How to Make Fried Chicken in the Oven

Co-authored by Dorrenda Smith and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: July 14, 2022

Fried chicken is known for its crispy, crunchy coating. But if you're looking for an easier way to make the familiar favorite, make oven-fried chicken. Most oven-fried chicken is first soaked in a brine (saltwater solution) or buttermilk before it's coated with seasoned flour, breadcrumbs, or crushed cornflakes. Just place the oven-fried chicken in a heated baking dish and cook it in the oven until it becomes crispy. You'll never go back to frying chicken!

Ingredients

Classic Oven-Fried Chicken

3 tablespoons sea salt (divided, plus more for serving)
1 cup (236 ml) warm water
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup (62 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (plus more for serving)

Makes 3 to 4 servings

Oven-Fried Chicken Using Breadcrumbs

1 egg
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
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 (900 g) boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3 to 4 large strips
1/4 cup (60 g) butter

Makes 6 servings

Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken Using Panko

For the chicken:

8 skinless chicken drumsticks
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the coating:

2/3 cup (60 g) panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup (15 g) crushed cornflakes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Makes 8 drumsticks

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Classic Oven-Fried Chicken

1
Create a brine and trim the chicken. Get out a large prep bowl and measure 2 tablespoons of sea salt into it. Add 1 cup (236 ml) of warm water and stir it until the water dissolves. You should also cut off any fat off of 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.^{[1]
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- Try to make your brine early in the day or the night before, so the chicken can soak for a long time.
2
Chill the chicken in the brine. Place the chicken thighs in the bowl and add enough cold water to the bowl to cover the chicken. Add one tray of ice cubes to make the water very cold. Stir the water around and put the bowl in the refrigerator. Chill the chicken for several hours or overnight.^{[2]
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- Using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will give the dish more flavor and keep it moister than boneless, skinless chicken.
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3
Preheat the oven and dry the chicken.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Dorrenda Smith
Personal Chef
Expert Interview. 26 October 2021.} Turn the oven on to 400°F (200°C). Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and drain the brine. Blot the chicken with paper towels until it's completely dry.^{[4]
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- Removing the water will help the chicken crisp up in the oven.
4
Prepare the roasting pan. Get out a large roasting pan that's big enough to hold all of the pieces of chicken in a single layer. Place 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter into the pan and put the pan in the preheating oven. The butter will melt and the pan should become hot while you prepare the chicken.^{[5]
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- Heating the pan will also help the chicken develop a crispy crust.
5
Toss the chicken with flour and seasonings. Pour 1/2 cup (62 g) of all-purpose flour into a large plastic freezer bag. Add the last tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper. Shake the bag a little, so the salt and pepper mix. Put 2 of the chicken thighs in at a time and shake them until they're coated.^{[6]
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- If you put all of the chicken thighs in at once, they may not be evenly covered in the flour mixture.
6
Lay the chicken in the roasting pan. Remove the 2 chicken thighs from the bag and shake off any extra flour. Set them on a plate while you coat the rest of the thighs. Use hot pads to take the hot baking dish out of the oven. Lay the coated chicken thighs skin-side down in the roasting pan.^{[7]
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- If you don't shake the extra flour off of the chicken, the chicken will have a thick coating that doesn't become crunchy.
7
Bake the chicken. Put the baking dish in the oven and cook the chicken for 40 minutes. You'll hear the chicken sizzle as it oven fries. It should become dark brown and crispy on the bottom.^{[8]
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- Avoid flipping the chicken as it cooks.
- Depending on your oven, you may need to cook the chicken longer until it becomes golden brown.
8
Flip and finish baking the chicken. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and use a thin spatula to scoop up the thighs and flip them over. Return the pan to the oven and finish cooking the chicken for 20 more minutes. This will make the other side of the chicken crisp up.^{[9]
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- You could also use tongs to turn the chicken thighs, if they aren't clinging to the pan.
9
Serve the classic oven-fried chicken. Lay paper towels on a serving plate. Remove the baking dish from the oven and use tongs to carefully transfer the chicken thighs to the serving plate. Sprinkle the chicken with a little extra salt and ground pepper before serving.^{[10]
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- The paper towels will help to absorb any excess grease or oil.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Oven-Fried Chicken Using Breadcrumbs

1
Preheat the oven and the baking dish. Turn the oven on to 410°F (210°C). Get out a baking dish or roasting pan that's large enough to hold all of the chicken in a single layer. Put the dish in the oven to heat up as the oven heats.^{[11]
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- Putting the chicken into a hot pan will create a crispy crust.
2
Combine the egg and milk.^{[12]
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Expert Source

