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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Michelle says
I love KFC, but can’t handle the grease either! I can’t wait to try this recipe this weekend. Thank you 😉
Ashley says
Thanks Michelle! I hope you like it!
Beth says
Hi Ashley,
I never comment on recipes I try, but I have to this time! I, too, hate traditional fried chicken. My husband loves it and is forever requesting it. I happened upon your recipe and gave it a shot tonight. Yum, yum, yummy! It’s something I can stomach without a ton of breaking or grease, yet the flavor is close enough to fried that hubby loved it too. This will be in our regular rotation from now on, for sure! Thanks a million for sharing!
Beth says
* breading, not breaking. Autocorrect! Blah!
Ashley says
Thanks so much Beth! I’m so glad to hear that!
Joe v says
Say what???
Deborah Akerson says
On my way to buy chicken….will be trying this recipe tonight….thanks! This is my first time on your site…..will be here often! Debbe
Ashley says
Thanks so much! I’d love for you to let me know how you like it!
Shelly says
My chicken is in the oven and looks very good! We happen to love KFC but do not eat it but maybe once a year! This sounds like a nice substitution. Thank you for sharing it.
Ashley says
I hope you like it Shelly! It’s one of our favorites.
Laurie says
Might be a silly question, but do you use skinless chicken? I’m assuming boneless chicken breasts would work extremely well, but not sure if I should leave the skin on.
Ashley says
I think you could leave the skin on — I always use boneless, skinless breasts.
Lucie says
This is the best chicken ever! My son always asks me for Kentucky but I often refuse because it is so greasy. I found your recipe today and decided to try it. It was a success. My son said that I make the best chicken even better then Kentucky. Thank you so much!
Ashley says
Lucie, that totally makes my day! I’m so glad you took the time to come back and let me know how you guys liked it!
Gloria says
Ashley, I love your recipe and have made it many times over the past several months. I only responded about the Bisquick recipe because another reader insinuated your recipe was the same. My intention was to let that reader know that recipes may be close but not exact. Unfortnately, it looks like her post was deleted but not mine so it looks like I was the one being negative. . .which I did not mean to. You have a delicious recipe and if someone is looking for crispy, delicious oven-fried chicken, your recipe is by far, the best I’ve ever found. So sorry for the confusion.
Gloria
Ashley says
Gloria — no offence taken! When I deleted the one very rude comment, I didn’t realize that my reply to her would look like my reply to you! I just deleted them so that it’s not confusing!
Gloria says
Thank you!
Noel says
I am going to make this tonight. I will let you know how it goes. Have been looking for a good oven fried chicken recipe forEVER!
Wish me luck 😀
PS Sorry people have to be so rude… of course recipes like this will be similar,no need for thoughtless comments 🙁
Ashley says
I’d love to hear how it goes for you Noel! Ya know, I deleted the one person’s original comment and didn’t realize my reply was still up there. It is just hurtful when someone claims that I got the recipe from somewhere else, when I state in the post and beneath the recipe where I got the recipe from. I definitely try to give credit where it is due! Anyway, I hope you like it!
Susan the farm quilter says
Sounds like a fabulous recipe – I’ll be giving this a try really soon! FYI, original recipe KFC isn’t fried, it’s cooked in a pressure cooker. The extra crispy is fried. Worked there during high school.
Ashley says
Good to know!
jerolyn says
say what!!..goood to know
Barb says
This sounds wonderful, but wondering if I can make ahead and serve cold for picnics?
Ashley says
You definitely can, I’m just not sure how you’d like the texture. I think if you had to refrigerate it after cooking your breading would get a little soft or even soggy.
Linh says
I followed your recipe, but I soaked the chicken in milk before toasting it with the seasoning and I used Panko instead of flour. Flavor is very good, my husband likes it a lot. One thing I didn’t achieve was the crispy skin. 🙁 I will have to follow your exact recipe next time. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Ashley says
Thanks Linh! The panko is a fine substitute, you just might not get the same coverage. I’m not sure if the milk would seep out during cooking or not — that’s one way I didn’t try.
Hassaan says
Tried this yesterday following steps in the recipe. It turned out great! Such an easy and delicious recipe.
Some of the pieces were soggy from the sides. I noticed that only the ones that were too close to each other were like that. Make sure the pieces in the sheet are separated apart by like 2-3 inches.
I will try this again soon with bone in pieces.
Ashley says
Thanks Hassaan! Good to know!
curley says
easy ,simply ,great ,.thank
Sandy Holter says
Can I use cut up chicken pieces with bones for this?How much longer would this need to bake for?Looks so yummy!!
Gloria says
Bone-in would take 20 minutes first side, turn, then bake for another 20 minutes. . .or until juices run clear. If thick pieces of chicken, it could take an additional 5 minutes baking time. Check with meat thermometer to be sure.
Ashley says
Thanks Gloria for responding! That sounds just right.
RONNIE HEWITT says
dear Ashley, we are in Zimbabwe, and cannot obtain seasoned salt. – what spices would you recommend to include with the salt – this recipe looks delicious
Ashley says
It would probably have onion, garlic, red pepper and some other things. You can actually find recipes for seasoning salt online! I don’t have one that I’ve tried, but I’m sure there are lots.
Pam says
Ashley,
Hi. Can’t wait to try this tonite. Just an FYI to try sometime is a pkg of Italian Seasoning Mix (for the dressing).
My dad used to use this when he pressure cooked (and yes – only the xtra crispy is fried at KFC. the Original Recipe is not) his chicken. It was really tasty. Depending on how much chicken, you would have to play with the amt you add to the breading.
I have a question: Why kind of seasoning salt? The store shelves are loaded with them….
P. Johnson
Ashley says
Hi Pam! I use Lawry’s seasoning salt. Hope you like it!
Gloria says
I’ve fixed my chicken this way a few times. I very, very lightly rub olive oil over the chicken before tossing in the flour mixture. It keeps the crust from falling off when turning. Also, I turn the broiler on for just a minute at the end of the cooking time to crunch up the coating. Absolutely delicious chicken! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Ashley says
Broiling it is a great idea — I’ll have to try that next time!
James mc cabe says
Sorry what is broiling I’m from ireland
Ashley says
It’s a setting on the stove — it raises the temp to over 500 degrees and heats only the top element. It’s used for browning food on top, not usually for cooking. Hope that helps!
Elena says
followed all your steps and they came out soggy 🙁
Ashley says
I’m sorry to hear that! You could try reducing the butter a bit or bake the last 10 minutes on a wire rack?
StitchinSweetSue says
made this recently (w/panko). my only complaint was i did not have enough chicken:) great recipe, making it again today but with lots more chicken so we can really indulge ~ thx so much!
Ashley says
Glad you liked it! I’ll have to try it with panko next!
Kentucky Lady 717 says
Wanted to add something…..you look so young to teach high school……and teenagers too…..you will have all kinds of teenage experience when you daughter becomes one 🙂 you will enjoy every minute tho……I did…..
Ashley says
Haha, thanks! I think? They can be a handful somedays but I love it!
Kentucky Lady 717 says
Chicken sounds good…..
Found you on Julie’s treats n eats…..loved the one pot chipotle mac & cheese recipe you had on there…..love one pot meals 🙂
Can’t wait to try this chicken…..
Ashley says
Thanks so much! We love our pasta!
Teresa says
So, I can’t stand the taste of butter, would this get crispy in olive oil or vegetable oil?
Ashley says
I’m sure it would work just as well, though I’ve never tried!
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