If there is one fast food chain which I have a weakness for, it’s KFC. Granted, I only crave it once every few months so it’s not exactly as if I go crazy on the stuff, but the deep fried danger and greasy, crispy chicken skin (which I peel off after one bite) means that after the first bite, guilt sets in and sits very prominently in the front of my mind, preventing me from entirely enjoying the meal.
Add that to the rehydrated powdered ‘mashed’ potatoes (which I can’t actually bring myself to eat) and the milky coleslaw which is so sweet you have no need of dessert (except possibly a piece of fresh fruit to cleanse the palate after the meal) and it’s not exactly a meal that leaves me feeling happy.
So, when I saw this recipe for a baked ‘fried chicken’ recipe, I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn’t wait to try it. Now, I have a deep-seated fear of chicken skin so I made sure to remove it but was a bit worried that the chicken would dry out during the baking… what a silly thing to worry about! The crumb coating retained the moisture and the resulting dish was beautifully moist and tender (though mouth-parchingly salty to me, which I’ve since amended)
As the chicken baked, I wondered what to serve it with… I remembered seeing a recipe for a vinegar slaw somewhere awhile ago, so I decided to ransack the vegetable drawer and see what I could come up with. The result, this amazingly tangy and fresh coleslaw that’s far lighter on the calories than any mayo-laden counterpart could dream of being! With the combination of fruit and veg, it’s a delightful combination of textures and flavour - so much so that you almost don’t need the chicken!
So next time you get a craving for some crispy fried chicken and slaw, try this healthier alternative. Your mouth and your hips will both thank you for it 
Asian-Inspired Vinegar Slaw
Vinegar Slaw Ingredients
2 cups savoy cabbage, finely sliced
1-2 medium sized carrots, washed and grated
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
1 peeled fuji apple, finely sliced into matchsticks (can be substituted with a nashi pear)
2-3 spring onions, finely sliced
2-3 tbsp salad dressing (see below)
1. Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and toss till the veggies are all evenly coated in the salad dressing. Serve immediately.
If preparing ahead of time, prepare the veggies and salad dressing separately then toss together just before serving.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 tbsp brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
1 birds eye chilli/small red chilli, finely sliced
Pour all the ingredients into a small, clean screw-top jar and shake to mix together. Will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.
Finger-Lickin’ Oven ‘Fried’ Chicken
(adapted from Elle’s New England Kitchen)
Ingredients
150g plain natural yogurt (or Greek yogurt, if you can find it)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Tabasco (or other hot sauce)
1.5kg chicken drumsticks
2 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 - 3/4 tsp creole seasoning (plus a couple extra pinches for the marinade!) (see recipe for seasoning below)
2 tbsp olive oil
1. Carefully remove all the skin from the chicken drumsticks, then cut 3 diagonal slices into each side of the drumstick. This will help the marinade to penetrate the chicken flesh for stronger flavour. Once that’s done, give them a quick rinse in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, stir together yogurt, mustard, Tabasco, and half of the creole seasoning. Put chicken in a large ziptop bag, add marinade, seal the bag and turn to coat chicken completely . Marinate for at least 6-8 hours, but overnight is better.
3. Line a large baking dish with sides with heavy duty foil. Spray lightly with oil spray. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
4. In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, the cumin and creole seasoning, then roll each piece of chicken in the crumb mixture.
6. Place chicken in prepared pan and lightly drizzle with olive oil.
7. Bake 50 minutes to one hour until golden brown and crispy outside and the juices run clear.
Creole Seasoning
Ingredients
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cayenne
1 tbsp dried oregano
Mix and store in an airtight container.
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Comments
This is brilliant! I am bookmarking this recipe. So you can really remove all the skin and the meat doesn’t dry out? That’s amazing!
