Walnut Coated Smart “Fried” Chicken

Crunchy on the outside from walnuts and moist in the center, this chicken is healthy too. Ask your meat market to cut the chicken into pieces and save the backbone for stock. Any leftovers can be added to noodle soup for a spicy chicken version.

Ingredients

1 (3 ½ -pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces

2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 cup panko

½ cup chopped walnuts, finely chopped

½ cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper

 

Directions

  1. Place the chicken pieces and garlic in a large bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for 2 hours .
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a large, low-sided baking pan; set aside.
  3. In a large paper bag, large plastic bag, or bowl, combine the panko, walnuts, cornmeal, garlic salt, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano and black pepper. Shake well, or whisk, to mix.
  4. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk allowing any excess to drip off. Set one piece at a time in the panko mixture. Shake the bag, or toss in the bowl, until well coated.
  5. Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared baking pan, leaving space between the pieces. Bake until deep golden brown, about 45 to 60 minutes. (An instant read thermometer should register 160°F for the white meat and 170°F for the dark.)
  6. Serve hot or at room temperature with Mollie’s chicken gravy or Mollie’s Mushroom Gravy.

 

Walnut Coated Smart “Fried” Chicken

Nutritional Information

Based on 6 servings.

Per serving:

Calories

470

Total Fat     

11g

Saturated Fat  

2g

Cholesterol

155mg

Sodium

600mg

Carbohydrates

24g

Dietary Fiber      

3g

Protein

67g