Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

My best friend Dawn gave me The bon appetit fast easy fresh cookbook for my last birthday.

My favorite recipe in this book, that I have tried, is this Spicy Oven Fried Chicken. It is very simple to make and bursting with flavors. My children love the taste. I have used boneless chicken breast with or without skin. You can reduce the cayenne pepper if you want it less spicy; it does have a kick. Don't omit the melted butter because that adds crisp to the final dish.

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

2 tbs Dijon mustard

4 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tsps salt, divided

1 ½ tsps cayenne pepper, divided

12 chicken pieces with skin and bones (4 breasts, 4 thighs, and 4 drumsticks)

1 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 tsps dried thyme

½ tsp paprika

3 tbls unsalted butter, melted

Whisk: buttermilk, mustard, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cayenne in large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Place: 1 rack on each of 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Mix breadcrumbs, cheese, flour, thyme, paprika, remaining 1 tsp of salt, and ½ tsp cayenne in medium bowl. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Working in batches, add chicken to breadcrumb mixture; turn to coat. Arrange chicken pieces, skin side up, on racks. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat: oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle butter over chicken; bake until crisp, brown, and cooked through, about 50 minutes.