Growing up Southern, I LOVEEEE some crispy fried chicken. But being health-conscious, I try to steer myself away from too many fried foods. And therein lies my dilemma!

I have tried to make baked ‘fried’ chicken other ways but it never turns out crispy enough for my liking. But for this recipe I have found that panko crumbs & a wire rack are perfect for ensuring a crispy piece of chicken!

This ‘fried’ chicken recipe is simple, full of flavor, & best of all, has a crispy crust to enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• dash of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 c panko crumbs
• 1 pack drumsticks (about 6-7)

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. We want it hot to crisp the crust!

Now, crack & mix the two eggs in a shallow bowl.

Add the other dry ingredients (paprika, salt, garlic powder, panko) to a second shallow bowl & mix together well. These will become an crust-making assembly line.

Next take each chicken drumstick and coat with the egg. Then dredge through the panko mixture. Make sure to get each piece is coated in the panko crumbs thoroughly! You want all of the drumstick to be covered.

I put the chicken on a wire rack on top of a metal pan. I found by doing this, the heat and air can reach all the crust at the same time rather than the bottom portion becoming ‘mushy’.

Cook in the oven for 30 minutes, then flip & cook for another 30 minutes or until done. I flip so both sides can be browned by the oven.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try it in the comments below!