Crispy Baked Chicken

Marinating this chicken for 4 or 5 hours really makes it turn out moist.  You have to cook it on a rack so it gets crispy.  A cooling rack that fits over a baking sheet is perfect.  Don't forget to line your pan with foil for easy cleanup.

I only cooked two bone-in, skin-off chicken breasts so increase the amount of crumbs if you're cooking more chicken pieces.  This would be good with thighs and legs too, or just a whole cut-up chicken.

For the marinade:
2 cups buttermilk or kefir (that's what I use)
Juice of one lemon
1/2 T. hot sauce, like Tabasco
1/2 onion, sliced and cut into 1-2" pieces
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme or whatever fresh herb you have, like rosemary or tarragon
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Salt and pepper

Pick out a baking dish where the chicken pieces will fit without any extra room.  Mix the ingredients in the dish and then add what chicken pieces you are using.  Coat the chicken completely with the marinade.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-6 hours, turning once.

For the coating:
1 cup cornflakes, crushed
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
1-2 t. fresh chopped thyme, or 3 t. Herbs de Provence

Mix everything together.  I used my food processor but made sure not to completely pulverize the cornflakes.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and allow any excess to drip off.  Press both sides of the breasts into the coating.  Coat the rack with cooking spray and place it on the foil-lined baking sheet.  Put the chicken on the coated rack and then spray the top of the breasts with the cooking spray as well.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, or until a thermometer registers around 160 degrees. 

I served this with fresh beans and roasted carrots.  I just put olive oil, salt and pepper on the carrots and baked them until tender, about 15 minutes.