Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Josh’s mom came to visit us last week. We always love having her in our home. She was a huge help with Caleb and did more of her fair share of the chores. Thanks Kathy! Josh wanted to make a special meal while his mom was visiting and volunteered to make Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken. He is a very sweet son and husband. I sure lucked out!

The Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken recipe is from Aida Mollenkamp’s new book, Keys to the Kitchen. We are both obsessed with Aida’s book. It is awesome! We actually had a long discussion on what we would make for the Keys to the Kitchen Virtual Dinner Party. We both picked out a long list of favorites and went back and forth on what to make. I finally let Josh win since his mom was in town and he wanted to make dinner. You really can’t argue with that:) And I knew everyone would love the Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken.

Josh loves fried chicken, but he rarely makes it because it is a pain to get out the deep fryer…and I hate how it stinks up the house. Plus, it’s not very good for his arteries:) This Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken has all of the pluses of deep fried chicken, but without all of the mess and fat.  The chicken is crusty, crunchy, and has a pleasant hint of lemon and rosemary.

Josh was also surprised at how easy it was to make. First, he marinaded the chicken in a rosemary-lemon buttermilk marinade. When the chicken was done hanging out in the marinade in the fridge, he dipped the chicken in a crispy coating made up of cornmeal, cornflakes, Pecorino cheese, oil, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. He baked the chicken for about 45 minutes, until it was golden and crispy.

Josh served the Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken with roasted potatoes, vegetables, and buttermilk biscuits. Everyone raved about the entire meal, especially the chicken. Thanks Aida for a fabulous recipe.

Make sure you check out Aida’s book, Keys to the Kitchen-The Essential Reference for Becoming a More Accomplished, Adventurous Cook.  It is more than just a cookbook, it is a resource guide to succeeding in the kitchen. It is filled with over 300 delicious recipes, helpful kitchen techniques and tips, and gorgeous photos. Everyone needs this book!

Email Yourself This Recipe
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus, you’ll get NEW recipes from us every week!

Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken

This easy oven-baked lemon rosemary chicken is crunchy and full of flavor without all of the fat and fuss of deep frying!
4.50 from 2 votes

Ingredients
  

For the Rosemary-Lemon Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt or buttermilk Josh used buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 4 garlic cloves smashed
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed

For the Crispy Coating:

  • 1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
  • 3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
  • 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 large eggs beaten thoroughly

Instructions
 

  • For the marinade: combine all of the ingredients except the chicken until evenly combined. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.
  • When ready to cook, heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven. Nest a cooling rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, set aside.
  • Combine the cornmeal, cornflakes, cheese, oil, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a shallow bowl and mix until well combined; set aside. Whisk together the eggs in a shallow bowl until evenly combined; set aside.
  • To coat the chicken, remove it from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Dip the chicken in the beaten eggs then in the cornflake mixture, turning to coat all over and pressing to help it adhere. Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken. Let the chicken rest on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before baking.
  • Bake until the coating is golden and crispy, the juices of the chicken run clear when poked, and the internal temperature is 160 degrees F, 40-45 minutes.
  • Note-you can coat the chicken and return it to the fridge and let it sit for up to 4 hours before cooking. Just let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking so it cooks more evenly.

Have you tried this recipe?

Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod

If you like this Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken, you might also like:

Disclosure: This giveaway is being provided by Aida Mollenkamp and Chronicle Books, but our opinions are our own.

Get the best of the best!
4 Recipes Guaranteed to be New Favorites

Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
Read More

Kid Friendly Main Dishes Josh's Favorites Meat/Seafood Chicken

Other recipes you may like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

Leave a comment

  1. Delicious! I dont cook fried chicken for our family and use the same old baked recipe.it will be nice to hzve a new recipe to try.

  2. I love cooking with rosemary … and this recipe sounds very company friendly. Thanks, Two Peas And Their Pod!

  3. The chicken sounds wonderful. As luck would have it I have 12 thighs marinating in buttermilk since yesterday afternoon. My plan was to try a Popeye’s copycat recipe but I’m making your hubby’s chicken instead. Thanks kids!

  4. I started following Aida’s blog earlier this summer and am HOOKED. I love how all her dishes always look so beautiful. This looks amazing, too!

  5. This sounds a lot like the grown up version of the chicken nuggets I make for the kids. I always love new cookbooks. Thanks for all the great giveaways. I always enjoy reading your blog!

  6. Rosemary and Lemon are 2 of my absolute favorite scents… and obviously favorite ingredients.
    I would love to win the cookbook…what girl doesn’t love a new addition to her cook book pile!?

  7. I collect cookbooks, but haven’t been able to buy any new ones lately. Would love to try some of the tasty things in this one! Thank you!!

