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Truly Crispy Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken

Name: Truly Crispy Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika (I used smoked, but regular is fine); 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon onion powder; freshly ground black pepper (to taste); 1 cup buttermilk; 1/2 lemon (juice only); 2 pounds chicken breast (cut into strips (or use tenders)); 1 1/4 cups white flour; 4 tablespoon bread crumbs (panko or regular both work); 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 tablespoon salt (use less if your salt is strong); 2-3 teaspoons garlic powder; 1 teaspoon ground paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 large eggs; 2/3 cup buttermilk; 1/3 cup butter

By Nora Rusev | Updated: Jan 1, 2020 | 37 Comments

RECIPE ↓ COMMENTS ↓

close up photo of a crispy oven fried buttermilk chicken piece

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4.56 from 34 votes

Yield: people

Ready In: 50 mins

You won’t be disappointed by this recipe – it's the BEST Crispy Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken! If you love crispy fried chicken, crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside – this is the real deal right here. With a coating that actually sticks to the chicken. One that gets truly crispy in the oven. And the best part? None of the greasy stovetop cleaning.

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Recommended Equipment:

roasting pan (dark colored preferred)

Ingredients

For the marinade:

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika (I used smoked, but regular is fine)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 lemon (juice only)
2 pounds chicken breast (cut into strips (or use tenders))

For the dry coating:

1 1/4 cups white flour
4 tablespoon bread crumbs (panko or regular both work)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon salt (use less if your salt is strong)
2-3 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the wet coating:

2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk

For the pan:

1/3 cup butter

US Customary – Metric

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ready In: 50 mins

Instructions

Prep the chicken:

Marinate: Whisk together all ingredients for the marinade (except for the chicken) in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces, making sure they’re all well coated. Cover and place in the fridge for one hour up to overnight. (If your’e short on time, simply place all the ingredients in a zip-loc bag and massage the chicken for a few minutes. Let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before using.)

Preheat oven and pan:

Prep the pan and oven: Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C). While the oven is preheating, place a dark, rimmed roasting or baking pan in the oven to heat up (more info in the post).

Bread the chicken:

Mix the dry coating: Place all ingredients for the dry coating in a large bowl. Mix well.
Mix the wet coating: To a separate bowl, add the eggs and 2/3 cup buttermilk. Whisk very well.
Coat the chicken pieces: Shake off any excess marinade. Dredge the chicken through the flour mix, shaking off any excess. Dip in the egg mix, making sure the chicken is evenly covered. Dredge through the flour mix once more, making sure the chicken is evenly covered, shaking off any excess.
Bake the chicken:
Place butter and chicken on pan: Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, using oven gloves. Melt the butter on it, then place the chicken pieces on top without overcrowding the pan.
Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, carefully flip and bake for another 5-10 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken pieces are). Finish by broiling for a few minutes, until golden and crispy.
Serve: The chicken will feel soft right as it comes out of the oven. Let it sit for 2 minutes before serving, it will crisp up. Don't let it sit for a long period of time before you eat it, or it will start turning soggy.

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Nora’s Tips

Total time doesn’t include time for marinating, as it will be individual.

This also works with other chicken pieces – many readers have reported great success using wings, drumsticks or even bone-in thighs.

Nutrition

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My favorite side dishes:

We love them dipped in honey mustard or a homemade ranch dip. With potato wedges or mash on the side. And plenty of coleslaw!

I don’t know who decided it would be a good idea to put slaw, potatoes and crispy chicken on the same plate… But you, Madame or Monsieur, were a true genius.

Oh and P.S: Here’s how to reheat any leftovers so they crisp up again! You’re welcome, mes amies.

Step by Step Instructions and Tips:

Marinate the chicken

I haven’t done this in my other two oven fried chicken recipes, but here I’m using a mix of buttermilk and spices to marinate the chicken, preferably overnight.

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Marinating the chicken

It really tenderises the meat and I found the difference in how juicy the chicken was on the inside was notable. However, it is NOT mandatory to let it sit overnight, it turns out very delicious with just a few hours in the marinade, or even a quick massage in a zip-loc bag.

Stick to this foolproof breading method:

I know it sounds silly to be so conservative about this, but I’ve seen enough students at school do this the wrong way despite incredibly clear instructions. And I just like to talk about food, so here goes:

1) Separate bowls for wet and dry ingredients

To Bowl 1, you’ll add:

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Mixing dry ingredients

The flour
The breadcrumbs (I know this is NOT in traditional fried chicken, but it makes the chicken a lot crispier in the oven than just using flour!)
The seasoning
The baking powder (to puff up the coating to create some space between the moist chicken surface and the breading)

To Bowl 2, you’ll add:

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Pouring buttermilk into a bowl

The eggs
The buttermilk

2) The dredging and dipping process

Step 1:

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Dredging chicken in flour

Shaking off excess buttermilk marinade, dredge the chicken pieces through the flour mix. Easiest done with forks, as fingers tend to get very sticky. Alternatively, strictly use one hand for dipping in the wet bowl, one hand for dipping in the dry bowl.

Step 2:

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Dipping chicken in egg mix

Dip the floured chicken pieces in the egg mix, shaking off any excess but making sure there are no dry spots left.

Step 3:

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Dredging chicken in flour mixture again

Dredge the chicken through the flour mix once more, making sure it’s evenly coated all the way around.

About the pan you’re using:

It’s very important to use the right kind of pan for this recipe. It needs to have the following features:

It needs to be dark to better reflect heat back onto the chicken
It has to have a rim to hold in the melted butter
It needs to be preheated in the oven before placing the chicken on top

Preheating the pan is a VERY important step – I do it with everything I want to get crispy in the oven, from oven fried chicken to homemade chicken nuggets to oven fried shrimp and even baked potato wedges.

And then just melt the butter on top…

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Melt butter in baking pan

Add the chicken without crowding the pan and bake…

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Adding chicken to the baking pan

Flip…

Bake and broil…

How To Make Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken: Getting the finished chicken out of the oven

And serve!

Dipping buttermilk oven fried chicken in honey mustard.

Inside of buttermilk oven fried chicken.

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