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I hesitate to call this “oven-fried” chicken, because that title seems to demean it. The truth is, as much as I love a full-fledged fried affair once or twice a year, THIS is the chicken I crave several times a month. As brown and crispy and juicy and flavorful as fried, but not as greasy, and easy enough to do on a weeknight (and for lunch the rest of the week).

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup white whole wheat  flour
1 tablespoon oregano
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 chicken legs, bone in, skin on
3 chicken thighs, bone in, excess skin removed, but enough to cover the meat
Olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place a large cookie sheet on a middle rack.

Shake together bread crumbs, flour, oregano, a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper in a Ziploc bag.

Pour buttermilk in a shallow bowl. One by one, coat chicken pieces in buttermilk, shake off excess and transfer to the Ziploc bag. When all the chicken is in the bag, seal it and shake to coat.

Take the cookie sheet out of the oven, lightly spray pan with olive oil and arrange chicken pieces on it. Spray them with a light coating of olive oil and transfer to oven. Bake for 40 minutes, then turn carefully with a spatula and tongs, spray again with a light coating of olive oil and bake an additional 30 minutes, turning once more during the process. Chicken should be browned and crispy.

Serves 6