Dorrenda Smith
Personal Chef
Expert Interview. 26 October 2021.} Crack 1 egg into a shallow prep bowl. Pour in 1/3 cup (80 ml) of milk and whisk the egg and milk together until the egg is completely incorporated. Set this mixture aside.^{[13]
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3
Whisk the dry coating. In another prep bowl, place 1 cup (125 g) of all-purpose flour and 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Measure the baking powder and seasonings into the bowl and combine them. You'll need to whisk in:^{[14]
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Expert Source

Dorrenda Smith
Personal Chef
Expert Interview. 26 October 2021.}
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
4
Cut and dip the chicken into the dry coating. Take 2 pounds (900 g) of boneless skinless chicken breast and use a sharp knife to cut each breast into three or four pieces. Place the chicken strips into the dry mixture and toss them until they're coated. Shake off any excess from the pieces.^{[15]
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- You'll need to coat them in batches, since all of the chicken won't fit in the bowl at the same time.
5
Dip the chicken into the egg mixture. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the egg mixture and cover each strip in the egg mixture. You'll need to do this in batches, so you don't crowd the chicken.^{[16]
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6
Dip the chicken into the dry coating again. Put the coated chicken strips back into the bowl with the dry coating. Toss the chicken strips again, so they're completely covered with the dry mixture.^{[17]
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7
Melt the butter in the pan and add the chicken pieces. Use hot pads to take the baking dish out of the oven. Put 1/4 cup (60 g) of butter into it. It should melt quickly in the hot pan. Once the butter melts, lay the coated chicken strips in the pan.^{[18]
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8
Bake the oven-fried chicken. Put the hot pan back into the preheated oven and bake the oven-fried chicken for 10 to 12 minutes. You should see the chicken crisp up and become golden brown.^{[19]
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- Using boneless, skinless chicken and cutting it into strips helps the chicken cook quickly.
9
Flip the chicken and finish baking it. Remove the pan from the oven and use a thin spatula or tongs to carefully flip the chicken over. Return the pan to the oven and bake the chicken for another 5 to 10 minutes. This will help the other side become crispy. Remove the pan from the oven and serve the oven-fried chicken.^{[20]
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- If you want an even crispier crust, consider broiling the chicken for a few minutes until it's as crunchy as you like it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken Using Panko

1
Combine the chicken with the seasonings. Put 8 skinless chicken drumsticks into a prep bowl and sprinkle the seasonings over them. Toss the drumsticks, so they're all coated with the seasonings. You'll need:^{[21]
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- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2
Pour the liquids over the chicken and chill it. Measure out 1 cup (240 ml) of buttermilk and pour it over the drumsticks. Squeeze half of a lemon and strain it into the bowl with the chicken. Put the bowl in the refrigerator and chill the chicken for 6 to 8 hours.^{[22]
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- You can refrigerate the chicken overnight, if you'd like to prepare it the night before you want to serve it.
3
Preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet. When you're ready to oven fry your chicken, turn the oven on to 400 degrees F (200 C). Get out a baking sheet and set a wire rack on it. Spray the rack and baking sheet with cooking spray.^{[23]
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4
Combine the dry coating. Get out a shallow prep bowl and measure 2/3 cup (60 g) of panko bread crumbs and 1/2 cup (15 g) of crushed cornflakes into it. Stir in the remaining coating ingredients until they're combined. You'll need to add:^{[24]
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- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
5
Cover the chicken in the dry coating. Lift the drumsticks out of the buttermilk and lay each piece in the dry coating. Roll the drumsticks, so they're completely coated in the mixture.^{[25]
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- You may need to coat them in batches, if they don't all fit in the mixture at once.
6
Arrange and spray the chicken. Set the coated drumsticks on the wire rack that's on the baking sheet.^{[26]
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Dorrenda Smith
Personal Chef
Expert Interview. 26 October 2021.} Take your cooking spray and spray each of the drumsticks with more cooking spray.^{[27]
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- This will make the drumsticks even crispier.
7
Bake the oven-fried chicken. Put the baking sheet in the oven and cook the drumsticks for 40 to 45 minutes. They should become crispy and turn golden brown. Remove the drumsticks from the oven and serve them immediately.^{[28]
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- You don't need to turn the drumsticks, since they're on the wire rack.
8
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

This would be classified as baked. Correct?

Community Answer

Usually if it was made in an oven, it would be baked. This is called "fried chicken in an oven" to show that the finished product is similar to fried chicken.