Best "Fried" Chicken (Gluten Free too!)

I cut apart the leg quarters and take off the skin

 I have eaten this chicken since I was a young girl and as I was thinking about sharing the great family recipe, I realized how it has changed over the years.

I am sorry that I can't credit the woman who submitted it to the church cook book that my mom found it in, but from my memory, it is what my mom made and has become my family's favorite recipe for chicken. With some mashed potatoes and broccoli...YUM!

Melted butter ready for chicken

My mom used to use a whole chicken and cut it up to bake. I just can't say that my favorite thing is cutting up a whole chicken so I don't (maybe on a rare occasion if that is all I have in the freezer. We love leg quarters because in our house, dark meat rules. (By adjusting the bake time I am sure this would also be wonderful with boneless/skinless chicken breast if that is your preference.)

First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Take your sheet pan while the oven is pre-heating and put it in the oven with a stick of butter to melt while the oven warms.

Dredge the chicken

There are two ways to do the next step and I use both methods, depending on my mood. Prepare the first dredge plate with 1 egg and 1/2 cup water whisked together. On the other dredge pan, place 1 c. flour (gluten free all purpose works WONDERFUL), 2 teaspoons garlic salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 2 teaspoons of pepper and mix it all together. For the other method, I would put all of the dry ingredients in a zip lock bag and shake instead of dredge (when I don't feel like getting my hands messy).

Dip chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then the flour mixture placing each piece on the pan with the melted butter. (or put the egged chicken pieces all together in the bag and shake til they are all coated and then place on the pan to bake).

Bake 45-60 minutes and turn the pieces over. Bake 45-60 minutes on the second side and remove when finished. The difference in the time depends on what type of pieces you are baking. (probably less if you choose boneless/skinless breasts)

The house will almost immediately start smelling marvelous...the people who live with you will walk through the kitchen with their mouth watering and start asking you when dinner will be ready, I guarantee!

Ready for the oven

As I feared when I started taking pictures of the process, I forgot to take the final picture before everyone dug in and scarfed it all up! Obviously I am not very good at blogging recipes! Take my word for it though, this chicken is THE BEST!