Guest post from Brigette Shevy
Crystal and I grew up in a family of seven children. Given our family size, and the fact that we had company over for meals at least once a week, our Mom was (is!) the Queen of simple, budget-friendly, crowd-pleasing meals.
Crystal and I were recently reminiscing about different recipes we grew up on and thought it would be fun to share some of our favorites with you.
This Oven Fried Chicken Recipe is a classic!
Oven Fried Chicken was one of my Dad’s favorite meals.
My Mom got the recipe out of the church cookbook from the church my parents attended the first years of their marriage, and it has been a regular in our family for as long as I can remember.
Depending on what you serve with it, this chicken can be a fancy special occasion dinner or a hearty recipe for any night of the week!
What is oven fried chicken?
Oven frying is a low-fat technique for cooking crumb-coated foods in a very hot oven in an effort to recreate that crisp and golden exterior of foods that have been deep fried.
This technique cuts down on fat and calories without sacrificing flavor.
Oven fried chicken is a perfect example of how to make your favorite fried foods a whole lot healthier!
You Will Love This Easy Oven Fried Chicken
Well for starters… it tastes amazing! The outside is perfectly crispy and crunchy while the meat is so tender and juicy.
I love that this simple recipe requires only a few basic ingredients and is less time-consuming than regular fried chicken.
Also, it’s so much healthier since it’s baked and not fried — plus you won’t stink up your house with a deep fryer!
What you’ll need for Fried Chicken in the Oven
- 3lbs chicken pieces; rinsed and patted dry*
- ½ cup melted butter (you can use less)
- ½ cup flour, (possibly a bit more)
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
NOTE: The original recipe calls for the skin to be left on, but I usually remove the skin. It’s good either way!
How to Make Fried Chicken in the Oven
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Melt butter in a shallow baking dish or bowl.
3. In another bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.
4. Dip chicken pieces in melted butter…
5. And then dip the chicken into the flour mixture.
6. Place coated chicken pieces in a single layer on a greased shallow baking pan (skin side down – if you’ve left the skin on).
7. Bake at 400º for 30 minutes.
8. Flip chicken pieces over and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.
Temp for oven fried chicken:
We recommend setting your oven to 400ºF as that seems to be the best temperature to allow the chicken to fully cook without burning the deliciously crispy, crunchy crust!
At what temperature is fried chicken done?
The recommended “safe” temperature for cooking poultry is 165ºF. So the INTERNAL temperature of the chicken should be stable at 165ºF before eating.
You can use a simple instant-read thermometer to test the internal temperature — just make sure you’re not accidentally touching the thermometer to a bone (which will be much hotter).
And keep in mind that white meat usually cooks faster than dark meat.
How to serve this Recipe For Oven Fried Chicken
As I mentioned above, oven fried chicken can be as fancy or as “every day” as you want it to be.
If you’re going for a hearty sit-down dinner, serve it up with baked or mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, homemade applesauce, and dinner rolls.
If you prefer a lighter meal, oven fried chicken pairs nicely with a simple Ceasar Salad and fresh fruit.
For a backyard barbeque, try serving it with baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and watermelon wedges.
Storing Easy Oven Fried Chicken
On the off chance you have any leftover chicken, simply refrigerate it in a food storage container to reheat later.
It’s best to let the chicken cool completely before covering it in the refrigerator — this will help to prevent the crunchy coating to get soggy.
How to reheat fried chicken in the oven
Oven fried chicken tastes amazing as leftovers — but it’s best to reheat it in the oven so you can enjoy the crispy crunchy coating again!
Preheat your oven to 400ºF again and place cold chicken on a foil-lined baking pan. It helps to let the chicken sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
Pop the chicken in the oven for 15-20 minutes, checking after 10 to see how warm it is.
Oven Baked Fried Chicken FAQs
Chicken needs to be dry in order to get crispy in the oven — so make sure you pat the skin well with a paper towel before coating it with the egg + flour mixture.
In order to get a crispy coating on your chicken, you’ll need to use some type of flour or cornstarch in the breading. Make sure you drench the chicken in melted butter so all the yummy breading has something to stick to.
In addition to making sure the skin is nice and dry, you’ll want to have your oven nice and hot — at least 400ºF. And if you have a wire baking rack that fits in one of your baking pans, set the chicken on that so air can circulate around the entire piece of chicken.
This will mostly depend on your personal preferences. Deep-frying is faster than oven-fried chicken, however, it’s a lot messier and smellier. It also requires the use of a deep fryer and lots of oil. Oven fried chicken takes a bit longer to bake, but it’s healthier and a lot easier.
Classic Recipe for Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken pieces rinsed and patted dry
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Melt butter in a shallow baking dish or bowl.
- In another bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Dip chicken pieces in melted butter.
- Then dip them into the flour mixture.
- Place coated chicken pieces in a single layer on a greased shallow baking pan (skin side down – if you’ve left the skin on).
- Bake at 400º for 30 minutes.
- Flip chicken pieces over and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.
