Oven "Fried" Chicken w/ Garlic Green Beans and Tomato & Onion Salad

Anyone that knows me knows that I love the Food Network, so it was no surprise that when I came home from work I immediately put that on the television. Ina Garten was on making oven "fried" chicken and it looked so good that I couldn't wait to try it. I do have a bad habit and that is that I never follow a recipe exactly as it is written so there are a few changes, mainly adding more spices, but all in all it was a great meal!

Oven "Fried" Chicken
adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/oven-fried-chicken-recipe/index.html

1 chicken, cut in 8 serving pieces
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic & onion powder
Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening

Directions

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, onion, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees F on a thermometer.
Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don't crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees F before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside.


Garlic Green Beans

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed off
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon EVOO
Salt & Pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet. Once heated add garlic cloves. Let cook for 1-2 minutes then add green beans, salt, and pepper. Cook until green beans are tender.

Tomato & Onion Salad

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin
I cucumber peeled and diced
Handful of basil torn
1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of EVOO
Salt & Pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill till it is time to serve.