Crispy and flavorful chicken from the oven is so versatile: make it for a weeknight meal or special dinner with friends.
This fried chicken doesn’t come from a pan of hot oil—it’s made in your oven! A delicious dish to add to your dinner repertoire, oven-fried chicken breasts are a cinch to make once you know the tricks to adding lots of flavor and getting that crispy, browned coating on the outside. Using the oven instead of deep-frying means a lot less mess in the kitchen, too.
No matter what the cut, cook chicken the right way with our in-depth guide on how to cook chicken.
Key Ingredients for Oven-Fried Chicken Breasts
Chicken
Our favorite cut for oven-fried chicken is boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin cutlets. They bake through in no time with a generous ratio of crispy coating to meat. The breading technique can also be used for other cuts like thighs or bone-in breasts—just adjust the baking time accordingly as these cuts will take longer to cook through.
Avoid raw chicken cross-contamination during prep.
Flour
Flour is a crucial ingredient for breaded, oven-fried chicken. As the first ingredient to coat the raw chicken, flour absorbs excess moisture on the exterior of the meat while creating the best surface for the liquid breading step that comes next. All-purpose flour blended with cornstarch is our choice here, but other flours like rice, chickpea, quinoa and semolina can be substituted.
Buttermilk
Thick and tangy buttermilk is a favorite for marinating bone-in chicken pieces, but in this recipe it’s a flavorful part of the breading. A blend of buttermilk and egg coats and clings to the chicken after flouring; when the bread crumbs are added, that buttermilk mixture holds them in place.
Bread Crumbs
For the best texture on oven-fried chicken, go with panko bread crumbs which are more widely available in grocery stores now than they were a decade ago. They’re lighter than traditional varieties, with large, flaky crumbs that stay crunchy after baking.
Oven-Fried Chicken Breasts Recipe
The recipe makes 4-6 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the chicken
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Melt the butter together with the oil (in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.) Use a brush to spread the butter-oil over the foil or parchment paper.
Slice each chicken breast into two thinner cutlets: place your hand on top of the flat piece of chicken on a cutting board, and position the knife blade parallel to your hand. Slice carefully through the chicken breast to create two halves of equal thickness (or as close as you can!). Thinner cutlets that have a relatively uniform thickness will cook through more evenly and at the same rate. If there are any areas of the chicken that seem too thick, use a rolling pin or other heavy object to pound the meat and make it thinner.
Step 2: Season the chicken
Stir together the salt, curry powder, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and smoked paprika in a small dish. Sprinkle some of the spice mixture over each chicken breast cutlet, and then rub the spices into the meat with your fingers. Flip the cutlets over and repeat on the other side with the rest of the seasoning.
Step 3: Coat the chicken
Get the three coatings ready: Pour the flour and cornstarch onto a large plate and stir them together with a fork. Hold this aside. Combine the buttermilk and egg in a large, shallow bowl, whisking them well until the mixture is smooth. Hold it aside. Finally, pour the panko bread crumbs onto another large plate. Have these three dishes ready in a work area next to the seasoned chicken breasts and the prepared baking sheet.
First dredge a chicken cutlet with the flour-cornstarch mixture on both sides, tapping off the excess. Next, dip the chicken into the buttermilk-egg mixture to coat both sides. Finally, press the chicken into the panko bread crumbs until the whole surface is coated; press them firmly to make sure they stick. Place the breaded cutlet on the baking sheet. Repeat these steps with the rest of the cutlets.
Arrange the chicken on the baking sheet with space between each piece: this is important because crowding the chicken will create steam and prevent the breading from crisping up. You can always use two baking sheets if necessary.
