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Soul foodDinnerHeart-smart
Oven-‘fried’ chicken
Crispy, golden, seasoned — without the deep fryer.
⏱ 55 min · serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 pieces chicken (skin off a few)
- 1 cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt thinned with water)
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour or seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne (to taste)
- A little salt
- Cooking oil spray
Steps
- 1Soak the chicken in buttermilk for 30 minutes (or overnight).
- 2Mix the flour with paprika, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne, and a little salt.
- 3Dredge each piece, pressing the coating on, and set on a rack over a baking sheet.
- 4Spray the tops with oil so they crisp.
- 5Bake at 425°F for about 40 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and cooked through (165°F inside).
💚 The heart-smart moves
- Oven-fry (or air-fry) instead of deep-frying — same crunch, far less fat.
- Take the skin off some pieces; that's where a lot of the saturated fat lives.
- Season hard — garlic, paprika, pepper, cayenne — so you don't miss anything.
The same Sunday chicken with a fraction of the fryer fat.
Read more about it in Learn →Cooking guidance, not medical advice. For what’s right for your heart, talk with your doctor.