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Looking to put a healthy spin on deep-fried chicken? My oven fried chicken recipe provides the crispiest breading while keeping the meat inside tender and juicy. It seriously rivals KFC!
I love fried chicken just as much as the next person, but we all know it’s not the healthiest to eat regularly. If you’ve tried my air fryer fried chicken before, you’ll love my oven-baked version. The skin is crispy, while the meat is moist and juicy.
For me, frying chicken in the oven is one of the best ways to get crispy chicken without fuss and mess. It’s also a healthier alternative to deep frying. My family reckons this tastes just as good as the deep-fried stuff!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Truly crispy and crunchy. The flour cornstarch coating yields crunchy results even when the chicken is baked and not fried.
- So much flavor. So I may not have 11 secret herbs and spices but who needs that many when you can achieve all the flavor with just a handful of them?
- It’s a lot healthier. Like air fryer chicken thighs, this recipe makes crispy breaded chicken without added oil. If deep-fried chicken is your jam, fried chicken wings are always a hit.
If you love crispy chicken like we do, try my popcorn chicken, spicy chicken sandwich, hot honey chicken sandwich, or panko chicken next.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken. I like to mix bone-in and boneless chicken thighs, drumsticks, and wings. If there is one cut you prefer over another, you can use all of that. If you like white meat, use chicken breasts or chicken tenders instead. These cuts take less time to cook, so I recommend reducing the baking time.
- Buttermilk. Thanks to its acidic properties, buttermilk helps tenderize the chicken. If you don’t have buttermilk, use regular milk and add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup.
- Salt and pepper. Add to taste.
For the breading:
- Flour. All-purpose flour works well for the breading. Swap it with gluten-free all-purpose flour if you can’t eat gluten. I also tried this with standard bread crumbs and they didn’t add much to it, so stick with flour.
- Cornstarch. The secret ingredient that yields a super crispy golden crust.
- Salt, pepper, smoked paprika. I feel like this crispy baked chicken doesn’t need any more seasoning.
How to make oven fried chicken
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Marinate. Add the buttermilk, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and let them sit for 10 minutes.
Step 2- Bread. In a shallow bowl, mix your breading ingredients. Use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and allow the excess liquid to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the breading mixture, ensuring they are coated on all sides.
Step 3- Bake. Arrange the breaded chicken on the baking tray, leaving some space around each piece. Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Step 4- Rest. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it sit on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a meat thermometer. My #1 tip when cooking any meat, but especially chicken, is always to use a meat thermometer to check the doneness. This saves you from checking the chicken every few minutes to know when it’s cooked. As per the FDA requirements, chicken is fully cooked at 165F.
- For the crispiest results, start with a very hot oven. Turn on the oven as soon as you start the chicken preparations.
- Marinate in advance. If you have time, you can marinate the chicken thighs in buttermilk for up to 24 hours. The long marinating time will yield juicier and more tender results.
- Place a wire rack inside the baking tray. This creates hot air circulation around the chicken pieces, making them crispy on all sides.
Storage instructions
To store. Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze. For the best results, flash-freeze the crispy chicken first. Then, transfer it to a freezer bag, push out the excess air, and freeze for up to 6 months. Allow the chicken to defrost in the fridge before reheating it.
To reheat. Reheat the leftovers in the oven preheated to 350F degrees until heated through. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to make the breadcrumb coating extra crispy. Don’t reheat breaded chicken in the microwave, as it will become soggy.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use this recipe to make deep-fried chicken. Prepare the chicken as instructed and fry it in oil preheated to 350F degrees. Chicken thighs and drumsticks take around 15 minutes to cook and get crispy. Check the internal temperature to make sure they are properly cooked.
Due to its lower starch content, flour doesn’t get as crispy as starch when fried. Instead, it prevents the chicken from drying out. Cornstarch, on the other hand, prevents gluten development and helps create a light and crispy coating. Cornstarch also helps achieve a nice golden color. To get the best of both worlds, I like to use a mixture of flour and cornstarch.
The #1 reason the breading falls off once baked is that it didn’t adhere to the raw chicken well enough. To prevent this, ensure the chicken pieces are pressed on both sides to ensure maximum sticking.
Serving suggestions
Like any good chicken dish, the sides you can pair with it are pretty much unlimited. Here are some ideas:
- All the potatoes! My personal favorite, but our family adores some air fryer French fries or air fryer sweet potato fries. You can keep things simple with a simple air fryer baked potato or air fryer baked sweet potato.
- Salads. Any simple green salad works, or something more elaborate like a green goddess salad.
- Sautéed vegetables. While the chicken is baking, quickly saute some green beans, sauteed broccolini, sauteed Brussels sprouts, sauteed carrots, or sauteed asparagus.
- Starches and grains. Simple coconut milk rice is great, as is instant pot sushi rice for something a little different. You can keep the carbs down by trying it with cauliflower fried rice.
Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken mix of boneless and bone-in pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Breading
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, place a wire rack on top, generously spray it with cooking spray, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, buttermilk, salt, and pepper, and let it sit for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika together.
- Using tongs, pick up marinated chicken pieces and shake off excess buttermilk. Moving quickly, dip the chicken in the breading on both sides.
- Add the breaded chicken on top of the wire rack and spray each one with more cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Once the chicken is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165F, remove them from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use more spices and herbs. You can add a variety of spices and herbs to the breading to change up the flavor of the fried chicken. Some spices and herbs you can use are onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, and dried herbs like thyme, basil, and oregano.
- Add hot sauce to the buttermilk mixture. Be generous with it if you want some seriously hot chicken, and add only a drop or two if you want some subtle heat.
- Switch the breading. Use panko breadcrumbs instead of flour. Doing this will give the chicken a more texturized crunchy finish (it’s similar to Chicken Milanese or chicken cutlets).
Nutrition
Originally published July 2023, updated and republished February 2025
This really is the best oven fried chicken recipe I’ve ever tasted!
This reminds me on kfc. And healthier!
easy and delicious crispy crust without having to use a fry pan and a bunch of oil. No changes to the recipe are needed, however, we added extra salt given we like our meats more on the saltier side.
Can this be marinated and breaded the day before then baked off the next day?
Yes you can!