- Eat and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 6, 4, and 2). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
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I have tried so many oven fried chicken recipes, this one by far is the best. My daughter is very picky and she loved this chicken. I kept the skin on and I really liked the flavor.
5 stars all the way. Thank you for sharing.
My recipe for oven fried chicken is a lititle different. I coat the chicken in flour and seasonings and cook it in a baking dish with melted margarine in it, my family eats it up. Never any leftovers and always requests that I make extra chicken next time.
This is a phenomenal tasting recipe for oven fried chicken. My family gobbles it up in no time flat! It’s become one of our favorite meals!
Yay! I’m so glad you love it! -Meg, MSM Team
I really enjoy making chicken this way!
Thanks for the recipe! It looks yummy. Has anybody tried using boneless chicken breasts? I am guessing the time and temp would be different… ?
This is one of my go-to meals! The chicken comes out SO crunchy and tastes like it was fried {without all the YUCKY fried “Feeling” afterwards!}.
This recipe was featured in Wee Share’s Top 5 FAVORITE Chicken Recipes! Check it out!
http://www.weeshare.net/2015/04/wee-shares-top-5-favorite-chicken-recipes.html
Last night, I made the chicken without the skin. When you 1st posted the recipe, I made it with the skin. The winner is….without the skin. Had more flavor and crust (hmmm. not much of a cook so I do not know how that would happen) Used thighs both time and used the same recipe. I really enjoyed it. So thank you again for the recipe.
Have you ever tried this in a cast iron skillet instead of a baking dish? I am guessing that would be even more crispy … I LOVE it super crispy. I think I will try that variation tonight. I will let you know if it worked.
Hmmm… I made this tonight with drumsticks and it did not turn out for me. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I took the skin off the chicken. I didn’t have paprika so I just left it out but other than that I followed everything else. There was a good amount of chicken fat and the flour ended up all soggy and not crispy at all. I was really hoping this would turn out because it looked so good and is an affordable meal.
I made the chicken today and really enjoyed it. It was so simple to make and all the ingredients I already had so I thought why not try it. If you have any other simple and inexpensive recipes which requires few ingredients, please post them .
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe Brigette and Crystal. I have been looking for a oven-fried chicken recipe and this one was perfect. I have to admit when I looked at the pictures in the post, I thought “no way is the chicken going to look like that” but I tried it anyway. Dinner was a BIG hit in my house last night. The chicken looked almost exactly like the pictures. I did tweak a little bit – oven temp at 375 for a little over an hour. I loved the sound of the chicken “frying” in the oven. This recipe is already in my collection. Thank you!!!
I love comments like this – I am so happy you liked it!
This looks amazing! I’ll be trying this really soon!
I made this recipe last night, followed the recipe exactly and it came out great. I was worried the flour wouldn’t crisp up, but it was very good. My husband who normally only eats chicken cutlets enjoyed the skinless legs/thighs cooked this way! Thanks for a great EASY recipe 🙂
Thanks for taking time to make this recipe and leave a comment! I’m so glad it turned out well for you!
I made this last night and all 8 of us loved it! We used about 5lbs of chicken and there was a little left over – but only because both my husband and 19 yr old son ate really late lunches. I did’t have paprika and so just substituted some seasoned salt. By the way, I’ve never made fried chicken because of the mess, but now I think this will be on our monthly menu. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad it was a hit! It IS much less mess than real fried chicken, and healthier too – a win/win situation. 🙂
My Mom used to make something similar, but she used yogurt rather than butter. It was the most divinely moist chicken I have ever eaten!
Sounds yummy!
oh yogurt sounds interesting! I will keep that in mind
I cannot tell by the photos if you left the skin on or not. It looks so good… just debating on leaving the skin on or taking off 😉
Ha! Well, to be perfectly honest, when I made this recipe this last time and took the pictures, I left the skin on half of the pieces and took it off the rest. I wanted to compare the two side by side to make sure we didn’t have a strong preference (even though I’ve made it both ways, I’ve never made it both ways at the SAME time to get a really accurate comparison :)). So it’s very likely a mix of skin on/skin off in these photographs!
I like this recipe, but I don’t understand why 3/4 lb of chicken is considered one serving size! Twelve ounces of chicken (even bone-in) is a substantial portion. Isn’t 3-4 ounces of protein (deck of cards) considered one serving size?
I agree that it does sound like a substantial portion, ounce wise. However, in reality, it doesn’t work out that way, at least for me (maybe my chicken pieces have extra heavy bones!). 3lbs of bone-in chicken usually works out to 6ish pieces for me – and that’s including some legs. I don’t know many adult men that would only eat one leg of chicken and call it a meal. 🙂 But hey, if you can get more servings out of this recipe, that’s great for you! I think I come from a family of big eaters. 🙂
I have a recipe very similar to this only it uses whole wheat flour! The whole wheat adds a nutty taste once it’s crispy. It is SO good! Thanks for sharing.
We often use whole wheat flour in this recipe, and you are right – it does add a nice flavor!
