This Cornmeal Oven Fried Chicken gets SO crispy, all without deep frying! The ultimate comfort food made healthier.
You know I’m all about the oven fried everything.
From plain Oven Fried Chicken to Oven Fried Shrimp Tacos and Oven Fried Fish – it’s one of my absolute favorite things to make!
Over the years, I have perfected my method. I can oven fry anything with my eyes closed (yes, a skill to be proud of, indeed).
But on my older daughter’s last birthday, I realized I was out of breadcrumbs right as I was getting started on dinner (oven fried chicken is her favorite thing in the world, I raise them well 😉).
So… I used cornmeal instead. MIND = BLOWN! And ever since I’ve been wanting to share this recipe:
Crispy Oven Fried Chicken with Cornmeal Crust
When I tried that cornmeal crust on a whim, honestly… I didn’t know if it would work out.
I was pretty relieved when it came out of the oven golden-brown and perfect, and I hadn’t ruined my daughter’s birthday dinner 😉
How to Make Oven Fried Chicken with a Cornmeal Crust:
How to bread chicken to oven fry:
One of the most important parts of this recipe is the breading.
It’s absolutely crucial to stick to the exact breading method, or it will not stick to the chicken properly:
- Dip the chicken in a cornmeal, flour and seasoning mix for a thin coating.
- Dip the chicken in beaten egg and buttermilk.
- Coat the chicken with the cornmeal mix again, but this time with a thick coat.
This will ensure your breading sticks to the chicken.
There’s a little baking powder in the cornmeal mix, too. This helps to kind of puff up the breading so the juices from the chicken don’t make it soggy during baking.
But how do you make crispy “fried” chicken in the oven?
My trick to oven “frying”? Using the right pan and the right technique.
For the pan, make sure to use a dark metal baking sheet, or a roasting pan. It reflects the heat better.
If you don’t have a dark pan, you can get one here on Amazon (FYI, this is an affiliate link and I make a commission for purchases made after clicking through).
Do NOT line it (especially not with parchment), it tends to make the chicken soggy.
Do preheat the pan in the oven before adding the chicken, and make sure the entire pan is covered with melted butter.
Once the baking time is up, finish the chicken under the broiler for extra crispiness!
How long do you cook oven fried chicken?
I usually bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10 minutes.
Then I finish under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. And that makes perfectly crispy, oven fried chicken!
More oven fried chicken recipes you’ll love:
Garlic Parmesan Oven Fried Chicken
Cornmeal Oven Fried Chicken
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons coarse cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast cut into pieces (I do 3-4 per breast)
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 410°F. Place a dark-colored baking sheet or pan in the oven to heat up (you want it to get really hot).
- Make egg mix: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and the buttermilk.
- Make dry mix: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and seasoning together.
- Coat chicken: Dip the chicken pieces in the flour, coating evenly and shaking off any extra flour. Next, coat the chicken pieces in the egg mixtures. Then, dip them into the flour again, this time coating very well.
- Put chicken on pan: Take the baking tray out of the oven and melt the butter on it. Place the coated chicken pieces on the tray. Make sure there’s butter underneath every chicken piece, or it will stick! Add more butter if it’s not enough to cover your pan!
- Bake chicken: Bake for 10-12 minutes, carefully flip and bake for another 5-10 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken pieces are). IF THE CHICKEN STICKS: Do NOT just flip it! Use a spatula to carefully loosen it from the pan, then flip. Otherwise the breading will fall off. Finish by broiling the chicken until it turns golden brown and crispy.
Nutrition
More recipe information
Check out our Oven Fried Chicken Breast Recipes collection for more ideas!
Janice J. says
My wife is a very particular person and she loved this when I served it to her! Made this recipe the other night using chicken thighs with skin and bones still intact, increased the cooking time (20 minutes on the first side, 10-15 on the other, then moved to a dry cooking sheet to finish the skin side for another four minutes or so) and it was delicious! Will definitely do this one again, the light dredge-egg coat – heavy dredge technique really worked and was worth the the little extra prep time. I had to omit the garlic powder as I didn’t have any on hand, and I added a light sprinkle of curry powder to the coating mixture. Thank you for this recipe!
Rachael says
Great recipe! Breaded some boneless breasts and drumsticks! Will add this to the arsenal. Without the salt, this is a great recipe for someone on a renal diet, which can be pretty restrictive when it comes to crunchy fried foods. Thanks again!
Paul W. says
I would like to make this using skin-on, bone-in thighs. Any suggestions?
Nora says
Hi Paul, I know plenty of readers have made my “regular” oven fried chicken (with breadcrumbs instead of cornmeal) with skin-on, bone-in thighs without any issues! So I’d say you can just go ahead and make the recipe as written, using the chicken you have. It will probably need a little bit longer in the oven than chicken breast, but that’s it. Hope hat helps!