This oven Baked Fried Chicken packs all the famous allure of the classic dish, with a healthy, easy, less-mess twist!
Why This is the Best Oven Fried Chicken
There are certain dishes that can attract everyone to the table with just a whiff of their signature smell, and few dishes do this as effectively as fried chicken.
Rather than fuss with deep frying (which is messy and heavier than what I’m looking for in my typical weeknight dinners), I love making this stellar oven “fried” version (similar to my Spicy Chicken Sandwich).
Here’s why you’ll love it too:
- Crispy Outside, Juicy Inside. What makes this oven-fried chicken recipe addictive is the juiciness of the meat and the crispiness of the exterior. This baked fried chicken offers both (as Air Fryer Fried Chicken Breast and Air Fryer Chicken Tenders do too!).
Tip!
If you don’t feel like turning on your oven, try Pan Fried Chicken Breast.
- Spicy Buttermilk Marinade. A spicy buttermilk marinade gives the chicken unbelievable moisture, tenderizes the meat, and adds a nice kick.
- Cornflake Coating. A coating of crushed corn flakes (surprise, no breadcrumbs!) makes the baked fried chicken exterior irresistibly crunchy. Cornflakes aren’t a cereal I think of much, but after one bite of this skinny baked fried chicken, I developed a new level of respect for this humble breakfast cereal. A crispy breading makes almost everything better (like for these Breaded Pork Chops).
- Perfect Leftover. Even when reheated the next day, the meat was still incredibly sweet and moist, a rarity among chicken breast recipes. (If you fancy breaded baked chicken with a cheesy present in every bite, try Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu.)
- Healthy. Baked fried chicken is comfort food at its finest, without all the butter, cholesterol, and trans fat, so you can feel good cleaning your plate and licking your fingers.
5 Star Review
“This was WONDERFUL! They are so full of flavor and moist! I will definitely be using this recipe again, thank you so much!”
— Dawn —
How to Make Baked Fried Chicken
This baked fried recipe uses a dry/wet/dry method for dredging the chicken with flour mixture, then the marinade (this recipe is made without eggs), then the cornflake mixture.
It’s how deep frying chicken is done in most restaurants too, because it gives the chicken the optimum crispy exterior.
Although this crispy baked fried chicken recipe requires advance planning (I found that letting the chicken marinate overnight really amped-up the “juicy” factor), it is absolutely worth it.
Forget making baked fried chicken with Bisquick; mixing up your own coating is a snap (and better tasting!).
As with the reader favorite Baked Chicken Parmesan, you’ll need to dirty a few bowls, but when compared to the mess of a deep fryer, this chicken is squeaky-clean!
The Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts. Baked fried chicken breast is the best! It’s perfectly tender, juicy, and packed with lean protein.
- Buttermilk + Hot Sauce. Buttermilk helps tenderize the chicken and coats the outside. A little hot sauce adds a tasty touch of heat.
- All-Purpose Flour. We start by dredging the chicken with flour. The “double dredge” is key to a crispy coating.
- Cornflake Mixture. A combination of cornflake crumbs, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and poultry seasoning make up the second part of the coating. This is what truly gives the baked fried chicken its addictive flavor and texture.
The Directions
- Marinade chicken in the buttermilk and hot sauce.
- Place marinated chicken on a clean plate. Reserve the marinade.
- Dredge with flour.
- Coat in reserved marinade, then dip in cornflakes.
- Cover both sides completely with cornflakes.
- Cook baked fried chicken at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes on a wire rack coated with cooking spray.
- Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until it is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes more.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Store leftover baked fried chicken in an airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat baked fried chicken on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F until hot.
- To Freeze. I don’t recommend freezing this dish, as the cornflake mixture will become soggy once thawed.
Leftover Ideas
Cut the leftover baked fried chicken into strips or cubes and serve them over a salad, such as this copycat Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad. It would be delicious in place of the chicken in this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad.
What to Serve with Baked Fried Chicken
Recommended Tools to Make Baked Fried Chicken
- Baking Sheet. Perfect for making this oven baked fried chicken.
- Mixing Bowls. Easy to clean and store.
- Pie Dish. A pie baking dish is ideal to use for dredging. This one is so beautiful you could use it for serving future Sweet Potato Pie and Broccoli Quiche too.
The Best Mixing Bowls
Nine bowls of all sizes that are dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe, and refrigerator-safe.
You can feel good licking your fingers with this healthy baked fried chicken!
Frequently Asked Questions
You should not cover the chicken for baked fried chicken. Covering the chicken will trap the steam, making the cornflake coating soggy rather than crispy.
