Recipe Makeover: Lemon-Ginger Fried Chicken

Giving the chicken a double coat of flour mixture creates a golden crust (without the skin) when pan-fried. We use lemon rind instead of the lemon extract called for in the original.

Carefully pour in the broth so you don't wet the crispy brown coating on the chicken. The broth mixture turns into a glazey sauce that can be served with the chicken.

 

 Ingredients

1 teaspoon  grated lemon rind

1 cup  fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

2 teaspoons  minced peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons  minced garlic

2  bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned $

2  bone-in chicken thighs, skinned $

2  chicken drumsticks, skinned $

4.5 ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup) $

2 teaspoons  ground ginger

1 teaspoon  paprika

1/2 teaspoon  ground red pepper

1 teaspoon  kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup  peanut oil

1/4 cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth $

2 tablespoons  brown sugar

1  lemon, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Place rind, juice, and next 5 ingredients (through drumsticks) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.

2. Sift together flour and next 3 ingredients (through red pepper). Place flour mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Remove chicken from marinade bag, reserving marinade. Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly over chicken. Add chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal bag and shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Place chicken on a wire rack; place rack in a jelly-roll pan. Cover and refrigerate 1 1/2 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350°.

4. Return chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal bag and shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture. Discard remaining flour mixture.

5. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, turning once. Arrange chicken in single layer in a shallow roasting pan. Combine broth and reserved marinade in a small bowl; carefully pour broth mixture into pan. Sprinkle chicken evenly with sugar, and top with lemon slices. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden and a thermometer registers 165°.