This easy Oven-Fried Chicken turns out perfectly crispy and juicy every time! The special seasoning blend tastes just like KFC, but it’s made with wholesome ingredients in your own kitchen.
This recipe has been updated and republished since its original debut in 2014.
Table of Contents
Perfectly Crispy “Fried” Chicken in the Oven
I seriously love chicken.
Whether it’s One Pot Chicken Lo Mein, Caprese Chicken and Rice, or this simple Slow Cooker Chicken Breast… you name it, we love it.
This year, since I really got into using my Instant Pot, I’ve been especially enjoying making chicken breasts in there (check out my tutorial on how to cook chicken breasts from frozen!). But one thing the Instant Pot cannot do is produce crispy, oven-fried chicken.
And that’s why we’re here 🙂
This oven-fried chicken breast recipe is perfectly crispy and juicy, without fail. It captures that KFC, special-herbs-and-spices flavour, without all of the deep frying and processed ingredients that go into the fast-food version.
Most of all, this is a recipe our family loves, and 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 daughter! 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).
What You’ll Need to Make Oven Fried Chicken
For this recipe, I use chicken breast, but you could substitute chicken thighs, chicken tenders, chicken wings, or even legs. The seasonings and crispy coating are always delicious! Just remember that the cooking time will vary according to the cut of chicken.
- Chicken Breast: One batch of this recipe makes about 3-4 chicken breasts, or around one and a half pounds, cut into strips. One chicken breast equals about three strips, the way I cut them.
- Buttermilk (optional): you can soak your chicken in buttermilk to help the coating stick more.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter is fine.
- Flour: All-purpose flour, or you could use gluten-free flour if you prefer.
- Panko: Panko breadcrumbs give the chicken a crunchy, crispy coating. Original or pork rind panko are fine.
- Salt and Pepper
- Seasoned Salt: This versatile seasoning goes with everything! I use Lawry’s brand.
- Paprika: Made from dried, ground peppers, paprika isn’t spicy, but it adds depth of flavor, a slight sweetness, and lots of colour.
How to Make Oven Fried Chicken
Depending on the size and thickness of your chicken pieces, you may need to adjust the cooking time, so always check your chicken for doneness before diving in. The safest way to do this is with a meat thermometer. The chicken should reach 165°F in the thickest part.
- Get the Oven and Baking Sheet Ready. To get started, preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet (10×15) with parchment paper, and brush the butter over the surface of the parchment. It might seem like a lot of butter, but that’s fine. It will help to crisp up the chicken coating!
- Bread the Chicken Breast Pieces. Soak the chicken in buttermilk (you can skip this step if you like, but it helps the coating to stick!). Combine the flour, panko, seasoned salt, salt and pepper, and paprika in a large paper or zip-top bag. Add the chicken to the bag, and shake the bag to coat the chicken pieces.
- Bake. Place your chicken on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a space between each strip. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes, flip carefully with a spatula, and bake for another 10 minutes. (Note: if the parchment is dry when you flip the chicken, add a drizzle of oil, to the to ensure the bottom pieces of chicken get crispy.)
- Check for Doneness. Check to make sure your chicken is cooked (165°F), as the thickness can greatly affect baking time. You want it to be done, but not overdone and dry. If it’s not yet up to temperature, bake for another 4-5 minutes at a time, until it’s cooked through
Why is my baked chicken not crispy?
While baking chicken isn’t always known for crispy results, this recipe really does deliver a crispy “fried” main course right out of the oven! Still, I wanted to add some tips that might help, if you find that your chicken is not as crispy as you’d like.
- Use Dark, Non-Stick Pans. Dark pans heat to a higher temperature than light-colored pans, which will help with getting a crispy coating.
- Use Moist Chicken. I keep my chicken breasts in the freezer, and then thaw them in the fridge. So they’re quite moist when it’s time for me to bread them, and a lot of the coating sticks to them easily. If you’re working with fresh chicken breasts, you’ll want to soak them in milk first (or buttermilk, which adds great flavour!).
- Use Butter, Not Cooking Spray. I know you might be tempted to bake the chicken with cooking spray instead of butter, but unfortunately, this just doesn’t work as well. The fat in real butter makes a lot of difference in crisping up the chicken! If you need a healthier substitute, try margarine or reduced calorie margarine.
- Watch the Parchment: When you flip the chicken, you may find that the parchment paper is a little dry. I recommend drizzling more butter or oil onto the parchment to help crisp up the bottom of the chicken as it cooks.
- Serve with Care: As the chicken sits on a plate, the underside may get a little soggy from condensation. Therefore, I recommend serving immediately. If you’re not serving right away, place the chicken on a rack, a plate lined with paper towel, or just keep it warm in a 225°F oven.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes! You can make the breading mixture and bread the chicken pieces, and then “flash freeze” them on a tray in the freezer until frozen solid.
From there, transfer the breaded frozen chicken to freezer bags, and keep for up to 3 months frozen. There’s no need to thaw them before baking, but you will need to add more cook time (around 2 to 5 additional minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken).
Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving oven-fried chicken breast, I like to go with classic, comforting sides. Here are some of our family favorites:
- Glazed Carrots: These simple Honey Glazed Carrots are made with honey, brown sugar, butter, and garlic. They add a sweet touch to the dinner table, and go perfectly with crispy, well-seasoned chicken.
- Mashed Potatoes: These easy, creamy mashed potatoes come together in the slow cooker, which makes them almost completely hands-off! Try Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes once, and you may just find yourself making them every week! (Looking for something even more indulgent? Try my Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes)
- Baked Beans: A beloved potluck favourite, sweet and savory Instant Pot Baked Beans come together quickly, but taste like they simmered all day.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
To refrigerate leftover chicken, allow it to cool on a wire rack or paper-towel-lined plate. Then transfer the cooled pieces into shallow, airtight containers. Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze, place the chicken in a single layer on a tray in the freezer, until frozen solid. Then transfer the frozen pieces to freezer bags, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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.
The Best Oven-Fried Chicken
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts (about 3-4) cut in strips — I get about 3 out of one breast
- 1 cup buttermilk (optional)
- 6 tbsp melted butter
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp seasoning salt I use Lawry’s
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into thick strips and soak in buttermilk.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a large piece of parchment paper on the rimmed baking sheet (10×15) and brush butter over the parchment. It might seem like too much butter, but you need it to crisp up the coating!
- Combine flour, Panko, seasoning salt, paprika and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat **
- Place your chicken on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a space between each strip. Bake 10 minutes, flip gently with a spatula, and bake another 10 minutes. (If the pan is dry when you flip the chicken, add a drizzle of oil to ensure the bottom crisps as well)
- Be sure to check to make sure your chicken is cooked (165°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°F oven.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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rodianne says
wowwww i tried this recipe and i’m glad that it turned wonderful! i followed the instructions and i marinated the chicken breast 4 hrs before the cooking. Yes at first they were a little greasy but the after tase turned out to be awesome!
Ashley says
Glad you liked it! If you find it too greasy, just add a little less butter to the pan.
Janet says
I wonder how this would work using Panko instead of flour. Any thoughts? Thanx
Ashley says
It’s worth a shot! I would just swap out the same amount of panko for the flour so the seasoning isn’t too strong. If you try it, let me know how it works 🙂
April Williams says
Do you have nutrition facts on this recipe?
Ashley says
I don’t unfortunately. You can always plug it into something like Spark Recipe calorie calculator and let it do the math.
Amanda says
Mine didn’t have a crust like yours. I followed everything by the book and it came out with some spots having a brownish color the other just looked like cooked chicken. I used chicken tenders, think that might have ween where I went wrong?
Ashley says
It just sounds like the coating didn’t adhere well enough. Next time you could try soaking the chicken in milk for a bit first, and then tossing it with the seasoning mix. That might help!
Stephanie says
I plugged it into recipe calculator by sparkpeople at https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp and it came to around 300 calories per serving. Add a yummy low calorie salad or some mashed cauliflower and you’ve got a meal for under 500 calories which I would consider a win for a fried chicken dinner!!
Ashley says
That’s good to know Stephanie! Thanks!
Mike Wallace says
Hey Ashley! I made this tonight and it tasted great but when you make it is it crispy? When I baked it the outside was a little soggy from the butter.. Maybe I used too much.
Ashley says
It shouldn’t be soggy — the high temperature usually helps to crisp things up. I would try using a little less, and making sure your oven is nice and hot. Hope that helps! If it doesn’t, you could always try baking it on a wire rack so that it’s not sitting in butter. I’ve never tried it that way, but it might be worth a shot.
Jennifer says
I cooked this recipe this evening and it was absolutely amazing! The chicken was juicy and full of flavor and my fiancee loved it! I will definitely be making this again.
Ashley says
I’m so glad to hear it! I love hearing how recipes turn out for everyone 🙂
Jessica Desarro says
I have seen a recipe pretty much identical to this but it said to soak the chicken in whole milk before coating in the flour mixture. Thoughts on this?
Ashley says
That’s always an option — it would just be to add moisture, but I don’t find it dry to begin with. It just depends what you have time for. I’m all about quick and easy!
sue patton says
I do soak mine in milk for 1 hour. Shake off excess milk, dredge through flour mixture, dip into a mixture of 2 beaten eggs with 1 tbsp. of water , dredge through flour mixture again. The egg step will assure that your breading stick to your chicken. When you melt the butter in your cake pan make sure that it is ALL the way melted and that it has gotten hot. Once you put the chicken in the pan it has to go into the oven immediately or the butter will seep right thru your coating!