Most of the marinade is shaken off before dredging the chicken, so the dairy content is minimal, but if you need to totally omit the buttermilk, you can try making a dairy-free “buttermilk” by mixing soy milk (or another dairy free milk) mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
There are many methods out there for how to make Baked Chicken Breast. For the baked fried chicken, the secret is to first bake the chicken at 400 degrees F, then reduce the temperature and continue baking at 350 degrees F. This will result in chicken that is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Although it will be missing some of the crunchy-crispiness the cornflakes offer, baked friend chicken could also be made with panko bread crumbs; see this Chicken Katsu for a panko version of oven fried chicken.
Baked Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups crushed corn flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large ziptop bag with the buttermilk and hot sauce. Close the bag, turn until the chicken pieces are fully coated, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a wire rack with nonstick spray and place it on a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Set up your dredging station: Place the flour on a wide, shallow plate. Set a medium bowl beside it (this will be for the buttermilk). In a separate, wide bowl (a pie dish works well), mix the cornflake crumbs, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, and poultry seasoning in a shallow bowl until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the bag and place them on a clean plate. Pour the marinade into the medium bowl.
- Dredge each breast with the flour until fully coated, shaking off any excess. Then coat the chicken in the marinade, shaking off any excess. Last, dip it in the cornflake mixture, patting it a bit if needed to help the cornflakes adhere.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared wire rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until the chicken is cooked through (it should register 155 degrees to 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer) and crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Let rest 5 minutes, then serve
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover chicken in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Reheat baked fried chicken on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F until hot.
- TO FREEZE: I don’t recommend freezing this dish, as the cornflake mixture will become soggy once thawed.
Nutrition
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I seriously am in love with baked ‘fried’ chicken! I’ve been making a different version for years but seriously cannot wait to try your version! And…I even have buttermilk I was deciding what to with for dinner tonight…bingo! Every time I don’t know what to make for dinner and ask my husband what he wants he says ‘unfried chicken’ lol. And, love the sound of that cookbook, definitely going to add it to my list :)
Erin? Did I miss something? How long do you bake it in the oven? Thanks!
Duh. Never mind. I found it. This looks great! Thanks again.
Hi Deb! Yes the chicken bakes for about 30 minutes, 15 at 400 degrees, then about 15 more at 350, though this may vary a bit depending upon the size of your chicken. Let me know if you need anything else!
My friend is a wiz at buttermilk fried chicken. I’m always so jealous of her ways. I tried doing fried chicken once, and it was a total disaster. But baked fried chicken I can get down with. Pinned!
Ugh SO delicious looking!! My mouth is literally watering right now, it looks that good! Pinned! :)
This looks FANTASTIC!!! Having this for dinner!
I am SO excited about this! It looks perfect. We finally have an excellent Nashville-style Hot Chicken restaurant here in Columbus and it *might* be a new obsession. I can’t wait to try to make a baked version.
Thanks so much Courtney! And hot chicken is definitely obsession worthy :-)
oh nashville! i’ve become obsessed with meat & threes since moving here. :) this looks delicious!
I’ve never been much of a fan of fried chicken either, but maybe I’m just too far north! I’ll have to try this version, it looks amazing, and no deep fryer! :) I love the use of corn flakes – that would be so crunchy!
Those look delicious! Great job Erin :)
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside and love the cornflake crumbs. . which I have always been meaning to but have never tried by the way!! love this baked fried chicken.. and I always love your intros!
Hi Erin, I’m so excited to try this! I’ve never made fried chicken in my life. My mother never fried anything. I will share this with our son (and yours and Ben’s friend), Richard – both the recipe and my first attempt at making it! Richard made real fried chicken a few times in his last year of law school. He said it was very labor intensive and extremely messy! He will be thrilled with this new “spin” on an age-old recipe! Many thanks, Erin!
Laurie, I have never made fried chicken in my life either, even though it tastes amazing when it is homemade. This recipe is so much less fuss, I am going to use it every time I have a craving. Hope you and Richard love it too!
Oven-fried chicken is one of my all time favorite meals, Erin! I made some the other night. Yours looks perfectly crunchy and delicious. It’s hard to stop at one piece!
My hubby loves a fried chicken establishment in the South known as Bojangles. I’m not a huge fan because of the grease it leaves all over you…I think this recipe could be a good alternative. The texture (and your photos) look fantastic!
You never cease to make me giggle! I am from Iowa, so my pronunciation of “bag” is made fun of on a regular basis out here in Seattle ;) So I really wish I was a southern belle, so my voice would be cute and I could eat more of this fried chicken!!
Aaa, buttermilk chickens are the best. And I love the baked version even more. Can’t wait to try your recipe, Erin!
