Oven Fried Chicken is one of our all time favorite recipes! It’s so healthy, juicy, flavorful, and CRISPY! You would never guess this chicken is oven baked and not fried. The spice rub tastes just like your favorite KFC. SO MUCH FLAVOR! This baked friend chicken breast is one of our favorites to make year round.
The Crispiest Baked Fried Chicken
Oven Fried Chicken is the perfect kind of recipe for our family and one of our favorite easy recipes!
I have a running theme on The Cookie Rookie: Simple and delicious. On this journey to learn how to cook, I’ve found that my very favorite meals are those with the simplest ingredients, easiest prep, and best flavors.
I’m always looking for recipes that are made in a flash, and cleaned up even faster! Sometimes the simple meals are simply the best. This baked fried chicken breast is my newest recipe to prove my point. This recipe is so quick, so easy, and so delicious!
This chicken comes out of the oven SO crispy, you won’t believe it!
Eating this oven fried chicken recipe will have everyone thinking you ran down the street and got KFC Fried Chicken. But you secretly made a healthy baked version instead. WINNING!
A healthier alternative to frying
I’ve been attempting to cook healthier meals for the past couple months. But healthy doesn’t have to be boring!
For me, healthy is all about making simple substitutes and tweaks to favorite dishes. This crispy baked fried chicken is the perfect example!
Instead of deep frying chicken, we’re baking it in the oven with a flavorful flour coating that turns crispy. Trust me, it’s just as good as the real thing, with less calories, less grease, but all the flavor!
How to Make Oven Fried Chicken Breast
As you can see in the step-by-step recipe photos below, this healthy fried chicken breast is pretty straightforward.
- Cut chicken breasts into 4 portions.
- Marinate chicken in milk for 20 minutes.
- Mix together the breading mixture.
- Coat the baking pan with parchment and melted butter.
- Dip chicken in the flour/breading mixture.
- Bake chicken at 400°F for 35-40 minutes.
That’s all there is to it! Watch the video to see the step by step recipe in action. Check below for the printable recipe card with full instructions and ingredient list.
Can chicken baked in the oven really be crispy?
Believe it or not, YES!
Most people think you need to deep fry to get that super crispy coating. Sure, you won’t have the same thick layers of breading, BUT you can get a really nice layer of flavorful, crispy breading on your oven fried chicken.
Check below for some tips on keeping it crispy!
I have loved learning the lighter side of cooking. This is such an easy way to lighten up a true classic (try our Buttermilk Fried Chicken if you want the real deal). All the comforts of home, in a slimmed down version. Another favorite variation of this recipe is our Oven Fried Parmesan Crusted Chicken. OBSESSED.
Oven Baked Chicken Recipe Tips
This oven fried chicken breast is SO EASY, healthy(er), and yummy. The outside is nice and crispy, while the inside stays juicy. What more can you ask for?
Here are some tips to make sure it’s crispy, juicy, and delicious:
- Letting the chicken breast marinate in milk for 20 minutes helps break down enzymes so that the meat becomes more tender. It’s common practice to soak chicken in milk when making Southern-fried chicken, although sometimes it’s marinated overnight. 20 minutes is enough for this easy recipe.
- Flour, paprika, all-purpose spice, salt & pepper make a delicious spice rub and acts as the “breaded” coating here. It really crisps up like breading in the oven.
- Pat the chicken dry after marinating it to remove excess milk. You want the surface of the meat to be dry so the coating sticks and doesn’t slide off while baking.
- Leave space between the chicken when placing it in the pan. You want the heat to bake all sides of it in the oven to help it get extra crispy.
Baked Chicken you can make Year Round
This oven fried chicken recipe is so versatile and is a great dish to have on hand. I think it would be a fabulous base for Chicken Piccata, Chicken Marsala, and especially Chicken Parmesan.
I might just have to try all three! Isn’t it wonderful when lightened up recipes turn out as flavorful as the sinful ones? Those are the recipes to hold on to and pass down for generations.
Can you put floured chicken in the oven?
Of course you can! Complete honesty with this baked fried chicken…the skin does come out crispy from the oven but its not as thick as the crispy skin on truly fried chicken. You still want to do the flour coating and all the spices to create a delicious crispy skin on your chicken.
What is the internal temperature when it’s done?
Chicken should read 165°F internal temperature when they’re ready to eat.
It’s always good to check with a meat thermometer when you’re about to take them out of the oven! You don’t want to undercook chicken, so it’s always good to keep a meat thermometer on hand.
See our Meat Temperature Guide for more info!
Do you have other baked chicken breast recipes you love?
OH YES! I love the versatility of baking chicken instead of frying. I have all kinds of ideas for you!