One obvious but sometimes ignored direction: when you are a newer cook is that when the recipe calls for you to preheat the oven it means that the oven must reach the temperature for cooking before you put your food in to bake. I was a little surprised at how many times a new cook that I am teaching does not know this. When you turn your strip after 12 minutes, use a pair of tongs instead of a fork and turn them gently so that you don’t pull the breading off. When you take the chicken out of the oven lake sure that you don’t let it sit in the butter. I immediately take it from the pan and put it on a paper towel lined plate. The taste on this is so close to the taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken!! Our family loves this recipe!!
Ashley says
Thanks for those tips Sue! I might have to do some experimenting and test out some different methods 🙂
Annemiek says
I’m a little suprised that you would call this non-greasy.
Maybe it’s because I’m from Europe, but 6 to 8 tablespoons of butter?
Maybe I will try it with a little bit of olive oil or in a grillpan.
Ashley says
There is quite a big difference between 6-8 tablespoons and 6-8 cups, but yes, you could definitely just make the seasoning and cook it in a bit of olive oil!
Cathy says
It turns out crisp and not the least bit greasy. The butter makes it perfect! Wonderful flavor. Loved the recipe, thank you!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Cathy! It’s always a favorite here when we make it!
Tiffany says
The 6-8 tbs of butter…. Does that go only on the pan, or do you melt it and put it in with the baggy to shake? Or leave it out and just put t in the pan?
Ashley says
Hi Tiffany — you would put it on the pan in the oven. See Step 1.
Amanda says
This is a family favorite at my house. Has a great flavor!
Ashley says
Glad to hear it Amanda!
Pat says
What type of flour? Self rising or all purpose?
Ashley says
All-purpose
Lynnette Shimmin, RN/BSN says
Unfortunately we are gluten intolerant (married a Celiac) at this house but have found using a mixture of rice flour and tapioca flour 80/20 mix along with the same seasonings, it is a complete hit! We’re also a bit more of a garlic loving family so I’ll add a touch of garlic powder in with the butter and it is pure heaven!
Jessica says
My husband would love these – I’ll have to give them a try 🙂
Ashley says
You definitely should! It’s a favorite around here 🙂
patty says
Hey, was just wondering which brand of seasoning salt you used. Thanks!
Ashley says
I use Lawry’s! 🙂
Sherry says
Oh it looks so yummy. Sometimes you have to decrease cooking time based on your oven. I do for sure! Thanks for sharing I would like to try your recipe! I linked too at Time To Sparkle my
cupcakes from cereal! Come see me.
Have a great Wednesday,
Sherry
Ashley says
Thanks Sherry! I’ll definitely do that!
Lori Hart says
Delicious! I found your recipe over at the Two Cup Tuesday link party. I host Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday and would love it if you would come over and share this recipe. I’m sure our party goers would love it! Here is the link https://bit.ly/1jTkCXF. Have a wonderful day!
Ashley says
Thanks Lori! Does the party go live tonight or is it already?
Jill says
My kids would love this. Pinned to try!
Ashley says
Thanks Jill! I’d love to hear what you think!
Lizzi says
We love fried chicken here at home and I haven’t come across a baked version that my family likes. Excited to try this!
Ashley says
Let me know how you like it! We love the flavour 🙂
Ryan says
won’t this create a mess in the oven with the butter spatters?
Ashley says
I didn’t notice much of a mess. There isn’t a lot of butter sitting on the tray (just a thin layer) so I think that helps.
Champagne says
My butter burnt! Where did I go wrong?
Ashley says
I haven’t ever had that happen! I wonder if your oven is hotter or maybe your pan darker? I’m not sure why it would do that.
Anna says
I have a very weird hate-love relationship with KFC. I absolutely love the flavour, but hate the greasy mouthfeel. So, I’m loving this recipe 🙂
Ashley says
I do too Anna! And I find when I have gone there, you could so much costing and very little chicken.
Mallory says
Love the healthier take on the classic. I’m with with you, if I’m gonna eat grease it’s gonna be a hamburger.
Ashley says
Definitely! Thanks 🙂
Jill says
Hi Ashley, I just tried your oven fried chicken. Found on Pinterest. I used olive oil instead of butter, used half cup crushed corn flakes with the flour and tsp each of oregano, basil, garlic powder, minced onion, and black pepper. Also 2 tsp paprika. It turned out good! Only exception was bottom was soggy while rest was crunchy when I took it out of the pan and I didn’t broil it beforehand. Otherwise was yummy! Hubby says not quite as good as KFC but would definitely eat it again.
Ashley says
Hi Jill — thanks for sharing! I’ve actually never tried using corn flakes — I just might have to!
mc says
KFC Gravy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can Campbell’s chicken broth (plus 1 can of water)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon MSG or Accent Flavor Enhancer
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. First make a roux by combining the oil with 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour
in a medium saucepan over low heat. Heat the mixture for 20-30 minutes,
stirring often, until it is a dark chocolate color.
2. Remove the roux from the heat, stir in the rest of the flour, abd add the
remaining ingredients to the saucepan; mix well.
3. Put the saucepan back over the heat, turn it up to medium and bring the
gravy to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until thick.
Makes about 3 cups.