  8. Oh my does that look and sound delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! Adding this to my dinners for next week!

  9. I love the combination of lemon and rosemary. This recipe will be added to next week’s menu. Thanks for sharing!

  10. I love your blog! So many new recipes to try and also the wonderful photos you take. Everything looks so delicious. I would love to win a copy of the cookbook. Thx, Sibylle

  11. It sounds like a great book and I would love to have a copy — the chicken recipes looks and sounds like a winner

  12. Aida is awesome! I would be so grateful to win her cookbook. I can’t wait to make this chicken 🙂 Thank you!

  13. The cookbook sounds great! I visit your site daily and I am always getting delicious cookie recipes..I do more baking than real cooking so having a good cookbook would be great! 😉

  14. I have always wanted to try an oven fried chicken and this recipe sounds great! I now have dinner planned for tonight. Thanks!

  15. This chicken sounds wonderful. I love fried chicken, but never feel that it is worth the trouble and the mess it creates in the kitchen!

  16. Sounds delicious! I love rosemary and lemon but I never would have thought to use those flavors in a breaded chicken.

  17. I love the recipe for the Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken! It sounds so yummy and healthy! I would love to win the cookbook!

  18. Ideas and recipes are so necessary for me. I have the hardest time when it comes for making dinner. This book sounds wonderful.

  19. Maria & Josh, I’ve just popped over from Twitter for a closer look. This chicken is glorious…thank you for sharing the recipe. My kids love oven fried chicken and this version is plum for plating!

  20. I am a cookbook nut. I love all cookbooks and have probably 75 or so. I really like the old ones I can find at yard sales and flea markets. Am always trying new recipes.

  21. That sounds/looks really good! The cookbook looks interesting well. I watched a few episodes of Ask Aida a few years ago and liked the show. Glad to see her in book form.

  22. This looks so good. I love the way lemon tastes with chicken,but had not thought to try it like this. I will have to try this recipe!

  23. that chicken is GORGEOUS and looks/sounds AMAZING. can’t wait to try this one! also, I added the book to my Amazon wish list – yay!

  24. Absolutely LOVE your blog!! Awesome pictures! I love lemon and rosemary together. I recently started making oven fried chicken for my family, they love it. I think I’ll make it tonight. I would love to check out Aida’s cookbook, I read her blog all the time.

  25. This recipe looks delicious and I can only imagine what the rest of the book must be if you are planning a party using various recipes. Very excited to see more.

  26. OMG! I need this cookbook. I need to learn how to cook!!! Me and my husband are a little tired of my just-edible food… lol…

  27. Thanks, Maria and Josh, for hosting this giveaway and helping me celebrate the release of the book! I’m so lucky to have awesome friends like you two!

  28. That chicken looks delicious! Rosemary is one of my favorite spices to use when I cook. I would sure love to try some more recipes from that cook book. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity!

  29. Yum! Reminds me of a recipe we had as kids – marinate chicken pieces in evaporated milk and then coat in crunched up corn flakes and bake. Was really easy and tasty, but this recipe takes the same concepts with a grown-up flavors. Would love to have a new cookbook!

  30. I would love to win a copy of Aida’s cookbook, and this rosemary-lemon oven-fried chicken looks and sounds delicious! I have buttermilk in the fridge from making a cornbread recipe over the weekend, so what a perfect way to use the leftovers. I love fried chicken but I’m a little nervous to do it in my kitchen and it’s just the two of us so it seems like a waste of oil.

  31. I can’t wait to make the chicken with the crispy coating, I have never used cornmeal and rosemary for a coating… can’t wait. Thank you for the recipe!

  32. I love Aida Mollenkamp’s show on The Food Network years ago. I’m so excited that she has a new cookbook! I must make this chicken recipe a.s.a.p.!

  33. The chicken looks amazing. I have a soft spot for rosemary anything. I would love to give this recipe a try!

    PS. Recently discovered your blog…love it!!!

  34. I do a corn flake crusted baked “fried” chicken also. But I soak mine in evaporated milk. I have some chicken thighs thawed out in my fridge right now. This might be dinner tonight. Thanks.

  35. This looks delish! I will give it a try. I have a lot of buttermilk left over from scone baking this weekend. Thanks for the chance to win!

  36. This looks delicious. I really enjoy your blog- recipes and pictures… Just great! Hope I win the cookbook!!!

  37. That looks delicious! It’s one of my goals to be more adventurous in the kitchen, so I would love to win that cookbook.

  38. Yum, this looks delish! I just happen to have chicken breast in my fridge 🙂 I would love to the win this cookbook too!

  39. Looks wonderful! Would love to win the cookbook! I am working on getting my blog going….you guys are such an inspiration!!!!

