The first thing that comes to mind when we think of fried chicken is the shatteringly crisp, ultra-crunchy coating. But one serving of this American classic can with in at over 700 calories and 40 grams of fat. To lighten this dish, we ditched the deep-fryer and turned to the oven instead. In order to get that crunchy, craggy golden exterior, we tried everything from Melba toast crumbs to crushed potato and pita chips. To preserve the chicken’s crunchy coating, we baked it in a moderately hot oven, which also allowed the chicken to cook through perfectly in 40 minutes and remain moist and tender.