This easy baked chicken breast recipe is seasoned and breaded, then baked until crispy. It’s so easy to make this simple baked chicken recipe in the oven, and it comes out better than fried (and it’s healthier too). Serve it for dinner tonight, or any night of the week!
What’s in this Easy Baked Fried Chicken Breast recipe?
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this easy, crispy, flavorful oven fried chicken.
- Chicken: Use skinless, boneless chicken breast for this oven baked recipe.
- Buttermilk: Soak chicken in buttermilk before breading and baking. The acidity tenderizes the meat and creates the crispy texture we want. This is the secret ingredient to crispy fried chicken!
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour to coat and bread the chicken.
- Seasoning: We use a mix of paprika (adds that delicious hint of heat), all-purpose seasoning, and salt and pepper.
- Butter: Butter is melted and spread on the bottom of the baking pan to help crisp up the breading.
Tips!
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own! Measure 3 cups of milk, then remove 3 tablespoons and mix in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar (this adds acidity). Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
Can I make oven fried chicken with thighs or drumsticks instead?
Absolutely! If you want to make oven fried chicken with thighs, drumsticks, or wings, you can use those pieces too. Just coat them and bake as directed. If you use bone-in pieces, you will need to increase the baking time. Be sure the internal temp reaches 165°F.
If you are using a variety of pieces, check the breasts and take them out as soon as they’re ready. They’ll dry out the fastest, whereas thighs will need a bit longer to cook.
After marinating the chicken in buttermilk, coat all sides in the seasoned flour mixture. The buttermilk should help the flour stick.
Marinating the chicken breast in buttermilk 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 quick and easy recipe! The milk also helps the flour mixture to stick.
Bake chicken breast in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 400°F to make it crispy. Flip it over halfway through cooking time.
Yes! Even when baking instead of frying, you still want to do the flour breading and all the spices to create a delicious crispy skin on your chicken.
This seasoning blend typically contains salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and other things like parsley and paprika. It’s a delicious savory spice blend that works great for chicken!
1. Remove excess moisture from the buttermilk marinade by patting the chicken dry. 2. Leave room between pieces of chicken on the baking pan. 3. Spread melted butter on the bottom of the pan. 4. Flip the chicken over halfway through cooking time.
Chicken breast should always reach an internal temperature of 165°F before consuming.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container or resealable bag, and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
I recommend wrapping each piece in foil, or layering pieces with paper towels to soak up any moisture that might collect in the fridge. This will help to keep the breading nice and crispy.
To reheat, place pieces in the oven at 350F until fully cooked through.
How to Freeze Baked Chicken Breast
To freeze, wrap pieces of chicken in foil, then place in a freezer-safe, resealable bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
What to Serve with Crispy Chicken Breast
This easy chicken breast recipe goes with any and all of your favorite side dishes. If you want a classic fried chicken kind of dinner, make these potato wedges or some creamy mashed potatoes. This corn casserole and creamed green beans make great sides too.
And don’t forget these homemade buttermilk biscuits, served with honey butter. It’ll be the whole family’s favorite meal!
Looking for more crispy chicken recipes? You’ll love this Air Fryer Fried Chicken, and this copycat KFC recipe!
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Oven-Baked Fried Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 cups buttermilk (see note)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground paprika
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning click link for example
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (½ stick)
- ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts in half, lengthwise, to create 4 even portions.2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Place chicken in a large bowl and marinate in the buttermilk for about 20 minutes.3 cups buttermilk
- Mix together the flour, paprika, all-purpose spice, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground paprika, 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Place parchment paper on a 9×13-inch baking sheet. Melt butter and pour onto the parchment, coating the bottom of the pan/parchment.4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 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!¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by measuring 3 cups of milk, removing 3 tablespoons, and mixing in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
Nutrition Information
More Chicken Breast Recipes We Love
- Juicy Pan Seared Chicken Breast
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Breast
- Seasoned Chicken Breast
- Tuscan Chicken in Parmesan Sauce
- Creamy Butter Baked Chicken
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Poached Chicken Breasts
- Marinated Chicken Breast
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Honey Balsamic Chicken Breast
- Baked Italian Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Agreed. I followed the directions to the letter. They were not crispy. I added more seasoning so it tasted fine but was missing the crunch.
I’m sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you, Kristi!
Absolutely unlike what it said. It was floury and no flavour! Never, ever again! So disappointed
And unfortunately it was for visitors for dinner.
Yuk
I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out as expected, Judy!
This is no way came close to picture,didnt turn out or look crispy was just as if i had put in oven as is with few spices , very dissappointing
I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out as expected, Tami!
This recipe did not turn out like your picture. It never got crispy. Breading was falling off when I turned it.
I’m so sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t turn out as expected!
could you please clarify if 400f is fan or gas oven?
Hi, this recipe works the same in both gas an electric ovens. The temperature is for a standard oven, not a convection oven!
I don’t write understand why it takes so much buttermilk for such a small amount of chicken. Please advise
Hi Donna, you need enough buttermilk to fully cover the chicken!
My family loved this recipe. The chicken wasn’t dried out and I didn’t have to stand over a hot stove. Will be making this one again. I tried to upload a picture but couldn’t sorry
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Tina!
Sorry I didn’t get a picture taken, but it didn’t look TOO much different from yours. I used old bay for my all purpose seasoning, and I think it was too salty for the added salt. I won’t add salt next time. But, we liked this recipe very much, I’m always trying to find a good chicken recipe because my husband is crazy about chicken.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Becky! Thanks for sharing the Old Bay tip!
Becky, your recipe for buttermilk is too fussy. Just measure 3 TBL. vinegar or lemon juice into a large measuring cup and add milk to make 3 cups.
That way works as well!
Chicken did not crisp up at all. Coating was soggy and came off when flipping. Coating has too much paprika and very bland. Texture was a bit boiled.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, Lora!
What could she have done – or do next time – to take care of those problems?
It sounds like the buttermilk needed to be patted off of the chicken after marinating. This would help the breading stick better and the chicken would not steam as much during cooking!