This recipe is so yummy. The chicken is so moist and tastes like it has been fried, not baked. It is a tad spicy, so you might want to tone it down a little if you don't like that. The recipe for Emeril's Essence is at the bottom. (It makes more than you need for this recipe.)
Ingredients:
1 Cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoon Emeril’s Original Essence
2 Teaspoons salt
1 (3 ½ pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoon olive oil
¾ Cup pecan pieces
¾ Cup bleached all-purpose flour
½ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Combine buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of the Essence, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a 1 gallon plastic bag. Add the chicken pieces, seal, and gently squeeze to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a heavy baking sheet with the olive oil and set aside. Pulse the pecans in a food processor or blender until finely chopped into a meal. Combine the ground pecans, the flour, the remaining 2 tablespoons Essence and 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in another large plastic bag. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture. Add the chicken one piece at a time to the pecan mixture, and shake to coat evenly. Put the chicken, skin side down, on baking sheet. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, then turn it. Return to the oven and bake until juices run clear, about 30 minutes.
Emeril’s Essence
2 ½ Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon dried thyme