Skinny Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken

Skinny Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken is a slimmed down version of fried chicken made with a greek yogurt marinade and a crunchy whole wheat coating.

Lately I am all about trying to healthify some of my favorite indulgent foods.  Fried chicken, in all it's greasy and finger-lickin' glory, is amazing, but my muffin-top doesn't need anymore muffins, if you get my drift.  This Momma's got a bridesmaids dress to fit into in less than a month, and I want to look my best!

While I am often skeptical about lightening up classics like fried chicken, sometimes the stars align just right and the results are amazing.  I recently made a skinny version of Beer Cheese Soup and I couldn't believe how good it came out.  Same thing with this chicken!

This recipe turned out nice and juicy thanks to the greek yogurt marinade.  It also had way less calories than traditional fried chicken thanks to the removal of the skin and the whole wheat coating.  Skinny and full of flavor...you can't beat that!

Skinny Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken


Ingredients

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 bone-in pieces of chicken, skin removed (I used thighs and drumsticks)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. In a large plastic bag or shallow baking dish, combine the yogurt, dijon and garlic.  Add the chicken to the mixture and coat each piece of chicken.  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.  In another plastic bag or shallow dish, combine the flour, paprika, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  Add the marinated chicken to the flour coating one piece at a time and turn to coat.
3. Place the chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet and lightly spray each piece with the cooking spray.  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the chicken reaches 180°.

Notes

• Source:  Adapted from Crispy Chicken Gets Skinny from Taste of Home magazine.
• As you can see in my photo, I left mine in for just a little too long and the coating on a couple of pieces over-browned just a little.  Still tasted great, but be sure to watch it towards the end!