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. No deep fryer needed!

Can’t get enough crispy chicken recipes? Try this Crispy Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, or Air Fryer Fried Chicken!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this crispy Oven-Fried Chicken:
- What people are saying:
- Oven-Fried Chicken ingredients:
- How to make fried chicken in the oven:
- Quick things to remember:
- How to store leftover chicken:
- Why is my baked fried chicken not crispy?
- Make-ahead option:
- Serving Suggestions:
- More baked chicken recipes:
- The Best Oven-Fried Chicken Recipe
If you’re craving traditional fried chicken but don’t feel like going out, this Oven-Fried Chicken will hit the spot!
Instead of deep frying, this recipe coats chicken strips in eggs and a panko bread crumb mixture for a crispy coating. They’re baked on a sheet pan with butter to get that signature crunch.
It has all that big flavor of KFC fried chicken, but with less fat.
This is a dinner recipe that our whole family loves, especially the kids! Serve it up with Spicy Mayo, Sweet and Sour Sauce, or Homemade BBQ Sauce and watch it disappear fast.
Why you’ll love this crispy Oven-Fried Chicken:
- Better than takeout: because we’re making it at home, we know what’s going into it.
- Wonderfully crispy: You get all the crunch of fried chicken but baked in the oven! No deep frying required.
- Quick and easy: All you need are a handful of simple ingredients and basic prep, and it’s ready in no time for an easy weeknight dinner.
Oven-Fried Chicken ingredients:

- 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. You could also use tenders, thighs, or legs!
- Eggs: Coat your chicken with beaten eggs to help the coating stick more.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter is fine.
- Flour: All-purpose flour helps coat the chicken to produce a crispy exterior! You can swap with gluten-free flour if needed.
- Panko: Panko breadcrumbs give the chicken a crunchy, crispy coating. For a gluten-free option, you can use pork rind panko!
- Seasoned salt: This versatile seasoning goes with everything! I use Lawry’s brand, but feel free to use your favorite brand.
- Paprika: It isn’t spicy, but it adds depth of flavor, a slight sweetness, and lots of color. You could add a dash of cayenne pepper to make it spicier if you like!
How to make fried chicken in the oven:
This recipe is the best way to enjoy fried chicken at home! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Whisk the eggs in a shallow dish. Mix the coating by combining bread crumbs, flour, and seasonings in another shallow dish.
- Coat the chicken by dipping each piece in the egg, then pressing it into the breadcrumb mixture. Bake the chicken until it’s golden brown and crispy.



Quick things to remember:
- Cooking time: 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.
- Add oil: If the pan is dry when you flip the chicken, add a drizzle of oil, to the to ensure the bottom pieces of chicken get crispy.
How to store leftover chicken:
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 them 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.

Why is my baked fried 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. Make sure the pan and butter are hot when you add the chicken.
- 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 want, you can spray the other side of the chicken when you flip for extra insurance.
- Check when you flip: When you flip the chicken, you may find that the pan is a little dry. You can add more butter or oil to the pan 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 or a plate lined with a paper towel, or just keep it warm in a 225°F oven.

Make-ahead option:
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 cooking 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, I like to go with classic, comforting sides, like baked beans and slow cooker mashed potatoes! If you want to add some veggies, you can’t go wrong with some glazed carrots.
Every once in a while, I like to go for something more indulgent and make my cream cheese mashed potatoes!
More baked chicken recipes:
- Baked Chicken Wings — perfect for a party!
- Baked Chicken Breast — SO juicy.
- Baked Chicken Thighs — perfectly crisp skin.
- Baked Chicken Drumsticks — the kids love these!
The Best Oven-Fried Chicken

Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, , cut into strips (about 3 or 4 breasts)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a shallow dish, whisk the eggs.
- In a second shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, flour, seasoning salt, paprika, and pepper.
- Coat each piece of chicken in the egg, then in the bread crumb mixture, pressing on firmly to adhere. Place the chicken on a plate and repeat until all the chicken is coated.
- To a rimmed baking sheet, add the butter and put the pan in the oven to melt the butter. (You want the pan to get hot, but be careful not to burn the butter.)
- Place each piece of chicken on the hot pan, leaving a good amount of space in between. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping gently halfway through, or until cooked through and a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken reaches at least 165°F and the coating is browned. If necessary, add another dab of butter when flipping.
- Remove from pan and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Paula Levering says
I’m planning to make this recipe. Can you use regular milk instead of buttermilk? I’m so excited to see how it turns out.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Paula! Yes, you could probably use regular milk. Enjoy!
Sara Olsen says
Hello
I was just wondering if you could use chicken and not tenders I look forward to hearing from you on what you think thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sara! You probably could use any kind of chicken but I haven’t tried it myself. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
ConnieLandefeld says
These were very good. I had them with ranch dressing. My husband put hot sauce on them and made them into “wings”. Said they were as good as any he’s had in restaurants.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Shannon says
This recipe is going into a regular rotation. It was a big hit with my family and very easy. I did the optional double coating on some of the tenders. It was great both ways! Thank you for sharing!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Shannon! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Lori Conser says
Hi! What is the serving size?
(Counting my calories)
Just 1 strip?
Thx 🙂
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lori! It’s going to depend on how many strips you make. For me this has 6 servings, with 2 strips a serving. Hope this helps!
Kelly says
Excellent!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kelly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
JMH says
Sorry… had high hopes but this was tasteless and not crispy. Waste of spendy chicken.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, JMH. I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you. It has worked well for myself (and others) and I wished it would have been a hit for you too.
Teresa says
My only change to the recipe would be to put the mix in big container, tupperware, pyrex, etc. and shake in that…trying to use less one-time use plastics. Otherwise, recipe good AND easy.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Teresa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Carol says
I love it! Moist and flavorful!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Carol! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Donna says
I am going to try this. Question is .. says it taste like KFC but I really don’t see how with the little spices used? Any feedback on the flavor
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Donna! Taste great to me!
Linda says
This chicken is “OFF THE HOOK”!!! My husband gets so excited when I tell him I’m cooking this recipe. It is very moist and the flavors are exceptional!! I can’t thank you enough for this recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Linda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Victoria Phillips says
How long do you soak chicken. I I didn’t see anyone ask this question
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Victoria! I would do it while my oven was preheating, so for about 10-15 minutes. ENJOY!
Kimberly Maytas says
Am I the only one who has to cook chicken a lot longer than 20 minutes? I follow these recipes to a “t” and nothing is ever fully cooked. I’m so confused.
Christina McGrath says
Might have to do with your altitude. I live in Southern Colorado (elevation 4500) and there is no way chicken is fully cooked in 20 minutes. More like 20 minutes on each side. Depends on how big the chicken pieces are too. Use a meat thermometer as suggested.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback Christina!
Renada says
Yummyyyyy 🙂
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Renada! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the review!
Deborah Sutherland says
instead of using just chicken breasts, can you use a whole cut up chicken instead (8 pieces). ?
The Recipe Rebel says
Maybe? I just haven’t tested it out myself so I am not sure what the results will be.
Catrina Ht says
I love it, I love the recipe
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Catrina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Rose says
Made this last night for family of four. No leftovers!!!! Thank you SO much for the recipe, quick and easy. Will add to my library of recipes!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rose! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Lisa says
This turned out excellent! Thank you for the recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Jean says
The 1st instructions say to soak in buttermilk.
Debbie says
They didn’t turn out great. You don’t provide the amounts of each ingredient, including soaking chicken in milk first. These ought to be put in the body of the recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Debbie! It sounds to me that maybe you didn’t use the recipe card that has the full list of ingredients and directions to make the recipe. All of the information is provided there. It’s located above where you commented AND there is a “jump to recipe” button at the top of each page that you can click and go straight to it.