We have an entire guide to the Best Baked Chicken Recipes, but here are some favorites:
- Chicken Tacos
- Simple Spiced Baked Chicken Wings
- Baked Parmesan Chicken Nuggets
- Honey Garlic Baked Chicken
So many amazing options when baking instead of frying! Chicken Recipes for the win!
Watch the video and see the recipe card below for full details on how to make oven fried chicken breast.
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning click link for example
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 stick butter melted
- 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley optional
Instructions
- CUT chicken breasts in half, lengthwise, to create 4 even portions.
- PLACE chicken in a large bowl and marinate in milk for about 20 minutes.
- MIX together flour, paprika, all-purpose spice, salt, and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- PREHEAT oven to 400ºF.
- Place parchment paper on a 9x13 baking sheet. MELT butter and pour onto the parchment, coating the bottom of the pan/parchment.
- Lightly pat each chicken breast with a paper towel to remove excess milk before dipping. DIP each chicken breast, one at a time, in the flour mixture. COAT both sides liberally. PLACE in pan.
- REPEAT with all four chicken breasts, making sure there is a small amount of room between each breast in the pan. This will allow them to crisp while baking.
- BAKE at 400ºF for 35-40 minutes (or until the breading is golden brown and the juices run clear), flipping each breast after 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with parsley if desired. Enjoy!
You’ve come to the right place! I can’t wait for you to try them!
I need easy recipes. Can’t wait to try these
You could also make a substitute for buttermilk with milk and white vinegar or lemon juice, if you have either of those!
can i use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
Before I make this delicious sounding recipe I would like to know what ‘all purpose seasoning’ is. Please enlighten me : )
You’re welcome, Debbie!
Absolutely the best chicken EVER!! The chicken was so juicy and tender. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thank you, Pauly!! I’m happy you enjoyed them!
Awesome Chicken Recipes Fast & Easy To Make!!!
I just bought 6lbs of chix legs!! I have an 8yr old granddaughter who decided she is vegetarian- and will only eat chicken /veggies. I normally use seasoned bread crumbs. I would like to try this recipe on legs- your thoughts?
Hi Becky – Can this be done in a 9×13 pyrex, or does it need to be a sheet pan?
Thank you!
Thanks, Nicole!
Fantastic chicken, will do again!!!
Thanks for stopping by Cassandra!
So yummy! The changes we made were:
Used drumsticks and thighs. Soaked the chicken in milk with lemon juice because I didn’t have buttermilk. And also added more spices to coconut flour(all I had on hand) which made it taste really good. We added garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and oregano to additional spices.
I also used less butter on the foil and had to lower the heat to 375 F because 400 was burning it. THANKS for the recipe????
I wish that someone who actually made the chicken this way would submit a comment, so that we’d know if it turned out well for them, as well.
Thanks, Rhonda!
Tastes like KFC!
I do wanted this to turn out. I did step by step and it turned out to be a mushy mess. So disappointed.
Thank ya!
This chicken is the bomb! I just made it for my wife and son and they loved it! It tastes just like KFC!! Thanks for the recipe.
Love this!
I’m going to make this tonight using vegan ingredients. I will prepare the garlic lemon green beans for a side… so excited to try this combo out. I have been vegan for a long time but lately I have missed my grandma’s cooking. These recipes remind me of dinners at her house.
How can I make the all purpose seasoning myself? I can’t afford to buy another spice I’ll use once and don’t have room for another on my spice rack. Thanks.
Can you remove the skin on the breast?
Thank YOU for trying it. :)
Delicious.. Thank you for the recipe.
Think about a whole chicken cut up for the oven. I do not like bnls breast, wife does. She said it is very good.
Thanks Milisa!
Seriously delicious and so easy too!
I can’t wait to try it with an air fryer!
This recipe is similar to paula deen fried chicken.. buttermilk and half bottle of hot sauce. For ovenight marinade. This will not be firey hot.. just flavorful
Now do your planco bread rumbs. You can half fry til just golden. Now use sheet pan with chicken and veges with oil olive in oven until chicken is juice clear. Fast and nobabysitting a frying pan. Air frying. Also works..
That’s what I love to hear! So glad your family loved it, Dana. Thanks you for trying it out.
Family loved it and I’m adding it into the rotation!
One chicken breast would be the serving size. Thanks!
Hi There! How much chicken would you consider one serving? I see you have 302kcal listed as the calorie count, but certainly this isn’t for both chicken breasts? Thanks in advance :)
Hope you love it Mandy!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I looks perfect and the recipe is so easy to follow!
Hooray!
So crispy and good! A real family favorite!
Yes you can :)
Can I use aluminum foil to line the pan if I don’t have parchment paper?
YES! I love this recipe bc it’s so crispy!!
