The BEST Oven-Fried Chicken

written by Ashley Fehr

Facebook Pin Email

4.85 from 454 votes

Prep Time 15

Total Time 35

Servings 6 servings

Jump to Recipe

Last updated on June 12, 2025

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!

a piece of oven fried chicken on a fork with chicken beside it on a plate.

Can’t get enough crispy chicken recipes? Try this Crispy Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, or Air Fryer Fried Chicken!

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.

What people are saying:

“WoW – Absoltely FanTAStic!!! A random search on Google led me to your site and after seeing the huge numbers of high ratings, decided to give it a shot. SO GLAD I did – crispy yet juicy and spot on flavor. With a real feel of -22 in ND, this was Exactly what I needed. Highlight of my weekend 😁” Gabriella

Add your review

Oven-Fried Chicken ingredients:

ingredients needed for oven fried chicken in bowls and plate.

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.

two square glass dishes filled with wet and dry ingredients. — Whisk the eggs and prepare the seasoning mixture.

coated pieces of uncooked chicken on large baking sheet. — Whisk the eggs and prepare the seasoning mixture.

large baking sheet full of oven fried chicken.

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.

a plate filled with oven fried chicken with parsley behind.

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.

close up image of oven fried chicken piece on a fork.

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!

Pin this recipe to save for later

Pin this recipe to your favorite board

The Best Oven-Fried Chicken

written by Ashley Fehr

4.85 from 454 votes

This Oven-Fried Chicken has all the crispy, golden crunch of traditional fried chicken but is baked instead of fried! With a seasoned panko coating and juicy, tender chicken, it's a family favorite that's easy to make.

a grey plate full of oven fried chicken.

Save Review

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Cuisine American

Course Main Course

Servings 6 servings

Calories 376cal

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.

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.

** OPTIONAL: For extra crispiness, do a double coat — simply dunk coated chicken in the egg again, and coat once again in the bread crumb mixture. You would need extra coating mixture for this step.

February 11, 2025: this recipe has been updated to ensure more reliable results. The seasoning was not changed. I have simply swapped the buttermilk for beaten eggs for better adhesion, and removed the parchment paper. You can see the original recipe here.

Nutrition Information

Keywords baked breaded chicken, baked crispy chicken, baked fried chicken

Want to save this recipe?

Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.

Tried this recipe?

Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!

Tag @thereciperebel