  40. Love this blog and all the great recipes! I would love to win the cookbook by Aida ( I need all the help I can get)….Thanks for giving everyone this opportunity!

  41. Love love love Aida’s book – and this recipe looks like top of the list of one to try… FYI marinate is the verb and marinade is the noun – you marinate the chicken in a marinade

  42. Wow, that chicken looks fab, and all of the recipes I’ve seen in the dinner party look equally amazing. Would love to add this to my collection! Thanks for the chance!

  43. I would love to win this book! The chicken looks delicious and just might be on our menu next week. Thanks for offering the giveaway.

  44. Looks delicious! I’m always looking for healthier versions of my favorite recipes! I’d love a copy of this book!

  45. I love Aida! I’m sure her cookbook is amazing. This chicken recipe looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it for my family! 🙂

  46. I love making your recipes–they are always delicious and I get rave reviews. This Rosemary & Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken will be the center of tomorrow night’s dinner! Thank you.

  47. This chicken looks fabulous! I love rosemary with chicken. Looks like a much healthier version of friend chicken!
    Sounds like a great cookbook!

  48. I love Aida and this lemon rosemary chicken seems like a perfect dinner to make for my Mom! Would love to snag a copy of Aida’s book! (I miss her Food Network show too!!!)

  49. This looks so tasty! I’m the worst at frying or “frying” (in the oven) chicken, but I still want to give this a try.

  50. Yum!! This looks fabulous and I loved that it is so much healthier and less work and mess than fried chicken. I’m going to make this tonight!! Definitely would love a copy of the cookbook!

  51. Great recipe Maria. I am, also, like Josh – love some good fried chicken. Since we are watching our fat intake, I have been baking it as well. Comes out just as great, doesn’t it. I love the buttermilk and lemon brining beforehand – must have been ultra moist! Thanks for a great recipe.

  52. I love Aida! Her book looks awesome and this chicken looks tasty.

    What a sweet son. I love seeing/hearing about sons being sweet to their moms. You’ve got a keeper.

  53. I am a big sucker for anything lemon-flavored. This looks fabulous! Am wondering if panko could be substituted for the crushed cornflakes…

  54. Chicken is not high on my list but I know that it is good for me. So if I can find ways to cook it and like it then it would be great.

  55. hahaha I just had a conversation wtih my work lunch buddy about being adventurous in the kitchen. She only cooks mexican food (mexican-american by my standards, I was born and raised in Mexico) and I harldy cook any, as my Grandma cooked Korean food, my Mom mixed Mexican and Korean and my Dad was forever trying out recipes from all over the world.

    all this over a steamy bowl of the spicy corn chowder I made last night.

  56. My husband and I love to cook together every weekend…we try new and different recipes that we find. This would be a great addition to our weekend adventure!

  57. I love anythng lemon and will definitely try this. Sounds delicious. Also would love to win this cookboor with all the other fabulous recipes. Thank you for the opportunity and the delicious recipe

  58. The chicken looks so crispy and delicious. I make oven version often as it required less oil and makes the chicken taste as crispy as the deep fried ones.

    Yes, I would love to win a copy of the cookbook.

  59. For once I had all the ingredients! Dinners in the oven and the smell is a wonderful combination of all, thank you again for a terrific recipe and a chance to win.

  60. I recently found Aida’s blog and adore it! I’d love her book…thanks so much for the chance to win!

  61. this recipe looks so good(: i hope that i could win the book as a birthday present to myself, since by birthday is on the 28th(:

  62. As a pre-school teacher and with five kiddos to please at the dinner table, this recipe & cookbook sound perfect!

  63. Oh my goodness this recipe looks amazing . . .and I would really love to win this book. I love Aida . . .in the you are an amazing cook kinda way:) Thanks for the chance to win.

  64. Wow! That dish looks awesome and I like the idea of making it for parents. I was just thinking of what I would like to make for my in-laws when we next visit them (I always try to make a dinner or two while visiting) and I think this will be perfect!

  65. I’d love to have this book. I’ve made other Aida Mollenkamp recipes with great success – it’d be wonderful to have a whole bunch all in one place!

  66. I made this for dinner tonight and my husband and toddler (who rarely eats beef or chicken) loved it! The rosemary is really nice. I was thrilled and this will definitely make our regular rotation.
    Thanks for a great recipe!

  67. There are few things I crave more from my meat eating days than chicken… and breaded baked chicken is the best. Would love to check out this cookbook! Looks like a gem!

  68. I can’t wait to try this recipe! I still have my rosemary growing strong. I would love to win Aida’s book as well!

  69. I’d love to win this cookbook! My husband teases me that I like reading cookbooks the way some people read novels.

  70. This looks like something my hubby might actually eat!! Subtract the lemon, of course. He has a weird thing about fruit and poultry. Crazy men 😉 but this looks delicious!

