Perfecting the Art of Southern Fried Chicken Batter

Ingredients:

• 3 sprays of cooking spray
• 1 pound of uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (four 4-oz pieces)
• 1/2 teaspoon of table salt, divided (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, divided (or to taste)
• 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 oz of low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup of cornflake crumbs

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly coat a 13- x 8- x 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
2. Season the chicken with salt and cayenne pepper to taste, then set it aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Place the buttermilk and cornflake crumbs in two separate shallow bowls.
4. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, ensuring even coating on both sides. Next, dip the chicken into the buttermilk, ensuring both sides are coated. Finally, dredge the chicken in the cornflake crumbs, coating both sides evenly.
5. Place the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish. Bake until the chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center, approximately 25 to 30 minutes (there is no need to flip the chicken during baking).