe can coat about 2 lb or so total, really.)

 

cooking spray (I butter the pan instead, the spray probably sticks less.)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease your pan. Make sure the chicken is thawed, or at least mostly unfrozen. Mix the base coating in one bowl, the dry coating in the other. Take each piece of meat, rub it in the base, then pat it into the dry coating on each side and put your now-coated piece into the pan.

Note, given how much coating sticks to your fingers, it’s best to make sure you’ve trimmed any extraneous fat or whatever off the meat before you dip anything. Yes, off all of it. No, you really don’t want to miss one. Did I mention the sticky fingers? You may want to hit the sink to scrub off before you put the completed pan into the oven. Just to make things less complicated and messy.

Pan into the oven. Bake, turning once, for about 45-60 min, until you can stab the thickest piece and the juices are no longer pink. And serve!

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