Ok, Jim doesn’t care for cornflakes at all, Erin, but if you say this works, I’ll give it a whirl! ;-)
Ben isn’t either Diane, but they make the chicken soooo crunchy, he got over it :)
Thanks so much lady!!! Enjoy :-)
Oh my goodness, this baked/ fried chicken looks amazing. I love that it has that same great taste and crispiness of fried chicken – but with tons of the calories cut out!
Man oh man these chicken looks good! I am definitely going to make this!!!
Thanks Jessica!!!
Okay, my mouth is watering. I LOVE fried chicken, but you’ve totally sold me on this baked version (spicy buttermilk marinade?! Yes please!) I wonder if multigrain flake cereals would work as well… seeing as those are what I have in the cupboard, I might have to give it a try!
Oooooeeee that crunch!! Crispy chicken is one of those foods that just makes my little foodie heart go pitter patter. Love at first sight.
Re-heated leftover chicken that is still juicy?! I’m definitely on board with that! :) This looks and sounds great!
Hi there! What sort of quantities would I be looking at if I only wanted to make 4 chicken breasts? Or even just 2? Also can you use normal milk instead of buttermilk?
Hi Celia! To make a smaller batch, just reduce the quantities in the recipe proportionally. I think 4 breasts would be pretty easy to do-just cut everything down so that you make a third of the recipe total, since the recipe is written for 12 chicken breasts. With two, you’d be dealing with smaller fractions, but the same principle applies. Buttermilk for the recipe is really important, but fortunately you can make an easy substitution. One cup of milk stirred with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and left to sit for 5 minutes will have the same effect. I hope that helps!
Thanks so much. Buttermilk is expensive in New Zealand!
Hi, I was wondering what type of paprika is used? Smoky, Hungarian or Sweet? I managed to convince my health concience Mum into making this as a ‘last meal’ before I move to Uni so I cannot wait to try this!
Hi Ilona! I’m so excited and honored that you are trying this recipe with your mom. I just use plain old paprika (no special flavor), but I think it would be great with any of the ones you listed. Just pick the one you love the most.
Discovered I had no chicken, so I made this using tilapia fillets. I also had no corn flakes so I used panko and replaced the poultry seasoning with Old Bay. It was the best baked fish we’ve ever had. Thanks for a great, flexible recipe!
Diane, using this method for tilapia fillet sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out, and I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it!
Hello, want to try this recipe but what type of hot sauce ? Doubt we have what your using in Australia.
Hi Liz! Any hot, chili-based sauce will work well. I used Sriracha.
Woaw ! Seem very tasty, and how uncommon with the corn flakes ! I may try this recepie :) Thanks.
When you note needing more breading than the recipe calls for, do I need to make 1.5 times what is listed or have you already upped the quantities from the original published version you mentioned?
Hi Jen! I listed the recipe amount as originally published in the cookbook. I would suggest upping it from what you see printed here (I may have just been a little heavy-handed with the breading, but I figure it’s better to have too much than too little.)
I have a 4 year old that won’t eat stuff that has too much of a kick. Would the recipe work just as well without hot sauce and cayenne? Maybe do a third of the batch without and the rest with…baby coming in 3 months and finding foods everyone will eat that I can make ahead and freeze as well!
Hi Jennifer! You can absolutely leave it out—it will remove the kick, but the chicken will still be juicy and crunchy. Congrats on the new baby too :)
Erin,
Can you please share the nutritional values for this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Paula! I don’t actually calc the calorie content of any of my recipes (reasons why can be found on my FAQ page), but I do know that there are many free online calculators available. A quick Google search should give you good options!
Hello! First I’d like to say I got turned on to some of your recipes through My Fitness Pal and I absolutely adore them. I can’t wait to give them a try, especially the chili. I did notice that nutritional information wasn’t available and saw in one of your replies to another person that the reason behind that could be found in your FAQ page. So I gave that a look see, while that got solved, I got turned to a link you put that is supposed to lead to a mini Amazon Store of items you recommend and even use yourself. I thought it sounded lovely, but the link just opens your FAQ page in another tab. I can’t seem to figure out how to get to that amazing sounding store. Any tips?
Hi Samantha! First of all, I’m so glad that you found my blog! It’s great to have you here :) Second of all, I’m so sorry for the miss and glad thatyou told me. I’ve updated the link, but to save you some time, it’s right here. https://www.wellplated.com/favorite-baking-tools/ Thanks again!
Opps, not chili I meant chicken! X) I have food on the brain
Hi Erin,
this looks delicious and I absolutely want to try it! However, I want to adapt this to the Paleo diet. Do you have any suggestions for Paleo substitutes for buttermilk and cornflakes? Thank you!
