Baked Mexican Chicken

After a bombastic vacation and a week-long eat out my appetite forced me to move my bum into the kitchen. Of course due to the guilt of consuming high calorie foods and for not entering the kitchen for an entire week I was feeling to make something light and healthy. But my ‘special food’ craving was not allowing me to do so. My little demon was demanding something special at the same time. I was so confused that I spent my entire afternoon thinking. (wallah! What an excuse!) No kidding! This ‘thinking’ activity made me so bored that I had to switch on the TV. And guess what? It actually solved my problem of the day in approximately 6 hrs, but who cares about the time when you know you gonna have another tongue-smacking material and that also homemade, moreover baked :-) (advantage #1 of watching TV!!!).

‘Baked Mexian Chicken’; sounds terribly good and fresh. Isn’t it? This made me feel so motivated that I immediately got up and moved my lazy bum towards the super market and got my cart full with the ingredients I needed. And by 10 o’clock my delicious baked Mexican chicken was ready to serve on my dining table.

Ingredients:

Chicken (leg/drumstick): 500 gms

Salsa sauce: 1 cup

Garlic powder: 2 tsp (if your pantry is running out of it, use crushed garlic)

Parsley: 1 tsp                                                         

Dry oregano: 1 tsp

Pepper powder: 1 tsp

Chili flakes: 4-5 tsp

Eggs: 3

Bread crumbs: 1 cup

Salt to taste

Butter: 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Clean chicken pieces and pat it dry with the help of kitchen towels. Make few diagonal slashes in the pieces with knife and pierce with a fork. Brush little butter on the chicken pieces and keep aside.

2. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add garlic, parsley, oregano, pepper powder, salt and half of chili flakes and mix well (a).

3. Take salsa sauce in a shallow bowl (b).
4. Take another bowl filled with bread crumbs. Mix rest chili flakes with it (c).
5. Pre-heat the oven at 210°C.
6. Now dip chicken pieces in (a), (b) and (c). Repeat the process to make sure all the pieces are well coated.

7. Place the chicken pieces in an ungreased baking tray and bake for 45-60 mins. Do peep time to time and turn over the pieces once (after 30 mins).
8. Once chicken pieces are tender yet fully cooked (use your regular fork to ensure there is no pinkish strain inside the chicken pieces) take out the pan, (must) do some oil brush and put it back in the oven for 10 mins in grill mode to achieve that ‘deep fried’ look.

9. Your baked Mexican chicken is done. Serve with spicy salsa sauce and sour cream.

If you are lucky to be maintained thin enough structure of your body (now I'm feeling Big J !!!) to grab fried food on your daily menu, please do deep fry this and relish the immense pleasure of being fit :)

Serve Hot along with sour cream, fresh salad and Salsa Dip.

I am submitting this recipe to http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com for their Linky Party.