Cornmeal-Crusted Oven-Fried Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon lemon zest, freshly grated
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
2 teaspoons salt (divided)
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (divided)
3 lbs chicken, cut into 8 pieces
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preparation

In a large bowl whisk, together buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, shallots, thyme, 1 tsp of the salt, and 1 tsp of the cayenne, add the chicken, stirring to coat it with the marinade, and let it marinate, covered and chilled, stirring occasionally for 3 hours or overnight. (I put everything in a large zip lock bag.).
Preheat the oven to 425\u00b0F.
In a separate bowl, make the egg wash by mixing together the eggs, water and 1 tbl lemon juice.
In another large bowl combine the cornmeal, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, remaining 1 tsp salt, paprika and the remaining 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. (I put everything in a large zip lock bag, and coat the pieces two at a time.).
Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon, letting the excess marinade drip off, dip it in the egg wash, and dredge it in the cornmeal mixture, shaking off the excess.
Arrange the chicken in a one layer onto a rack and let it dry for 30 minutes.
(The chicken may be prepared up to this point 6 hours in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled.).
Arrange the chicken, skin side up, in one layer in a lightly oiled jelly-roll pan, drizzling the butter over it, and bake it in the middle of the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until it is done and crisp.