  71. Sounds like a great cookbook! I love rosemary with chicken, so this is going on my list of dinners for next week! Thanks!

  72. The recipe sounds wonderful….love “fried foods” that are baked!!
    I do enjoy your blog…found you on Pinterest and am happy I did…. your family activities and your travels, as well as the great recipes….make an enjoyable read!!
    Keep up the good work!

  73. This chicken looks delicious! I’ll have to make this for my husband. I LOVE cookbooks and this would be an awesome one to win. I’ll definitely be getting a copy one way or another! 🙂

  74. this looks FANTASTIC & i can’t wait to try it!! this book looks fantastic too & I’d love to add it to my teeny library :o)

  75. Looks great.. A nice change to my regular go to oven fried chicken recipe… Can’t wait to try it… Would love to win the cookbook. Thanks!

  76. I love this healthier version of Fried Chicken 🙂 I would love to win a copy of Aida’s book.

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

  77. Will try this tomorrow with my fresh rosemary. It did not suffer like everything else during the two year drought.

  78. I LOVE rosemary lemon chicken. I have never thought about making a fried version though. If I can figure out how to make buttermilk, I am going to have to try this! Love your blog here in South Korea (US resident, however, not living in the USA…don’t worry about entering me in the contest. I love Ada too though!)

  79. Sounds like a great Sunday dinner for my 90 year old friend ~ it will fill her apartment with fragrant expectation.

  80. i would love to have Aida’s book. i remember watching her when she had her first show and had that guy on the computer taking questions

  81. Cooking dinner each night is a time for us to come together at night, and your blog helps keep us motivated and excited to try new things. This book would be a great addition to our home!

  82. Lemon, rosemary, and chicken. Three of my favorite things. This looks like Sunday’s dinner. Thanks for posting!

  83. I’d love to see the other yummy things in this book after reading the Rosemary-Lemon Chicken recipe! Sounds so good! Thanks for a chance to win the cookbook!

  84. That sounds like an awesome cookbook!
    I wonder if it would work marinated in coconut or rice milk rather than buttermilk so I wouldn’t have to make a separate meal for my little guy? Sounds like an experiment to me!

  85. I love making adaptations or adding ingredients, but could use a little more direction! Thanks for the opportunity to enter!

  86. I love making oven fried chicken. And bone-in chicken thighs are perfect, though boneless thighs cook a lot faster and are equally moist and tastey.

  87. This chicken recipe sound awesome and so does the cookbook! I’m going to put on my Christmas list for my daughter. Thanks for a chance to win it!

  88. I love the lemon and thyme option with chicken but haven’t tried it with rosemary. I’ll need to try that out, especially with some fresh rosemary growing that needs to be cut and used.

  89. I love fried chicken but hate the smell it leaves in the house. Oven fried is my way to go!
    This recipe gives me a chance to use the rosemary plant sitting out on the deck.

  90. this chicken looks amazing! I’ve never heard of Aida Mollenkamp but now I’ve bookmarked her blog to try out some more recipes. 🙂

  91. Always looking for new recipes, and this cook book looks great! Love your site, one of my favorites….thanks for helping me to eat healthier, but still have all the treats I love! Moderation 🙂

  92. This looks delicious! I have some of the ingredients since I made your Cheddar Rosemary Corn Muffins yesterday (which were delish!), so I will try to make this chicken recipe this week.

  93. I love to cook but unfortunately for my family I am not a great cook. I would love to win this cookbook and become a better cook.
    lauraemerson17 at yahoo dot com

  94. Hey Josh and Maria, It’s your sis. I have been enjoying the site for the past month but haven’t left you a message to tell you how proud I am of your work. I plan to use some recipes from here for a harvest dinner I am hosting. Maria, the photography is great.
    Shan

  95. I made this tonight – super good. Only 1 issue – I think you have the 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt incorrect, maybe? It seems shocking to me so I only used 1 tablespoon and it was still somewhat salty in my opinion. 🙂 Otherwise, my hubby loved it and said he was surprised and the crispiness. Good stuff!

  96. I came looking for a Rosemary recipe because it is the 5th best anti-oxidant spice in the World with an ORAC value 165,280 μ mol TE/100g. It’s even ahead of Cinnamon but in all fairness Rosemary is not as versatile. But recipes like this makes it so much easier to use.

    But this recipe looks good and has plenty of Rosemary for all my anti-oxidant needs. So Thank You!

  97. I have rosemary in the garden, I have Meyer lemons – where’s the chicken? Where’s the cookbook?! please…