Baked Fried Chicken and Gravy
Soaking the chicken in milk for 20-30 minutes results in extra juicy and tender chicken. Enjoy.
Soaking the chicken in milk for 20-30 minutes results in extra juicy and tender chicken. Enjoy.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 cup flour
- for the chicken:
- ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken cut into parts
- 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
- for the gravy:
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons butter and drippings from baking dish combined with scraped up crispy bits from chicken
- 2 tablespoons of the leftover flour seasoned for the chicken
- Carbohydrate 164.543315393371 g
- Cholesterol 24.0000000202884 mg
- Fat 8.39224095443197 g
- Fiber 2.08913592297425 g
- Protein 8.6518615572704 g
- Saturated Fat 4.5757484694251 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (425g)
- Sodium 7076.1164169277 mg
- Sugar 162.454179470396 g
- Trans Fat 0.969677519092731 g
- Calories 742 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak chicken in milk to cover for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Spray a baking dish (one that will accommodate all the chicken pieces comfortably in one layer) with nonstick vegetable-oil spray.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Put the butter in the baking dish and heat it in the oven until the butter melts.
- Mix flour and seasonings together in paper sack or plastic baggie (1-gallon size). Shake each piece of chicken in seasoned flour.
- Place chicken pieces, skin-side down, in baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Turn chicken over and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cooked through and crispy.
- While chicken is baking, sauté the scallions and mushrooms in the drippings over medium high heat, until soft. Mix the seasoned flour with milk first until you see no lumps.
- Whisk milk mixture into the sautéing onions and mushrooms. Taste and add bouillon cube, if desired (You may want to use additional milk if you do).
- Boil until thickened to preferred consistency. Put into a gravy dish and serve alongside the baked chicken.
Undercooking the initial dairy soak is the error most home cooks make when preparing poultry for pan-frying or baking, cutting the resting time short before the proteins have adequately relaxed. Submerging the pieces in milk for the full thirty minutes alters the cellular structure, ensuring the interior remains moist while the exterior undergoes high-heat transformation at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Letting the liquid penetrate fully prevents the dryness that frequently plagues white meat exposed to dry oven heat.
Proper thermal transfer requires specific hardware, specifically a baking dish wide enough to hold every component in a single flat layer without overlapping. Crowding the pan traps steam instead of rendering fat, which ruins the crispiness of the skin and prevents the butter from browning correctly during the initial twenty-minute baking phase. Selecting a heavy metal or ceramic vessel ensures even heat retention, and melting the butter directly in the dish before adding the coated meat creates an immediate frying environment from the bottom up.
Building the accompanying pan sauce relies entirely on capturing the browned residue left behind after baking, utilizing those scraped bits as the flavor foundation for the sautéed mushrooms and scallions. Whisking the reserved seasoned flour into cold milk off the heat first dissolves any lumps before the slurry meets the hot pan, preventing the flour clumps that ruin gravies. Boiling the mixture over medium-high heat activates the starch molecules, producing a thick, glossy texture that clings to a spoon.
Pairing this rich poultry dish with something bright and acidic provides necessary contrast to balance the heavy butter and pan fats. Simple steamed green vegetables or a sharp vinegar-dressed green salad cut through the richness without competing with the savory profile of the mushrooms and pan drippings.