Love how crispy these are and can’t believe they’re baked. So healthy!
Yay Sommer, love to hear that!!
I’m so happy you loved it!! xo
Love that you can get such a crispy skin in the oven – so tender and juicy too!
So crunchy and delicious!! This is my new favorite chicken recipe.
This chicken is so good!
So much yummy and very tasty dish. I want to try it. I want to try it. Thanx for sharing this post.
It’s hard to pass up on these! Baked is so fabulous.
What is your favorite All Purpose Seasoning brand, as there are many choices/varieties to pick from
Oh, these would not last long around here. Not at all! Looking forward to trying this recipe real soon.
So glad you liked it!
The chicken was good but did not turn out like the picture. When I turned it over after 20 minutes all the coating stuck to the pan and there was none left on the chicken.
Tried this recipe step for step. Problem? When I flipped the chicken, all the coating stuck to the pan. Knew this would be a problem with the butter. Next time, I’ll try oil.
The skin comes out firm from the stove yet its not as thick as the fresh skin on genuinely browned chicken. Despite everything you need to do the flour covering and every one of the flavors to make a delightful firm skin on your Oven Fried Chicken. The well ordered guidelines on the video truly indicate exactly how straightforward and secure this formula is. You all better try it out and let me know how you like it The outside is firm and within is succulent.
This recipe is delicious! I love fried chicken!
Wow! Your bowl of chicken really makes me craving for some now!! It looks really crunchy and delicious! I definitely should try this at this weekend!
– Natalie Ellis
Thanks for sharing. I hope it will be helpful for too many people that are searching for this topic
Hello. I must tell that this food is really awesome. I love it and my family give much good compliment about the recipe. Thank you.
Thanks Sabrina!
great chicken, thank you, and love that you were able to put this together without a huge list of ingredients and to make it so tasty without frying
Hey Shane, there’s a “jump to recipe” button at the top of each post that will take you straight to the recipe bypassing all ads. From there hit “print” for a print friendly version with zero ads. Thanks for stopping by!
Could you place a few more advertisements and pop ups? I only saw about a hundred before getting to the recipe. Thanks!
This looks amazing! totally adding it to my meal plan for next week.
Thanks! Hope you enjoy :)
This is genius. I love fried chicken, baked is so much healthier
Thank you!!
Hi! I linked to an example in the recipe card. Enjoy!
Hi Linda, an example of all seasoning spice is linked in the recipe card. Hope that helps!
Hi! It’s a spice blend. Here is an example: http://shopstyle.it/l/H9h1
Hi, this looks great. What is all purpose seasoning? Thanks!
This is so wonderful. That’s awesome you cook for your family, way to go! I wish I would have learned younger.
I actually made this with mashed potatoes for me and my dad, but I used 3 breasts instead and reduce the recipe. It turned out great and cooked all the way through! As a high schooler, I’ve tried to find healthy and tasty meals for us, and he and I both were impressed by this.
Hope you love it :)
The Picture looks really crispy by itself!
Simple ingredients for such an awesome dish.
thanks for sharing!
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. This has always worked for us although the breading doesn’t stick the same as traditional fried chicken. I’m so sorry that happened :( :(
Followed the oven baked chicken recipe and mine did not brown and the breading all fell off
instead of wasting so much milk , 3 cups? , marinate in a flat baking dish or pan with just enough milk to cover. dredge withe flour , dip back into milk , then coat with panko seasoned your way . place on a rack on a baking sheet (by the way lose the butter or margarine ) and let set while oven preheats . spray both sides of breasts with pam or similar product and bake til done . interior temp 165 deg f
are you talking about 2 whole breasts or 4 halves?
I have been using this method for about 50 years. Last time I just sprayed a little no stick on the chicken with salt and pepper and baked.
Could you use this recipe for boneless porkchops?
Not to be a stick in the mud…but how is this so healthy with a whole stick of butter…
It is a pepper mix at Kroger with salt, pepper, onion, garlic, sugar and chili pepper and dehydrated parsley
An all purpose seasoning is something like Lawry’s or for a spicier version, Tony Chaserre’s. There are other season salts on the market, I just don’t know the names.
Maybe turn up temperature a bit and could they be put on a rack?
I use a small plastic spatula to turn chicken it helps
Maybe the seasoning called for is like Mrs Dash?
It’s a blend of onion, pepper, garlic, parsley, celery salt, tomato powder, basil, thyme, oregano, sage, and coriander. Instead of using that, I used a blend of cayenne pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Real fried chicken doesn’t call for all purpose seasoning.
really wish she would answer this question don’t know why she won’t and if it is seasoning salt why would you say seasoning spice
If you use cornstarch it will hold the breaking on love your recipes
Is the “seasoning spice” a type of salt? Maybe a mix of different spices? Can’t find it at the store.
