Everyone will love this crispy oven fried chicken recipe – it’s so simple to make but so full of flavor. Serve it with the sides of your choice for a new family-favorite dinner!
Strips of boneless and skinless chicken breasts are breaded with breadcrumbs and baked to crunchy perfection on a tray with butter. Simple to make, this might not be healthy food but it’s a lot healthier than getting KFC.
Serve with your favorite sides as a comforting family dinner your kids will go crazy for.
A few years back I loved getting chicken from KFC as a Sunday night tradition.
Now that I have my own family I prefer to cook at home. And I especially prefer to have less greasy traditions!
I’ve been oven-frying our chicken for a long time, but it never occurred to me to post it on here.
Yes, I shared how I make Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets and how I pan-fry Crispy Garlic Chicken to perfection.
But the at-home KFC experience? Terribly left behind.
So when I planned to make it again last Sunday I realized I should absolutely post it on the blog, and that’s what I’m doing today!
What You Need to know about how to Make This Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
★ Equipment
A dark pan
When I got my cute enamel pans a few weeks ago and made this incredible Greek Style Easy Baked Chicken Dinner, I wanted to use them for everything.
I’m not one to purchase anything “just because”, so when I do get something new I want to get the most use out of it. But lots of things just wouldn’t come out right.
Basically anything that was supposed to be dry and crispy on the outside turned into a soggy mess. When I changed back to my normal, dark roasting pan (it’s actually the lid of a roasting pan, so handy!) all my problems were solved.
If you don’t have a dark roasting pan yet, you can find one here on Amazon*.
And don’t line it!
Another mistake I’ve been making for years is lining my tray with parchment paper because I don’t like cleaning sticky pans. While I avoided the cleaning, I had to deal with soggy chicken!
Bottom line: dark pan & no parchment paper = crispy chicken
★ Ingredients
I love using partly breadcrumbs in the coating. While it makes the chicken less like traditional fried chicken, it does give it a nice crunch.
I use regular breadcrumbs, not panko, because I don’t feel like chasing down ingredients and I know I can get regular breadcrumbs in every store!
It’s also not everyone’s favorite to use chicken breast only, but between a toddler and trying to eat healthier – it’s just the easiest way. You can use whatever pieces you want, though.
There’s quite a bit of seasoning in the coating as well, but don’t think it will be overpowering! If you don’t use enough, the chicken will be bland and won’t taste of much.
I’m using dried onion, dried garlic, paprika, salt and pepper here. I find that works really well for a basic and simple oven fried chicken, but you can easily add a bit of chili powder for some heat!
So if this is oven fried chicken – baking powder? What?
I use baking powder in the flour mix, because I find it helps for the crust to puff up nicely (together with the natural lift from the eggs).
This adds like a little air pocket between the chicken and the coating, so the juices from the chicken don’t soak as much into the breadcrumbs, giving you a much nicer crisp.
What to Watch Out For When Making This Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
★ It’s better to not use your fingers here
I do often pledge to do things by hand if you really want to get to know a recipe. But when I coat anything in egg and flour or breadcrumbs, I really don’t feel like getting my fingers into that sticky mess.
That’s why I always use either two forks or a spoon when breading anything, as you can see in the video below.
★ Don’t leave it too pale
If you don’t broil the chicken enough, you’ll end up with soggy chicken.
Don’t be afraid to give it some extra color, but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn!
★ Timing
Timing is everything with oven fried chicken. Straight out of the oven it will seem like it’s not crispy at all. That’s because the butter is very hot and melted!
A minute or so later, the coating will have crisped up nicely and the chicken is ready to be served.
But you don’t want the chicken to stand around for too long either, because then the moisture from the chicken will come through the coating and make it soggy.
★ It’s not exactly the same as deep-fried!
While I do love this recipe 100% (I wouldn’t have shared it otherwise!) it is important to me to tell you that you shouldn’t expect the same results from baking as you should from deep-frying.
This recipe here does make a crispy oven fried chicken, but it’s not identical to regular deep fried chicken.
It’s very yummy though and your family will probably fight for the last crunchy oven fried chicken piece. I know mine does 😉
How do you reheat this oven fried chicken?
If you have leftovers, you can easily reheat them in the oven.
The chicken won’t be quite as juicy as freshly baked, but it’s still good.
Check out my step by step instructions for reheating fried chicken here!
Can you freeze oven fried chicken?
Yes! You absolutely can. It’s not as juicy as fresh out of the oven, but it definitely works.
My tips to freeze fried chicken:
- Wait for the chicken to cool completely before freezing it (otherwise your freezer could heat up too much and affect the other frozen goods in there).
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
- Label the bag or container with the contents, today’s date AND the use-by time (the chicken is best eaten within 3 months).
- Make sure the chicken is piping hot and steaming all the way through before serving.
I recommend freezing in a single layer on a cookie sheet for ~1 hour before transferring to freezer bags.
You can reheat the oven fried chicken in the microwave or for 20-25 minutes at 375 in the oven, or until it’s piping hot all the way through.
You don’t need to defrost it before reheating.
What can you serve with Oven Fried Chicken?
There are lots of ways to have fried chicken – these are some of our favorites.
Great side dishes for fried chicken:
- Green beans and mashed potatoes
- In a bun topped with sliced avocado and coleslaw on the side
- Corn on the cob and sweet potato fries
Watch the Crispy Oven Fried Chicken recipe video:
Here’s the printable recipe for crispy oven fried chicken:
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup milk, 80ml
- 1 cup all purpose flour, 125g
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips (I do 3-4 per breast), 900g
- 1/4 cup butter, 60g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C). Place a dark-colored roasting pan (a baking tray works as well) in the oven to heat up.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, breadcrumbs, baking powder and seasoning together.
- 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.
- Take the baking tray out of the oven and melt the butter on it. Place the coated chicken pieces on the tray.
- 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 the chicken until it turns golden brown and crispy.
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
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