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The Best Oven Fried Chicken Recipe (Baked Fried Chicken) + VIDEO

By 465 Comments ChickenOn The Healthy/Lighter Side

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This is the BEST Oven Fried Chicken recipe! It comes crispy right out of the oven, is much lower in fat and made with lean chicken breast. It takes just like KFC but it’s baked instead of fried! Includes step by step recipe video.

This oven fried chicken, you guys! I remember it was the first time I’d tried baking fried chicken and was blow away by how good it was.
It is so easy to make, and comes out of the oven crispy and yet perfectly juicy.

crispy oven fried chicken on a plate

I seriously love chicken.

I love chicken every way: in pasta, on the grill, in rice, in tacos, in cupcakes (say what?!)…. you name it, we love it.

Since I really got into using my Instant Pot at the beginning of the year, I especially love making chicken breasts in there (check out my tutorial on how to cook chicken breasts from frozen!).

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But one thing it cannot do is crispy, oven fried chicken.

And that’s why we’re here 🙂

 

The best oven fried chicken -- with tons of KFC flavor and less of the grease! SO much healthier!

Maybe this surprises you, but I can’t remember the last time I ate deep fried chicken.

Maybe for some of you that seems really sad.

It’s honestly not something I really long for, but what I do love about KFC is that incredible spice blend. This oven fried chicken is the closest I’ve ever come to KFC at home. It’s a recipe our family loves (and lots of you love!), and one that we make over and over again!

The last time I made it, it got rave reviews from our newest taste tester — our 10 month old girl! I know it’s a good one when she bounces up and down in her high chair, saying, “Mmm, mmm, mmm!” and becoming upset when it’s not on her tray fast enough.

How to Make Oven Fried Chicken:

This recipe is for oven fried chicken breast, and although you can use the same coating recipe for chicken thighs, chicken tenders, chicken wings or legs (do — it’s delicious!), the cook time will vary according to the cut you use.

The cooking time will also depend on the size and thickness of your chicken, so be sure to always check to make sure your chicken is done before diving in. The safest way to do this is with a meat thermometer. You want to ensure the chicken has reached 165 degrees F in the thickest part.

 

The best oven fried chicken -- with tons of KFC flavor and less of the grease! SO much healthier!

 

How to get truly crispy Baked Fried Chicken!

I know some people have had issues with sogginess, so I wanted to follow the recipe exactly as written, once more, and make sure there are no issues with the recipe. We had no issues with the coating falling off or sogginess, so I wanted to add some tips that might help:

  • Use dark non-stick pans — this will help with getting a crispy coating as they heat to a higher temperature than light coloured pans.
  • I keep my chicken breasts in the freezer, then thaw them in the fridge. They are quite moist when I stick them in the bag with the coating, and I have no trouble getting it to stick. If you’re working with fresh chicken breasts, you’ll want to soak them in milk first (buttermilk adds great flavor!).
  • I know you might be tempted to bake the chicken with cooking spray instead of butter. This will not work as the coating needs some fat to make it crispy and golden brown. If you need a healthier substitute, try margarine or reduced calorie margarine.
  • I cook pretty much exactly 10 minutes per side. Again, check the internal temperature to be sure, but be sure not to overcook it or it will not be juicy!
  • As the chicken sits on a plate, the underside got a little soggy. Therefore I recommend serving immediately, and if it is going to be sitting on a plate for any length of time, lay it on some paper towel or place on a wire rack to keep it from getting soggy.
  • To reheat oven fried chicken, place chicken pieces on a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 250 degrees just until heated through.

See more tips and different recipe variations in THE GREAT OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN EXPERIMENT

Watch the recipe video and see how easy this Oven Fried Chicken is to make!

