Rosemary-Lemon Oven Fried Chicken

I made this for the first time a couple weeks ago but forgot to take pictures for the blog. I made it again yesterday and have decided it is the perfect chicken recipe. 

All my favorite flavors on some nice crispy chicken: rosemary, lemon, garlic, cayenne pepper. The flavors are good and strong, too, since I marinated it for several hours.

I served it with brussel sprouts and the white beans that I already posted about. Last time I made this recipe we had it with peas and mashed potatoes, which was also wonderful.

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Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken

from Two Peas in a Pod (and they have MUCH better pictures of the chicken)

ingredients:

Rosemary-Lemon Marinade

1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt or buttermilk (I used Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed (but I used chicken breasts..)

Crispy Coating

1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal (mix or substitute in breadcrumbs if you want - I ran out of cornmeal so I did a combo)
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large eggs, beaten thoroughly

directions:

1. For the marinade: combine all of the ingredients except the chicken until evenly combined. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

2. When ready to cook, heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven. Nest a cooling rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, set aside.

3. Combine the cornmeal, cornflakes, cheese, oil, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a shallow bowl and mix until well combined; set aside. Whisk together the eggs in a shallow bowl until evenly combined; set aside.

4. To coat the chicken, remove it from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Dip the chicken in the beaten eggs then in the cornflake mixture, turning to coat all over and pressing to help it adhere. Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken. Let the chicken rest on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before baking.

5. Bake until the coating is golden and crispy, the juices of the chicken run clear when poked, and the internal temperature is 160 degrees F, 40-45 minutes.

Note-you can coat the chicken and return it to the fridge and let it sit for up to 4 hours before cooking. Just let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking so it cooks more evenly.