That is such a great tip. Thank you Melanie!!!
You will not have a problem with breaking coming off if you place the breaded chicken on a piece of wax paper to set for about 30 minutes before you bake them. Hope this helps!
I made it today. A huge success! Thank you!
I love love love this recipe. I did something a little different though and made chicken strips with the chicken I have a large family and chicken strips last longer. Secondly if I were you I would put the coating on in the morning place it into the fridge and let it dry on and then back it. The coating didn’t stick at least to the chicken when I made it this way. But this is a very good recipe.
I love to hear that! You officially just made my day. Thank you Brett! SO glad you and your family loved the recipe!
Hi Becky, I just wanted to give you credit for the simplicity and amazingness of this dish. I made it two days ago and it is fantastic. My family LOVED it. I’ll probably make it again in a week. Thanks again and good job.
Brett
This totally made my day!! Thank you so much for letting me know, so glad you loved it!
My youth kids at church fed our men’s group tonight and we made this. It turned out great and was very well received. There were very few pieces left. I even had one of my kids who doesn’t like chicken eat two pieces and asked for the recipe! We had to increase everything since we were feeding about 20-25 people. Thanks for the recipe. It’s definitely going into the rotation.
Yes it should work on chicken cutlets as well. Hope you loved the recipe!
would making this with chicken breast cutlets work? This recipe sounds awesome and I’m in the middle of making it right now! Hoping the breeding doesn’t fall off!
I looked for all purpose seasoning. Couldn’t find it. I improvised. But, what is all purpose seasoning? What brand do you recommend? Where do I get it?
That is awesome! I’m so glad to hear that. Thanks for letting me know!
Made this tonight and it was a hit! So simple and healthy and will definitely be making it again.
You wouldn’t need much more, this recipe would almost cover it. Maybe a couple tablespoons of extra flour and you would be in business :)
if I add another piece of chicken to make six pieces how much more flour should i use
Yes it does work the same. This recipe has been around for years. Don’t get me wrong I love it. But I think I first found this in one of those betty crocker cook books
Does the butter do anything besides give it taste? I’m wondering if maybe that’s why the coating is falling off?
I had the same problem but almost all of the coating came off. Also, did you dredge the chicken in flour right from the milk marinade and then lay them in the melted butter. I was unclear on this.
thanks
This looks delicious. Can I use chicken thighs and if so for how long in the oven?
Thanks Heidi! I think that it would, but I have actually never cooked catfish or swai!! I need to try!
This chicken sounds delicious and healthy. Would this recipe also work for Swai or catfish?
That’s a great question Laura. When I flipped them I was just super careful with the breading and flipped really slowly. It didn’t come off, but I can see how it easily would. Maybe making sure to tap off the extra milk really well and pressing the breading firmly into the chicken breasts when you coat them. I’m glad you liked them, sorry the breading fell off! So glad you stopped by :)
Breading was good, would have been great if it didn’t all come off the bottom when I flipped them halfway through. I followed the recipe exactly. What can I do to prevent losing the breading? Thx!
Yes that should work great!! Hope you love the recipe. Thanks so much for stopping by :)
Can this be made in a 13×9 glass baking dish? Will you get the same results as the foil pan?
I agree! I would eat cheese all day every day if i could :), but its nice to find healthy recipes that don’t necessarily taste “healthy”! Thanks for stopping by :)
I hope they love it Jennifer! Thanks so much for stopping by!
This looks delicious! My whole family would enjoy this. Thank you for sharing!
I hate that we have to eat healthy, but if we do, this chicken sure looks good!
Yum. I t sounds great and looks even better
Looks really yummy and relatively simple to make. Thanks for sharing!
These look really great. Wonderful photos.
This actually sounds better than fried chicken to me. YUMMY
Mmmm, the goodness of frying without frying. I like that!
Yum! I’ve been searching for a way to do this the healthy way with chicken for ages now since I gave up eating fried foods. Thank you :) I’m pinning this now!
Great photos and a great idea for making chicken; a favorite in our household! Nicely done.
This looks delicious! I love baking fried chicken!
How delicious! I love fried chicken but it is so unhealthy, this is a great option!
I do not like fried chicken cutlets.. i prefer it baked and i prefer everything baked.
That looks a lot healthier than the “fried” chicken I’m used to! It looks amazing!
Love chicken recipes as it is a great meat to find on sale. I love this recipe as the finished product looks elegant.
What a great dish! We have the same baking dish as you :) Thanks for sharing your recipe
Yum! I love baked fried chicken it’s such good comfort food.
That sounds absolutely delicious. My family loves chicken for dinner!