 

The best oven fried chicken -- with tons of KFC flavor and less of the grease! SO much healthier!
Print Pin Recipe

The Best Oven-Fried Chicken

This is the BEST Oven Fried Chicken recipe! It comes crispy right out of the oven, is much lower in fat and made with lean chicken breast. It takes just like KFC but it's baked instead of fried! Includes step by step recipe video.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword baked chicken, chicken breast, crispy chicken, fried chicken breast
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 317kcal
Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

  • 3-4 chicken breasts about 1lb, cut in strips (I get about 3 out of one breast)
  • 4-5 tbsp melted butter
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp seasoning salt I use Lawry's
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp paprika

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a large piece of parchment paper on the rimmed baking sheet (10x15x1") and brush butter over top (there will be a little extra butter, but you need it to crisp up the coating!)
  • *NOTE: If you're working with fresh chicken breasts, you will want to soak them for 15-30 minutes in milk or buttermilk before coating. This will help the coating to stick. I use frozen, thawed chicken breasts so they are already very moist on the outside.
  • Combine all ingredients besides chicken and butter in a large paper or ziploc bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat. 
  • OPTIONAL: For extra crispiness, do a double coat -- simply dunk coated chicken in a little bit of buttermilk, and coat once again in the flour mixture. You would need extra coating mixture for this step
  • Place your chicken on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a space between each strip. Bake 10 minutes, flip gently with a pair of tongs, and bake another 10 minutes.
  • Be sure to check to make sure your chicken is cooked (165 degrees F), as the thickness can greatly affect baking time. You want it to be done but not overdone and dry. Bake another 4-5 minutes if needed.
  • Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to soak up any excess grease. Serve immediately. To keep warm until serving, place on a wire rack on a baking sheet in a 225 degree F oven.

Notes

*Nutrition information is estimated and will depend on exact serving size, brands and products used. Calorie count includes all flour and bread crumbs, so it will be less if there is coating mixture left over.

Nutrition (this is an estimate)

Nutrition Facts
The Best Oven-Fried Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 317 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 84mg 28%
Sodium 2290mg 95%
Potassium 379mg 11%
Total Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 21g 42%
Vitamin A 18.9%
Vitamin C 1.2%
Calcium 2.8%
Iron 11.1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel -- I love to see what you're making!

 

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Comments

  1. The butter is brushed on the parchment paper, but says you need the rest to crisp the chicken. Mine turned out soggy and looks terrible. Can’t find a place to comment, so I put it in a reply.

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you! With a dark pan and high oven temperature, it shouldn’t be soggy and I’m sorry that was the result for you. If you remove it from the oven to a plate with no paper towel or wire rack, it does quickly become soggy as it sits so you do have to be careful about that.

      Reply

  2. I am hoping to make this tonight. I have been reading through comments and saw some concerns over soggy coating after cooking. I will be using a dark cooking pan. Would it be okay to cook it on a rack so that its elevates and not sitting directly on the pan or does it need to be directly touching?

    Reply

    • You know, I haven’t tried cooking on a rack. My concern is that you wouldn’t have the butter to crisp up the coating. You need a bit of fat on the coating to make it crispy, otherwise the flour just bakes. I think if you wanted to bake it on a rack you’d need to drizzle with butter or something like that.

      Reply

  4. My daughter tried this, but after 10 minutes, when she went to flip them, there was no coating left on the bottom. So only one side ended up crispy. I will have to give it a try next time and see how it turns out.

    Reply

  10. Your Recipe Instructions say to set oven temp. and cook at 425 degrees, but your video says to cook at 450 degrees. Which is the correct temp.?

    Reply

  11. Great and simple recipe! Thanks for sharing this!! I’ve tried it twice and I would like to have it without a strong buttery taste. Do you recommend any other oil/grease besides butter?

    Reply

  12. Have tried this multiple times (with soaking the chicken in buttermilk before breading) and each time does not disappoint. I did, however, change the amount of salt (personal preference) but the flavor is outstanding. So deliciously simple and quick. Thank you for sharing.

    One question though… were the recipe instructions changed recently? I could have sworn the directions were to melt the butter in a preheated pan and once the butter was melted, to add the breaded chicken. Now I see it says to line a pan with parchment paper and brush that with melted butter before adding the breaded chicken. I don’t remember seeing those directions before.

    Reply

    • Hi Wendy, you’re right! I did update them because I found that adding the melted butter to the pan before putting in the oven was easier. But you can definitely do it either way!

      Reply

  13. I have a breading similar to yours which I make in large batches, then store in the veggie bin. Then I just take out what I need. Made a mistake the other day, and the better half said to throw out the chicken but keep the breading. As in your recipe, I soaked the chicken in milk for about 30 minutes, then melted butter. I mistakenly breaded the chicken before putting it in butter. Soooo, I breaded then put in butter, then re-breaded chicken. Poured the leftover butter on the bottom of the tray, then baked. Got a nice crunchy crust I had also added some extra Panko to the mix. But must admit, the mistake came out just right.

