Here’s a yummy oven-baked “fried” chicken recipe that’s super crispy, juicy inside, and full of classic fried-chicken flavor—without deep frying.
🍗 Oven-Baked Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 pieces bone-in chicken (drumsticks, thighs, breasts, or wings)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
Breading
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornmeal (optional, extra crunch)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
For Baking
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
or cooking spray
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken
- Mix buttermilk with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add chicken, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (overnight is best).
- Preheat Oven
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
- Brush rack with melted butter or spray well.
- Bread Chicken
- Mix all breading ingredients.
- Remove chicken from buttermilk, let excess drip off.
- Dredge chicken thoroughly in flour mixture, pressing to adhere.
- Arrange
- Place chicken on prepared rack.
- Drizzle or brush tops with remaining melted butter.
- Bake
- Bake 40–50 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Chicken is done when coating is golden and internal temp reaches 165°F.
- Rest & Serve
- Rest 5 minutes before serving for maximum juiciness.
Extra-Crispy Tips
- Use a wire rack (air circulates all around)
- Don’t overcrowd the pan
- For extra crunch, replace half the flour with panko breadcrumbs
- Spray chicken lightly with oil instead of butter for lighter crisping
Flavor Variations
- Garlic Parmesan: Add grated Parmesan to breading
- Southern hot: Brush with hot sauce + melted butter
- Herb fried chicken: Add thyme, oregano, and parsley
- Honey butter: Drizzle honey-butter over hot chicken
Perfect Sides
- Mashed potatoes & gravy
- Oven-fried okra
- Coleslaw
- Biscuits or cornbread
If you want, I can give you a no-buttermilk version, a crispy boneless oven fried chicken, or a sheet-pan dinner version with potatoes and veggies 🍗✨
