Barbecue Spice Oven Fried Chicken

Barbecue Spice Oven Fried Chicken

With the weather warming up this early April and winter relinquishing its grip this month, I am beginning to yearn for the upcoming barbecue and grilling season. Last summer I came up with Smokin' Summer Spice Dry Rub which I have used in many ways since on pulled pork, beef brisket...even as a seasoning for grilled burgers. I really do think it has a great combination of flavors in the herbs and spices that are used in it. 

When I was making dinner last week, I set out to use my original recipe for The Best Oven Fried Chicken which our whole family loves. When I pulled out the spice drawer to get the spices needed, I noticed that there were a few tablespoons of that Smokin' Summer Spice Dry Rub left from the last batch that I made. I decided to give it a shot as the seasoning for the fried chicken and it turned out great!

We served it with some delicious pasta salad for a quick meal but I recommend if you have the time that you try my easy Unfried Crispy Wedge Fries which go great with fried chicken as a lower fat alternative too.

Cut one whole chicken into parts or use 3 lbs chicken parts of your choice. Add the chicken parts to a large Ziploc bag and then mix together and pour in:

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp hot sauce (optional
• 1 1/2  tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Push as much air as you can out of the bag, close it and place in a bowl in the fridge for 6 - 8 hours or overnight.

Make a dredge for the chicken by mixing together:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 to 3 tbsp Smokin' Summer Spice Dry Rub

Drain the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and then dredge thoroughly in the flour and spice mixture to coat the pieces evenly.

Coat the bottom of a cookie sheet or large baking pan with approximately

• 3 tbsp canola oil  (light olive oil or peanut oil are also good)

Place the coated chicken pieces in the pan and lightly spray the tops with olive oil from a spray bottle. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Drumsticks and wings will take only about 45 minutes. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the largest pieces reaches 165 - 170 degrees F.