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The BEST Oven-Fried Chicken

written by Ashley Fehr

Updated June 12, 2025

4.84 from 468 votes
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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!

Table of Contents

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

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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.
Coat the chicken and bake until it’s golden and crispy.
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 baked fried chicken split in half.

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:

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The Best Oven-Fried Chicken

written by Ashley Fehr

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.
4.84 from 468 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
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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 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

Calories: 376cal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 131mg, Sodium: 1508mg, Potassium: 661mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 790IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Sonia says

    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

  2. SJ Emmons says

    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

  3. Megan says

    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

  4. Fay says

    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

  5. YQ says

    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

    • Ashley Fehr says

      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

  6. Willb says

    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

  7. Victoria says

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

    Reply

  8. Jana says

    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

    • Ron says

      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

      • Ashley Fehr says

        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.

  10. Susan says

    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

      • Carol says

        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?

      • Ashley Fehr says

        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!

      • Melissa says

        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

      • Ashley Fehr says

        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!

      • Jill Butler says

        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?

      • Ashley Fehr says

        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.

  11. Alexis says

    Hello! I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment on a recipe before but I had to leave a note and tell you how incredible this chicken was. While I didn’t get it to crisp up quite like I hoped, the flavor was incredible. Thanks so much! My boyfriend said it was one of the best meals he’s had.

    Reply

  12. Jana says

    Wow!!!! This is my new favorite chicken recipe! I followed the recipe exactly and cooked it in a cast iron skillet in the oven. The chicken came out juicy and tender and the flavor was PERFECT!!! It was an indulgence! I did dry the chicken on paper towels for a couple of minutes before serving it so it would stay crispy. Thank you SO much for this wonderful recipe! It’s a keeper!

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Hi Chloe! You might want to refer to my post listed above that offers tips and tricks to seeing success (called The Great Oven Fried Chicken Experiment) — there are lots of reasons that it might not have worked out for you. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like it!

      Reply

      • Jen says

        I suspect it might be because there is no adhering material (milk or egg or something). My panko didn’t stick to the chicken at all…just the flour.

      • Ashley Fehr says

        If you’re using fresh chicken breasts, yes that might be an issue. I use frozen, thawed chicken breasts and they are plenty moist and the coating sticks just fine.

  13. Whitney says

    Made this chicken tonight and it was AMAZING!!! After reading some comments, I thought it might turn out soggy, but it wasn’t at all! The only thing I added was an egg wash before coating the chicken with the flour mixture. My husband LOVED it and he’s hard to please!
    Thank you!!!

    Reply

      • Patricia George says

        Why does your video say to cook at 450 degrees, and your written recipe says to preheat at 425 degrees? I don’t see how an error like this was overlooked? Which temp is correct?

      • Ashley Fehr says

        Sorry! I would go with 425. To be honest, I probably use both temperatures at different times — you can go a little higher and bake a little less or vice versa. As long as you keep an eye on it so it isn’t overdone it should be okay! Thanks for pointing out the error.

      • June Trebek says

        “I don’t see how an error like this was overlooked” – What a snarky way to ask a question…as if you’ve never overlooked something! Sheesh!

      • Janice W says

        The best recipe for oven backed chickenI have served to two fussy boys. It was perfect as it was written.

    • Wanda Bridges says

      Try placing a brown paper bag or some sheets of newspaper under your paper towels! It always seems to pull the butter/grease away from the chicken whether you fry or bake! This works for me. Hope it works for you!

      Reply

  15. Marie Czarnecki says

    Pam stop being Negative!!! When you dip and roll in panko you need to press the Panko so it will adhere to the chicken!!

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Different types of chicken you buy will be naturally drier than others — some people have had more trouble with the coating sticking if they’re purchasing fresh chicken. I buy frozen, so that when it thaws, it is pretty juicy and I don’t have any trouble with the coating sticking.

      Reply

  16. Laurie Breen says

    I had a similar issue . The coating was to thin and wouldn’t stick. When I realized the situation, I put another 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs and dredged it in egg first, then bread crumbs. Also when I mixed up the breading mixture, it was not enough aroma. It seemed pretty bland. I added heaping tsp of garlic powder, Tbsp of paprika, 1 1/2 tsp of pepper & 1 1/2 tsp of Lawry seasoned salt. It came out beautifully. My husband raved over it. I fried it in butter on the stove top. It was a golden brown and had good flavor ll around

    Reply

  18. rawbar says

    This was very good, thank you. As a dude who isn’t much of a cook, I nailed it on the 1st try. However for me, I think this would be better as double or triple battered. The very thin coating of batter was good, but needed to be much thicker to really enjoy. As a plus, my soy allergic son was able to eat this. No soy in any ingredients (just have to check the brand of bread crumbs). In my case I found the bread crumbs mentioned here in the asian section of the supermarket right n the matzos meal (very asian that matzos).

    Reply

    • Donna says

      I have made this 2 times now and it turned out great each time!
      The 1st time I followed recipe exactly as written. My husband too thought it needed a little thicker coating and a little spicier.
      2nd time I made this I went up 1/2 time more on spices and added smoked paprika as well as paprika in same amounts. But before I coated I dipped the chicken pieces into a lightly beaten egg wash then into coating mixture. This made a big difference in coating thickness. My husband was extremely happy with this result.
      Needless to say he has now found his favorite chicken recipe.

      Reply

      • Ashley Fehr says

        I’m glad to hear you liked it! If you saw my oven fried chicken experiment post, I tried 4 different baking methods and posted the results from each. Egg was one of them! I’m sure my husband would love the extra spice too!

  19. Nancy says

    This might sound like a goofy question but is the chicken skinless, The only reason I’m asking is I found a couple of recipes that was with skinless chicken and they were pretty good. I want to try this recipe it looks so darn good. I don’t want to use the wrong chicken. Thank You

    Reply
4.84 from 468 votes (327 ratings without comment)

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