I grew up on oven "fried" chicken and couldn’t have it any other way. Your post reminds me of picnics we used to take out on the boat when my mom packed up the chicken, deviled eggs, and blueberry muffins, and we’d anchor along a sandy shore. After swimming and floating on the raft we’d dry off and dig in. Those were the days…
Now I’m all excited to try your recipe; looks like you’ve got some great spices in there that could only be finger-lickin’ good!
oh mine! Ellie, I was fooled by the gorgeous photos… although right now the chickens still look very much like fried! Really crispy. Your will-power so strong, can give up the second bite of KFC chicken’s skin 
good lord that looks AMAZING. Like you, I often crave KFC, though have not eaten it for years due to massive guilt I get just being within the vicinity of some of that chicken. Shudder. Yours looks much better. Will definitely have to give that a go very soon…
May I just say, my husband and I LOVE YOU!!!
Okay, maybe a bit strong. But we’ve just started a horridly boring calorie/fat controlled diet. We now have our ‘treat’ without the guilt.
Will try this one out on Saturday. 
Ok…how am i supposed to stay focused in the gym if you keep putting up some of my favorite foods. I think I can eat the slaw… Wow that looks awesome~
Hey KFC potatoes are good! (even if they barely qualify as mashed potatoes) I think the chicken, however, is wayyyy too greasy. This recipe looks good though!
My mom’s loves baked fried chicken. And she’d love your slaw too. Those colors just pop off the screen, Ellie!
Kat - I think the spices really give it a nice punch of flavour 
Helen - Nope, I was actually quite surprised when I took my first bite, the meat was very tender and moist and you can see from the pictures just how much I baked it so it was nicely browned and crunchy outside
Julia - Oven “fried” chicken (and fried chicken in general) is a relatively new thing to me! Those memories of yours sound wonderful!
Gattina - I know, right? But it’s very much baked and not too greasy at all I actually can’t handle much grease, too much oily food and I get ill so it’s easy to pull off the chicken skin 
For me, anyway!
Mel - I know the feeling, trust me! But now that I’ve got this baked recipe, I doubt I’ll be turning back to the Colonel anytime soon
Kim - Awww shucks, do you really really love me Hehehe! I know what it’s like to be on strict diets, but I think that it’s important to have your little indulgences every now and then as well…and if you can do it healthily, then even better
Eathan - Pssshaw, come on, it’s baked not fried! The coleslaw is pretty darn good, and quite low calories!
Susan - Cheers
Shari - Ta hon
Tanna - Indeed it is!
Jenna - Eek, I just can’t stomach the potatoes at all! You’re right about the chicken being greasy, but sometimes I crave a little grease
Susan - Ta hon
That looks AWESOME! I use a similar basic recipe but I LOVE the sppice combo on this. I am SOOOO trying this next time I make it!
Yummy!! I’ve been looking for a nice asian style slaw for an upcoming BBQ. I think I found a winner!
I love fried chicken… I’ve been thinking about working on an oven-fried version. This looks excellent - and love that you’ve taken the skin off.
Oooh, I love the alternative fried chicken! I also adore KFC but I once found something that looked suspiciously like a brain in mine and I always worry a bit when I have it now (I end up disecting it before I eat it). Both the chicken and the slaw look great!
I grew up eating far too much leftover KFC that my siblings would bring home from work (probably health and safety regulations would prevent it now) and the very thought of the stuff makes me shudder in horror. The coleslaw was sickly sweet but yours looks much preferable
Katie - Enjoy
Diva - I like *this* slaw
Asianmommy - thanks! Hope you like
Chris - I can’t take the credit for the yoghurt, but it is a nice move
Maggie - Cheers I think it added a nice fresh sweetness and contrasting texture to this.
Michelle - Hope you like it
Cathie - Ta Hope you like it!
Brittany - Hope the bbq went well
Heidi A - Healthy dishes make me happy, especially if it means I still get to enjoy a favourite food!
Indigo - Have you ever cleaned a chicken carcass before? They do occur But not a great thing that KFC had it, it implies the chicken wasn’t properly cleaned.
Johanna - Ahh, I never had that problem Nobody I knew worked at KFC
this looks way better than KFC