2 Ingredient Crispy "Fried" Chicken
An easy method for making crispy chicken that tastes and looks like fried chicken but without any frying.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs (64 oz/1814 g) chicken drumsticks, thighs or wings, fully defrosted if using frozen
- 2 tbsp (24 g) aluminum free baking powder
Instructions
- Stretch out the skin on the chicken pieces until the chicken is mostly covered in skin. See post for more details and photo.
- In a large bowl, add the chicken and sprinkle baking powder (and salt if using) over the chicken. Toss the chicken in the baking powder until evenly coated. If you see any thick patches of baking powder on the chicken, make sure to spread it out with the help of a basting brush.
- For the oven version: Preheat oven to 450°F/232°C. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place an oven-safe baking/cooling rack on top of the baking sheet. Generously grease the surface of the rack with cooking oil spray (or brush with cooking oil). Place chicken on the rack, making sure none of them overlap. Spray the surface of the chicken with cooking oil spray or brush with oil. See notes for more details on the oil. Cook in preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked (the internal temperature should be at least 170°F/77°C) and skin reaches desired crispness. Chicken is best served soon after it is cooked.
- For the air fryer version: Preheat air fryer to 400°F/204°C. Grease the inner basket plate with cooking oil spray. Place chicken on the plate, making sure none of them overlap. You may need to cook in several batches depending on the size of your air fryer. Spray the chicken surface with cooking oil spray. Cook in preheated air fryer for about 20-25 minutes (I usually do 25 minutes) or until chicken is fully cooked (the internal temperature should be at least 170°F/77°C) and skin reaches desired crispness. Chicken is best served soon after it is cooked.
Notes
- Aluminum free baking powder is recommended to prevent any possible metallic aftertaste. However, if you don't have access to aluminum free, baking powder that contains aluminum will still work.
- Whether you need to add salt will depend on your personal salt preference and the amount of salt added to your chicken. In general, I find that frozen chicken has more salt added and I don't need to add any salt. When using fresh chicken with very little salt added, I use about 1 tsp for 4 lbs of chicken.
- You can reduce this recipe. Just remember to use 1 tbsp of baking powder for every 2 lb of chicken.
- Cooking oil spray is not strictly necessary on the chicken but it does help ensure that it bakes up evenly gold in color. If you leave off the cooking oil, you'll find that the skin bakes up drier and may have some dry powdery patches. This isn't an issue if you plan on saucing the chicken but if you are serving it plain, I recommend you spray the chicken with oil. You can also brush the chicken with oil. Sometimes I will brush the chicken with olive oil to make it a little healthier.
- The chicken should be consumed soon after it is cooked. It does not stay crispy as long as traditional fried chicken.
- For ease of nutrition calculation, the nutrition estimate assumes 4 lbs of drumsticks (about 16 drumsticks) and 2 drumsticks per serving.
Serving: 2drumsticks, Calories: 170kcal, Protein: 20g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 240mg
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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