Cornmeal Oven-Fried Chicken (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
For Brine:
- 1/2 cup kosher salt preferably Diamond Crystal – see Notes
- 1/4 white sugar
- 3 cups water
- 8 cloves of garlic skins removed and smashed
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 6 cups cold water
- 8 chicken thighs with skin and bones
For Coating:
- 1 cup buttermilk see Notes
- 1 cup gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour see Notes
- 1/2 cup medium ground cornmeal see Notes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Brining the Chicken:
- In a small pot, combine salt, sugar and 3 cups of water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the salt and sugar dissolve.
- Transfer salt-sugar water mixture to a large bowl or pot. Add garlic, coriander, bay leaves, peppercorns and remaining 6 cups of cold water. Stir until brine is cold.
- Add chicken, cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
Cooking the Chicken:
- Remove chicken from brine and place on a larger platter or cookie sheet. Let stand for 30 minutes to remove some of the chill. Remove any spices that may have remained on the chicken.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil (to ease in clean up). Spray with cooking oil.
- Place buttermilk in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, coriander, cayenne pepper, sea salt and black pepper.
- Dip each chicken thigh into buttermilk and then dredge in flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Transfer chicken pieces to prepared baking sheet, skin side down.
- Roast chicken pieces for about 25 to 30 minutes or until very browned. Flip over chicken pieces and roast for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Chicken is done when browned and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F. Transfer chicken to a wire rack to let cool for at least 10 minutes (the rack allows it to cool more evenly).
- Serve chicken hot, at room temperature or cold. Chicken can be made two days in advance.
Notes
* If you’re using Morton’s kosher salt, then use 1/3 cup. Not all kosher salts are created equal as one cup of Morton’s kosher salt has 8 ounces of salt whereas Diamond Crystal kosher salt only has 5 ounces per cup.
* I use my 7-1/4 quart round Le Creuset Dutch oven for brining the chicken - all the pieces are submerged and it has a lid for covering.
* While I like baking with a buttermilk powder mix (such as SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend), for this recipe I recommend using liquid buttermilk.
* If you want to make this truly gluten-free use gluten-free flour (such as Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour) in place of the all-purpose flour and gluten-free cornmeal (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Medium Cornmeal).
* I use my 7-1/4 quart round Le Creuset Dutch oven for brining the chicken - all the pieces are submerged and it has a lid for covering.
* While I like baking with a buttermilk powder mix (such as SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend), for this recipe I recommend using liquid buttermilk.
* If you want to make this truly gluten-free use gluten-free flour (such as Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour) in place of the all-purpose flour and gluten-free cornmeal (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Medium Cornmeal).
