Name: Oven-fried Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (ut in half lengthwise, to create 12 pieces of chicken in total); 2 eggs; 2/3 cup whole milk; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3 cups panko breadcrumbs; 1/2-1 tbsp sea salt; 2 tsp paprika; 2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (you can also use white pepper); 8 tbsp oil

This quick and easy oven-fried chicken recipe is crispy, juicy, and always perfect! With just a handful of simple ingredients, it can be on the table in under 40 minutes and is sure to be a hit with the whole family! It’s perfect for sandwiches, salads, pasta, or on its own, and it’s a great healthy alternative to regular fried chicken!

a green dish of fried chicken on a wooden cutting board

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I love a good piece of fried chicken just as much as the next person, hot, cold, on its own, or in a sandwich, there are a few things better than a good, crispy, juicy piece of fried chicken. Growing up in the Midwest though, fried chicken wasn’t a dish that was often on the menu.

And while I would always choose crispy chicken for my sandwiches, and wraps, it wasn’t something we had in the house very often. Needless to say, it wasn’t something we had ever tried making at home.

And there are many reasons why deep-fried chicken never made it onto my list of dishes to learn how to make. I didn’t have the slightest idea how to make fried chicken. My Mum hated cooking things with oil, at least oil that was cheap enough for deep frying. And I was forbidden to deep fry anything in the house, for fear it would ruin the paint job in the kitchen, just to name a few.

Making deep-fried chicken would cross my mind now and then, but it just wasn’t something I ever got around to. As a matter of fact, I never made fried chicken of any kind, not even once I finally got an air fryer.

So how exactly did this recipe come about? And how on earth did deep-fried chicken turn into oven-fried chicken? Well, like most of the recipes you’ll find here, this recipe started out as an idea. Not an idea for fried chicken, but an idea for a fried chicken sandwich.

a piece of cut fried chicken with a fork in it, the chicken is turned so you can see the meat under the breading

I knew I was going to need fried chicken for the recipe, and since I didn’t want to buy it, and I still wasn’t allowed to deep fry in the house, I decided to start looking for alternative ways to make fried chicken at home.

After a bit of research and some recipe testing, I’m happy to say I finally created this delicious recipe! Yes, this is the same oven-fried chicken I shared in my chicken Reuben recipe, but I couldn’t resist giving it a spotlight of its own!

This easy recipe creates perfect crispy, juicy, and flavorful oven-fried chicken, that not only tastes almost as good as the deep-fried stuff but is sure to be a hit with the whole family!

a cut piece of fried chicken propped up on another piece of chicken

Oven-fried Chicken Recipe

Equipment

a rimmed baking sheet, or shallow casserole dish
aluminum foil
meat thermometer

Ingredients

boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise, to create 12 pieces of chicken in total.
eggs
whole milk
all-purpose flour
panko bread crumbs
sea salt
paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
freshly ground black pepper, you can also use white pepper
oil. I like to use avocado oil as it is not only healthier but also flavorless and has a high smoke point. But you can feel free to use any kind of oil for this recipe, olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, and grape seed oil all work well!

a cut piece of fried chicken with a fork in it, the fork is turned so you can see he chicken under the breading

How To Make Oven-fried Chicken

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line your rimmed baking sheet or shallow casserole dish with aluminum foil. Drizzle your pan with around 4 tbsp oil, and set aside.

In a shallow baking dish or small bowl whisk together the egg and whole milk, and set aside.

In another shallow dish/bowl combine the flour, bread crumbs, and seasoning.

Take one of the chicken breast fillets, and dip it in the egg mixture, making sure it is completely coated. Allow any excess egg to drip off.

Then place the piece of chicken in the breading mixture, and gently press the mixture into the chicken breast to help it stick, until the piece is completely coated in the breading.

Gently tap off any excess breading, and place the now-breaded chicken breast into your prepared baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken, and place the breaded pieces onto your prepared baking dish/tray, being sure to keep the chicken in a single layer!

Drizzle roughly 4 tbsp of oil over the top of the breaded chicken, and place the dish in the hot oven.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the outside of the chicken is golden brown and crispy, and it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Once the chicken is cooked through, flip each piece over and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes. This helps to create a more evenly crisp end result. But you can easily skip this step to save time!

Remove the chicken from the oven and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

a green dish of fried chicken on a wooden board

Recipe Notes

Any leftover oven-fried chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days! To easily reheat any leftover chicken simply place it on a baking dish, drizzle it with oil, and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Just be sure to keep in mind that leftover chicken won’t be as crispy!

If you don’t have foil, you can use parchment paper to line your baking sheet/casserole dish. But I find that foil helps to create the crispiest chicken!

This easy recipe can also be made with chicken pieces, chicken tenders, boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, and even chicken wings! Just keep in mind you will have to adjust your cooking time, less time for wings, and more time for larger pieces of chicken. Always make sure your chicken is completely cooked through before eating.

I like to keep the seasoning pretty simple for this recipe, as it makes it super easy to pair this chicken with anything! But you can feel free to play around with the seasoning to better suit your taste. Add some chill powder for extra flavor, or cayenne pepper for an added kick. Or add your favorite seasoning blend, lemon pepper, copycat KFC seasoning, and Cajun seasoning are all delicious! You can even add a splash of hot sauce to your egg mixture for added flavor!

If you like you can sub corn flakes in place of the panko breadcrumbs.

To make the best crispy oven fried chicken, it is super important to keep your chicken in a single layer while baking. If needed you can divide your chicken between two baking trays!