Oven-Fried Chicken Recipe
Enjoy the same tender chicken with a crispy and crunchy outer coating as the classic fried chicken, but without the frying mess. This easy-to-make Oven-Fried Chicken is baked to perfection and no frying oil is needed. I've got both a boneless, which is perfect for sandwiches, or chicken and waffles and bone-in versions for a more classic option.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 670kcal
Equipment
- Wire Rack
- Rimmed Baking Sheet (2)
- Parchment Paper
- Flat Bowls or Pie Dishes
- Rubber Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Pieces bone-in or boneless and skinless
- 4 tablespoons Butter may need more for cooking
Marinade
- 3 cups Buttermilk
- 1/8 cup Salt
- 1 tablespoon Hot Sauce optional
Batter
- 3 cups Flour
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Baking Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
Marinate
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk the 3 cups of buttermilk, salt, and hot sauce (if using) together.
- Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish or in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag and pour the buttermilk marinade on top. Cover the baking dish or seal the bag and place it in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes up to 8 hours.
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the butter on the prepared baking sheet and place it in the oven to melt for 5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and set it on a wire rack fitted on top of another baking sheet or sit it on top of a paper towel-line cutting board.
Coat
- In a large mixing bowl or pie dish whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ground pepper, and paprika together (to make the coating process easier divide the flour mixture between two pie dishes).
- In a separate medium bowl beat the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk and eggs together.
- Take one piece of chicken at a time and dredge it into the flour mixture first making sure to coat it completely, then dunk it into the buttermilk egg wash, and back into the flour mixture.
- Remove the prepared baking sheet from the oven and arrange the chicken with plenty of space in between each piece.
Bake
- Bake for 25 minutes and then carefully flip the chicken over using rubber tongs and bake for an additional 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165ºF.
- For an extra brown outer layer set the oven to broil and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Make sure to watch the chicken so it doesn't burn.
Notes
- If you choose to use bone-in chicken the batter may separate on some of the pieces when you flip it during cooking, but if placed on parchment paper this will help prevent that from happening. Even if this happens it will still be delicious and crunchy!
- Chicken breasts may need to be flattened or cut in half. If you plan on using chicken breasts for this recipe place the breasts into a Ziplock bag and let out the air before sealing. Then use the flat side of a kitchen mallet or a rolling pin to beat the thick side down so it's more even with the smaller side. Alternatively, you can cut the breasts in half to get smaller pieces.
- Smaller pieces work better than larger chicken pieces. This isn't the case with regular fried chicken because of how quickly the batter crisps up in the hot oil, but in the case of oven-fried chicken, the breading tends to stay on the smaller chicken pieces better.
Process Notes
- Create an assembly line. Arrange the chicken on a wire rack fitted on top of a baking sheet after it has marinated, which will allow the marinade to drip off.
- Pat the chicken dry after marinating it. If you don't plan on using the wire rack on top of the baking sheet pat the chicken dry and then lay it on a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board before placing it in the first bowl of batter. This keeps the batter from sliding off during the cooking process.
Tips for Extra Crispy Chicken
- Coating the chicken 3 times is key. First, the chicken is patted dry and then dredged in the flour and cornmeal mixture, then dunked into the buttermilk egg wash, and back into the flour and cornmeal mixture. This creates a thick outer coating.
- Use parchment paper and a dark, non-stick pan. The parchment paper with butter on top keeps the chicken from sticking to the pan and placing it all on top of a dark, non-stick pan, which heats to a high temperature than a light-colored one helps with the crispiness.
- Melt the butter on the parchment before adding the chicken. Since we're trying to get crispy chicken you will need to use butter instead of cooking spray. Place the parchment onto your baking sheet and then melt the butter on top before placing the chicken onto it. Then before flipping the chicken place some additional butter around the chicken on the parchment.
- Boneless works better than bone-in chicken. My preference is to use bone-in chicken pieces so it's closer to what you'd get at KFC or Popeye's chicken, but boneless tends to work better for oven-fried chicken. The breading tends to stay on the boneless pieces easier, but also it stays on the smaller pieces better so cut large breasts into for better results.
- Serve immediately. While you can make this chicken ahead of time (directions on how to make it ahead are written above) it is best served immediately from the baking sheet. If you're not quite ready to place the chicken on plates after it's done cooking leave it on the parchment-lined baking sheet otherwise the bottom part could get soggy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1piece | Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 2748mg | Potassium: 925mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 811IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 395mg | Iron: 5mg