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
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
Mine was totally awesome, I did not dry it off completely, Breaded stayed on, I did spray with spray crisco half way!! totally awesome, Tender, it did taste like kfc a little really Good!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Dori!
It was excellent and my son loved it thank you. Crispy and juicy inside :)
Wow, that looks delicious, Sergio! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is BS , nothing like the picture and all stuck to paper. Made it exactly and read all comments of error. Waste of my chicken and spices.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out as expected, Victoria! Make sure you’re patting the chicken dry before dredging to help the coating adhere better!
Ive really enjoyed the chicken, it was flavorful and the butter added a crisper crust. I will make it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jen!
Thought I had found a nice and easy recipe for crispy chicken without having to fry it but the breading barely stuck and it didn’t get crispy at all. Very disappointed.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out as expected, Alexandra!
Was really looking forward to this but yeah doesn’t look anything like yours. Never got crispy. A lot of the coating just came off.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out as expected! Make sure you’re patting the chicken dry before dredging to help the coating adhere better!
I agree with the others, coating just fell off. It tasted great though.
I’m sorry you had trouble with the breading, Tereasa!
Why did the recipe change? When I click the best baked chicken recipe this comes up and now I can’t find the one I’ve always been using that we love.
I’m sorry you’re having trouble! I haven’t changed any of the links. I have a baked chicken thighs recipe (click here), or you can visit my sister site, Easy Chicken Recipes, for a baked chicken breast recipe (click here). I hope this helps!
Fried food isn’t necessarily bad, food fried bad is unhealthy. Food does not become saturated with oil unless it’s fried in too cold of oil or left in too long.
Do I turn the chicken?
Yes, flip the chicken about halfway through the baking time to make sure both sides get crispy.