Quinoa Crusted Fried Chicken

Name: Quinoa Crusted Fried Chicken
Ingredients: 3 cup water; ¼ cup kosher salt; ¼ cup sugar; 2 ice cubes; 3 ½ pound whole chicken; 1 cup greek yogurt; 1 ½ cup flour; 5 eggs; 2 boxes of quinoa flakes; olive oil spray

Margaret LaVetty|July 6, 2015 12:38 pm EST

3.2 (5 ratings)

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Today is National Fried Chicken Day! To honor the day, make Margaret LaVetty’s Quinoa Crusted Fried Chicken. This recipe is a healthier approach to an American classic — instead of dredging the bird in bread crumbs, Margaret uses quinoa to crust her chicken. Plus, it's baked in the oven instead of fried, which makes this dish a healthy alternative.

Servings

4

Ingredients

3 cup water
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
2 ice cubes
3 ½ pound whole chicken
1 cup greek yogurt
1 ½ cup flour
5 eggs
2 boxes of quinoa flakes
olive oil spray

Directions

Combine water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir to begin dissolving the sugar and salt crystals. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the ice cubes. Set aside to cool.
Place whole chicken in large container and pour brine over it. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Cut chicken into eight serving pieces, separating legs and thighs, removing rib cage, and cutting breasts in half. Place yogurt in a large bowl and toss chicken in it to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whip the eggs in a medium bowl and dip each piece of chicken individually into the eggs to coat and then dredge through flour. Empty quinoa flakes into a large container and thoroughly coat chicken pieces with the flakes by rolling pieces in them.
Spray baking dish with olive oil spray. Spread chicken in a single layer in a baking dish and place in oven. Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.