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Oprah Winfrey's Un-Fried Chicken
Compiled by Vicki McClure Davidson
Oprah Winfrey is an American television presenter, media mogul, and philanthropist. Her popular, internationally-syndicated talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, has earned her numerous Emmy Awards and is the highest-rated talk show in the history of television. She's also an influential book critic, an Oscar-nominated actress, and a magazine publisher. She has co-authored several books.
Oprah invested $40 million and much of her time establishing the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg in South Africa. The school opened in January 2007. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, the most philanthropic African American of all time, and was once the world's only black billionaire. Oprah is also, according to some people, the most influential woman in America, possibly the world.
Working with her personal cook Rosie Daley, Oprah's favorite recipes have magically been transformed to be lighter and lower in fat, while still tasting good, to help the talk show host keep her weight down. Daley's 1995 cookbook In the Kitchen with Rosie, Oprah's Favorite Recipes, includes 50 of the talk show host's favorite soups, main dishes, and desserts, including this one for Un-Fried Chicken.
Oprah offers some background:
"Being raised a Southern girl—giving up fried foods hasn't been easy. Rosie has perfected un-frying my favorites, like chicken and catfish—meaning that the chicken is not fried, but tastes like it is. You can use the same process for anything else you choose to un-fry. "We have served platters of skinless un-fried chicken to guests, and they thought it was the best fried chicken they ever had. You won't believe how good it is."
Daley elaborates on her un-frying technique:
"The secret to the success of this recipe is to make sure that both the chicken and the yogurt are very cold (hence, soaking the chicken in the ice water). The preliminary soaking will help the breading adhere and produce a crisp coating much like that of friend chicken. If you're serving the chicken on a platter rather than on individual dinner plates, it looks smashing on a bed of flowering kale."
Oprah Winfrey's Un-Fried Chicken
- Light vegetable oil cooking spray
- 6 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- 3 whole chicken breasts, halved and skin removed
- 3-1/2 cups ice water
- 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
For the breading:
- 1 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 T. Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat a baking sheet with 3 sprays of the vegetable oil.
Put the chicken in a large bowl with the ice water. Put the yogurt into a medium bowl. Set both bowls aside.
Toss all the breading ingredients into a large, tightly-sealing plastic bag. Seal and shake well to mix.
Remove 2 pieces of chicken from the ice water. Roll each piece in the yogurt. Put the chicken into the plastic bag, reseal, and shake to coat thoroughly. Transfer the breaded chicken to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process until all 12 pieces are breaded. Spray the chicken lightly with the vegetable oil.
Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake for 1 hour, turning the pieces every 20 minutes to allow even browning.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Makes 12 pieces.
About using yogurt in her reduced-fat cooking, Daley says, "Several of my recipes call for plain nonfat yogurt. It adds moisture to baked goods and is a good substitute for mayonnaise in salads and dressings."
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<< Back to Directory of Collection of Celebrities' Frugal Recipes
Source: Daley, Rosie, In the Kitchen with Rosie, Oprah's Favorite Recipes, Alfred A. Knopf, NY, NY, 1995.