Dinner of Champions: Cornflake Chicken

My sister gave me a cookbook for Christmas called "What Hawaii Likes to Eat." It listed all the standard dishes we ate growing up in the islands, from the traditional like kalua pig to the offbeat like spam musubi. But as I was flipping through the pages and going down memory lane, there was one recipe that I had never heard of or seen, and apparently it’s one of the new classics that only became popular in Hawaii in the last few years (after I already got off the rock, you might say).

That dish is Cornflake Chicken. It apparently was made popular by the people behind Side Street Inn, which is a popular diner spot in Honolulu. What I liked about the concept of Cornflake Chicken is that you make chicken that looks like fried chicken but isn’t! And you know how I avoid deep-fried food so I was excited about making this recipe.

Since I’ve gotten this cookbook, I’ve made this dish twice! It’s really simple to make (like most Hawaii foods are) and I love the taste. My only gripe is that the cornflakes don’t really stick to the chicken very well, so it can be a mess eating. (But that’s a sure sign something’s good when you don’t care how you look eating it, right?)

Below I’ve reprinted the recipe from the book in case you want to try it. For those of you who are in the anti-mayonnaise camp (I know who you are!), you can substitute it with mustard or something else to help the cornflakes adhere to the chicken. The key, in my opinion, is not to skimp on the parmesan cheese because I think the saltiness of the cheese is what makes the chicken so ono-licious! Enjoy!

Cornflake Chicken
(excerpted from "What Hawaii Likes to Eat")

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients
8 chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), skin removed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 cups cornflakes, crushed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and cheese. Coat with mayonnaise, then roll in cornflakes. Bake for 45 minutes, until juices run clear.

Tips from Chef Ben: Like I said, the above recipe was easy to make, but I did some variations. You can just use six chicken thighs, which I found was the common number used by grocery stores. Get the ones with bone still in so you have something to hold onto, but definitely lose the skin.

Also, I coated the chicken with mayonnaise before adding the cheese because I didn't think the cheese would stick to the chicken without the mayonnaise first. Be generous with the cheese, you may need more than the recipe calls for. You might also smear on the mayonnaise with your hands because it can get clumpy.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan. If possible, place them on a rack so that it'll have air circulating around it. It did take about 45 minutes to cook (thighs take longer to cook) but you can also use an instant read thermometer and cook until 140 degrees internally.