I will be trying this! I am pretty sure we will like it a lot and it may become a company meal.
Thanks so much for sharing it.
Don’t rinse the chicken! We are now being told that is a bad thing to do. Contaminated water will end up on surfaces where you don’t want it. And I cut the amount of butter in half also. I can’t taste a difference either.
I’m so happy to find this recipe. I was looking for just this type of recipe through ALLRECIPES this weekend. I found a good one but it used bread instead of flour. This will be a great recipe to have as a back up. Thanks again! I always enjoy visiting your website!
Thanks for posting this! I actually made it tonight for my family. Because we’re a young family (my husband and I and a four-year-old son and one-year-old daughter), I only made three chicken breasts. It turned out great! We generally have meat only as a side dish or in casseroles or pastas, so my husband was really excited. With some mashed potatoes and veggies, it looked like I’d spent a long time on supper!
Yay! So glad you liked it. We don’t have meat as a “main entree” very often around our house either. 🙂
I tried this tonight and it turned out great! I was using about 5 lbs of chicken legs, but instead of adding more flour I added 1/2 cup of crushed up cornflakes. It turned out great and my family wants a repeat. 🙂
I tried this recipe tonight with Chicken wings and it was good. It was a little on the bland side for my taste, but will keep this in rotation in my house. Adding more seasonings really will make this dish stand out. Thanks for sharing
This is definitely a basic recipe that you can customize/spice up according to your personal preferences! 🙂
Cornflakes sound like a great addition!
We are picking up our Zaycon chicken this week, I’m going to have to try this with the breasts! Looks like it would be simple enough to get going for dinner while we’re prepping/dealing with 40lbs of chicken.
Ooo. This looks really good and very similar to a recipe I have used, but better than mine because you coat the chicken with the melted butter first. I’ll bet it would be good with lemon-pepper seasoning mixed with the flour also. Mmmm. Going to have to try this soon! 😀 Thanks!
Ever made this with boneless pieces? What would the cooking time be? This sounds easy and great!
I have not, but I’m sure it would work other than adjusting the cooking time. If you buy the bagged frozen kind, go with the cooking time on the bag. If you are using fresh, I would just google it for the answer. 🙂
10-15 minutes per side for boneless.
Memories…… We made this once or twice every week while growing up in my parents home; yes, it was a mainstay on the menu using chicken legs to stay on budget.
Thanks so much for sharing, looks like a dish the whole family will like!! Can’t wait to try it.
I would worry that with that high of an oven temp and using butter, that it wouldn’t burn easily…
I am going to try it from my usual OFC. Thanks for the idea.
To replace the butter, you can dip the chicken in milk. It gets just as crispy.
For those who have asked about alternatives to flour, I have a recipe that uses oat meal, which is ground in a blender till it is like flour (courser, though). It comes out nice as crispy.
Could I just use water? Get the chicken pieces wet and then coat with flour, etc. Seems like that would work just as well, and be healthier, too.
Thank you for posting. I miss fried chicken, but the last time we tried to eat it out, we felt ill afterwards. Healthier and cheaper at home!
My husband loves my fried chicken. I make it the way my great-grandmother taught me…in a cast iron skillet, but am always getting popped with the oil (ouch!). Your recipe looks delicious, and so much easier (not to mention better for you) than my fried chicken. Wondering if I can convince my husband that it’s “fried” chicken? We shall see. 😉
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m gonna try this next week.
Thanks for the tips, it looks *really* good! I’m looking forward to hearing about more recipes from your family. 🙂
Anyone ever tried an alternate flour for this? My toddler was carrying around the grocery ad this morning asking for the cooked chicken on the front, lol but we don’t do gluten or nuts or rice.
I have not personally tried it (I’m the only one in my family right now with wheat sensitivities), but based on other recipes I’ve seen, you SHOULD be able to replace the flour with your favorite all purpose gf flour blend (like Bob’s Red Mill – anything that is not coconut-flour based). All the other ingredients would stay the same. Let me know if you do try it!
If you don’t have an all purpose flour that fits your family, you could try sunflower seed meal and tapioca starch. This is pretty similar to the KFC tenders copycat recipe at Real Sustenance. I don’t think Bob’s Red Mill AP flour has rice so that could work.
For nuggets, i use a tamed version of Chicken Pakora. It uses besan (chickpea flour) and the crust is similar to a tempura batter. That has to be fried though.
HTH and good luck.
I make this recipe with Bisquick instead of flour (one of their own Bisquick recipes) and would think the gluten free Bisquick would also work.
I’ve used almost this exact recipe for years. I do omit the butter. If you use an assortment of pieces equal to a whole chicken, there will be enough fat there without the butter. I just spray the pan with nonstick spray or lightly grease it as you would for a cake pan.
MMMM Thank you for this! It will come in handy for our church potlucks.
I recently tried Oven Fried Chicken for the first time and it is absolutely fabulous. It’s super simple to make I loved the fact that it’s a bit healthier than traditional fried chicken!
The chicken looks tender and delicious! I can’t wait to try this.