    Reply

  15. I don’t have a dark baking pan only stainless steel. How would I adjust for baking? Also, if using a cast iron pan..would you prepare the recipe the same and put in the oven?

    Reply

    • If your options are stainless steel or cast iron, I would definitely do cast iron! I think it will turn out crispier that way 🙂 For stainless steel, you may want to raise the oven temperature 15-25 degrees.

      Reply

  18. This is a five star “keeper” recipe. I added a bit of poultry seasoning to the flour, etc. I took the chicken out of the pan as soon as it was cooked, no sogginess what so ever. This recipe reminds me of an old Amish recipe that I use to make years ago, only this one is easier and tastier. Thank you for sharing, Best regards, Arlene P.

    Reply

  20. Have you tried anything like this with fish? I’m looking for oven fried fish recipe, what type of fish would you recommend if I was going to attempt this? Thanks

    Reply

  21. Had to leave a comment to say I tried this for the first time and it was so easy and delicious ?

    Definitely a worthy substitute for KFC…

    Reply

  22. Made this recipe last week and my son, who has become picky with how chicken is made, declared this the best chicken he’s ever had. Thank you for an easy and very tasty recipe!

    Reply

  23. Many thanks for this Amazing recipe!
    This turned out So Good because the chicken was juicy after baking. Love the pool-of-butter method. I threw on a layer of wedges to bake together at same time.. yumm!

    I’m in Asia and we usually use cornflour to coat for frying. and it worked a treat! Got a Super Crispy skin that was light and held its crunch ??

    Reply

  24. Hi I’d like to ask – if I just use panko coating without the flour, will it still stick okay? alternatively, are there any replacements for flour – like cornstarch, would that be okay? Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • I actually haven’t tried without — I think you could just use extra Panko, but I don’t think you’d get the same coverage that the flour gives.

      Reply

  25. Très très bonne recette !
    Very good recipe, I just had to translate 425°F in C ( 220 ). It was so delicious.. Thank you very much for this amazing recipe 🙂
    Greetings from France ~

    Reply

  26. Hi, I was wondering if once these are made, they can be frozen and taken out and reheated in the oven?

    Reply

  27. Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it several times now and it is the best chicken I’ve made! It’s so fast and easy, too! I didn’t have Panko crumbs so I used some purchased crushed cornflakes instead and it’s amazing. I made a big batch to keep on hand. Thank you!

    Reply

    • whenever i try to make this it always comes out soggy every time, not cripsy at all, and all of the breading is soft, i dont understand what i am doing wrong.

      Reply

      • If you read thoroughly and follow all of the tips, it should work great. You do need to remove immediately from the pan to paper towel, and be sure not to stack them or place them too close together or they will get soggy.

        Reply

  29. Just want to say I’ve probably made this 20 times since I found it, and it is one of the few things that my, my fiance, and his incredibly picky kids will all eat and love! It’s so nice to make them something that isn’t a frozen pizza or a fried potato. It always turns out great and it’s so easy! Thanks for bringing my fam together for dinner!

    Reply

      • I love the dark meat pieces. Can I make this with thighs and drumsticks as well as breasts? Same oven temperature and length to cook?

        Reply

        • Hi Carol! Yes the coating will work great! You can bake at the same temperature but you will need to adjust the time, because bone-in chicken always cooks longer. Your best bet would be to use a meat thermometer to check doneness if you have one!

          Reply

          • I saw some recipes that cook the chicken on top of wire cooling rack with pan underneath so it doesn’t get soggy on one side

          • You are definitely free to try it. If the coating isn’t cooking in some fat, it will not get golden or crispy — you will end up with floury chicken. Not my thing!

          • Hi Ashley; I have a question. I read your recipe for the oven baked chicken and compared it to the one I usually make from my Betty Crocker cookbook. All of the ingredients are pretty much the same and the prep is the same, but you cook them for 10-12 minutes per side, but Betty Crocker cooks them for 30 minutes on each side. Why such a time difference? Would the time difference cause under cooked chicken?

          • I would think the time difference might cause Betty’s chicken to be OVERcooked. If you’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and baking them at 400 degrees or more, you really shouldn’t be baking them for more than 20 minutes or so. You always want to check with a meat thermometer, but as a general rule, 30 minutes per side would be WAY too long.

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