This Crispy Sriracha Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken has all the flavors and textures of deep fried chicken without the excess oil. It’s moist, juicy, golden, and crispy with just the right amount of spice!
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I’m sure we all love fried chicken. But what we don’t love is maybe all the extra oil that comes with fried chicken.
Well, thanks to this Crispy Sriracha Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken Recipe, we get to enjoy perfectly golden, crispy, and delicious “fried” chicken, but in a healthier way!
This recipe is incredibly simple to make with a quick marinade, a breadcrumb and flour breading, and a few seasonings. And the result is tender and juicy chicken strips that everyone will love!
Wondering how I came up with the perfect formula for oven fried chicken? Check out The Great Oven Fried Chicken Experiment!
Ingredients Needed:
- Chicken Breasts: I use boneless and skinless chicken breasts cut into 2-3 thinner slices.
- Buttermilk and Sriracha Sauce: makes up a quick and simple marinade for the chicken. Sriracha adds flavor and spice while the acidity in the buttermilk breaks down the meat for a more tender texture.
- Panko Breadcrumbs and All-Purpose Flour: a simple breading that creates that perfect crispy texture. The flour helps absorb moisture while the Panko is what gets nice and crispy.
- Seasonings: we’re using a simple blend of salt, black pepper, paprika, and Lawry’s seasoning salt.
- Canola Oil: you’ll brush the parchment paper with oil before baking to help the chicken get crispy.
How to Make Oven-Fried Chicken
This delicious baked chicken recipe is ready in a total of 30 minutes!
- Marinate: Trim the chicken breasts into 2-3 strips. In a large freezer bag or food-safe container, combine buttermilk and Sriracha. Add in the chicken, then seal and give it a good rub. Refrigerate for a few hours or proceed with the recipe.
- Bread: In a shallow dish, mix together Panko, flour, and seasonings. Working one piece at a time, bread the chicken. Press firmly to ensure the breading sticks to the chicken.
- Bake: Line a dark, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush with oil, then place the chicken onto the pan. Bake at 425ºF until golden and crispy.
Oven-Fried Chicken FAQs
Well, fried chicken in the oven isn’t technically fried. However, you can emulate that crispy, juicy texture of fried chicken with an oven-baked recipe! Just without all that excess oil!
There are plenty of things you can do to make sure your baked chicken comes out nice and crispy every time! First, preheat the oven. You want it to be nice and hot when you add the breaded chicken in. Next, use a dark pan. It yields a crispier texture. Third, don’t overcrowd the pan. We want the air and heat to be able circulate around the chicken. And lastly, flip it halfway through so the chicken gets crisped on both sides!
Yes! This baked chicken recipe achieves that “fried” chicken flavor and crispy texture but without all that excess oil that comes with deep frying chicken. It makes the perfect light and healthy dinner!
Leftover Oven-Fried Chicken will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. To freeze the chicken, flash freeze for an hour on a baking sheet until hardened, then transfer to an airtight container and store. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm back in the oven to heat and re-crisp.
Tips and Notes
- When you’re coating the chicken, make sure you really get in there and press the crumbs onto the chicken firmly so it sticks. No one wants their breading falling off their chicken!
- Be gentle when you’re flipping or moving the chicken.
- Check the temp. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165ºF. Keep a meat thermometer on hand so you know when it’s done!
- Serve immediately. Oven-fried chicken is best hot and crispy out of the oven. Trust me.
- Make it spicier. I can’t handle a ton of spice but my husbands is obsessed with spicy food and would probably be happy with twice as much Sriracha in the marinade. Feel free to play around with amounts to find just the right flavor for you!
- You can use chicken thighs if preferred, but they will take longer to cook. Make sure you’re checking the temperature!
Serving Suggestions
This Oven Fried Chicken is perfect served next to other comfort foods!
I love to serve them with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Healthier Baked Mac and Cheese, Healthier Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper, or Homemade Coleslaw.
More “Fried” Chicken Recipes to Try
Crispy Sriracha Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup low fat buttermilk
- ¼ cup sriracha sauce
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup + ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Trim chicken breasts if necessary and slice each into 2-3 strips.
- In a large freezer bag (or large container), combine buttermilk and sriracha. Add chicken strips, seal, and give it a good rub to get all that flavor in the chicken. (*At this point, you can refrigerate for a couple of hours if you wish).
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (optional) and place the butter on top. Place the pan in the oven to melt the butter (we want the pan hot but be careful not to burn the butter).
- In a shallow dish, combine 1 cup flour, salt, pepper, paprika and seasoning salt. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and coat well.
- In a second shallow dish, whisk the eggs.
- In a third shallow dish, stir together the Panko and ½ cup flour.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk and coat in the flour, then the eggs, then the bread crumbs. Place on a plate and repeat until all chicken is done.
- Place each piece of chicken on the hot pan, leaving a good amount of space in between. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping gently half way through. If desired, broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp up at the end.
- Remove from pan to a paper-towel lined plate (do not stack them) and serve immediately.
Notes
- When you’re coating the chicken, make sure you really get in there and press the crumbs onto the chicken firmly so it sticks. No one wants their breading falling off their chicken!
- Be gentle when you’re flipping or moving the chicken.
- Check the temp. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165ºF. Keep a meat thermometer on hand so you know when it’s done!
- Serve immediately. Oven-fried chicken is best hot and crispy out of the oven. Trust me.
Nutrition Information
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Connie says
Made it exactly like the recipe called for. Most of it never browned and was still white. I literally threw all of it away it grossed me out. So not make this…
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, Connie. It sounds like it needed to be brushed with a little more oil and for a little longer.
Cheryl says
I marinated longer than needed but then dredged in seasoned flour, dipped in egg white, then in panko pressing to adhere. Sprayed lightly with oil, sprinkled with smoked paprika and air fried until brown and crispy. No pale chicken here!
Paige says
I tried this recipe with chicken tenders. The chicken turned out pale, not crispy at all, and the tenders were tough. From the pictures posted it appears as if a deep fryer was used, not an oven.
The Recipe Rebel says
I can assure you that these were not deep fried, Paige. Soaking them in buttermilk gives you a very moist tender so I’m not sure why yours were tough. It’s hard for me to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you.
Sue King says
Can you use Olive oil instead of Canola oil?
The Recipe Rebel says
Sure you could use that instead!
Lisa says
I made this tonight and had several problems. 1) The coating stayed completely white on some parts and tasted floury after. 2) The coating falls off in some places. 3) After putting it under the broiler, for only one minute, the parchment paper caught on fire.
Ashley Fehr says
The coating needs some fat to brown, so if it appears to not be browning, you should add a bit more oil. If your pan is a little larger, then the oil will be spread further and not reach all of the coating. The temperature limits of all parchment paper will be different, but I’ve never had a problem broiling! I would just make sure you are not putting the pan on the very top rack close to the element.