I think she got it from The Ladies Home Journal in the 1960's or 70's.I found similar recipies on several websites, but was surprised it doesn't feature prominently on any them.
I honestly think it's better than deep fried chicken in flavor and texture.It's certainly easier.
It is unique for the nutty,cheesy breading that sticks to the chicken with just a coating of melted margarine (yes,I said margarine) and crushed garlic.I have tried this recipe with butter and it doesn't work, as butter will burn on the bottom of the baking dish.
I added a step which is not in the original recipe by marinating the chicken for 24 hours in a mixture of buttermilk,hot sauce,salt,honey and pepper.I find thighs are best for this recipe because of their size and ability to cook longer without drying out.I patted the marinated thighs dry with paper towels before dipping them in the melted margarine and breading them.
For the marinade:
3 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and skin.
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For the wet coating:
1/2 cup margarine (2-8oz.sticks)
1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
For the dry coating:
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup slivered almonds, finely chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. pepper
instructions:
Combine buttermilk, hot sauce, honey, salt and pepper in a gallon sized ziplock bag or a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken and marinade.Add chicken to the marinade and soak 24 hours.
Remove chicken from marinade and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the margarine in a 9x13 pyrex baking dish in the preheated oven.When melted, remove the dish from the oven and add garlic to the melted margarine. In a medium bowl or pie plate, combine bread crumbs, cheese, almonds, parsley, salt, thyme and pepper; mix well.
Dip chicken pieces in melted margarine garlic mixture in baking dish on all sides.transfer chicken one piece at a time to breadcrumb mixture and thoroughly coat. Return the coated pieces to the baking dish, skin side up.
Bake uncovered about 1 hour or until tender, basting occasionally with pan drippings.
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