Hi Brittany,
I’m sorry, but I’m not super familiar with the Paelo diet, as I don’t follow it myself. For the cornflakes, you’ll want something really crunchy that makes a great coating (but you also need the flour to make sure the coating sticks). Ground nuts might be an option. The buttermilk is harder, as that is what gives the chicken its juiciness. I’d suggest looking for a similar recipe that’s already Paelo-friendly for ideas and seeing if you can create your own fusion of the two.
Thank you for your reply Erin! I will see what I can come up with and let you know how it comes out.
Is it possible to make this without buttermilk? I saw one of your comments saying that it could be substituted with milk+lemon juice, but will that work with stuff like soy/almond milk? I’m dairy free, but want to give this recipe a go! =)
Hi Alexx! I’ve never tried using soymilk + lemon in place of buttermilk, but the lemon should give you the missing acid component that buttermilk has. I think that it is definitely worth trying. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I was wondering if there is a substitute for the buttermilk? Do you think goats milk might work? I’m allergic to cow’s milk.
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try!
Hi Erika! I’ve never tried this recipe with goat’s milk or soymilk, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work (although the flavor will be a bit different). I’d mix one of those two with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (to create a buttermilk substitute), let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then use it in the recipe as directed.
Here, you talk about a marinade….”Pour the marinade into a medium bowl. Dredge each breast with the flour until fully coated, shaking off any excess. Then coat the chicken in the marinade, followed by a dredging in the cornflake mixture.” But what marinade? There isnt anything talking about a marinade prior. Completely threw me off.
Hi MW—since “marinade” is a common term used for liquid mixtures that are used to marinade meat, here I was referring to the buttermilk marinade that the chicken rested in the ziplock back. I went ahead and added “buttermilk marinate” to the recipe directions. I hope that makes things more clear!
Another new favorite recipe from your site! My husband always loves when I try your creations. I definitely recommend extra cornflake mixture! I ran out and I was only doing half a recipe with 5 pieces of chicken.
I made this tonight–super delicious and easy! I couldn’t believe how moist the chicken was and how crispy the coating. I have a non stick chicken roasting rack which worked beautifully. Will definitely make again.
Ginny, I am so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking time to leave your review. It’s much appreciated!
Well, as a southern girl who has lived her whole life in Mississippi I have yet to successfully fry chicken! This recipe might possibly be my saving grace :) and shock my sweet hubby who eats whatever I cook…no matter how burnt it is! I cannot wait to cook this for our Saturday night supper club!
This is SOOOOO much easier than deep fried chicken Cindy. I hope that you, your hubs, and your supper club all love it!
This looks delicious! However, I have a ton of chicken pieces in my freezer I’d like to use so I’m gonna go ahead and use legs and thighs and cook accordingly. I have used Panko to make fried chicken and since I don’t have cornflakes in my house would you recommend I can substitute?
Hi Janice! I’ve never tried using anything besides cornflakes in this recipe, but I think Panko is definitely the best substitute. Hope you love it!
I love fried chicken and the best I ever had was at a Cracker Barrel on Sun. nights. We were coming home from a fair in MA and we stopped there to eat. We got 2 huge chicken breasts that were so crisp and juicy I thought I had died and gone to heaven! LOL I’ve made fried chicken at home and your right, it’s a real pain and a mess to make. Its never come out like in a good restaurant.
I’ve never made this before but I am dying to try it. Did you know you can buy corn flake crumbs in a box? Then you don’t have to buy a box and crush them up. Since I don’t like spicy and neither does my nephew and my mom gets a lot of heartburn, we will leave out the spicy, otherwise I will make this just the way you wrote it. With some amazing mashed potatoes, or french fries, I can’t decide which, and some green beans with butter and bread crumbs this will be an amazing meal! Now I’m making myself hungry! LOL
Gail, good fried chicken is truly something special! I’ve never seen cornflake crumbs for sale already crushed, but I promise it’s not hard to do. If you try this recipe, I hope you love it! You are making me hungry too :)
I have a box of already crushed corn flake crumbs. I have to check the date on it and if it’s not expired, I’m making this chicken this week! Will let you know how much I love it but I know I will.
Hi Erin! I know you said 12 chicken breasts, but do you have an approximate weight worth? I have massive chicken breasts (like 1lb each! They’re insane!) And I usually just cut them into quarters or halves etc for recipes. A rough estimate would be so helpful! Thank you!
Kaity, those are HUGE! An average chicken breast is around 10 or so ounces, so I’d cut them in half.
I know, they’re huge! But really convenient to divvy up for meals lol. I’ll probably try doing them into quarters!
Thank you so much!
Hi Kaity—just FYI: If you cut them into quarters for this recipe, you’ll need to reduce the cooking time, since it’s currently planned for 1 whole chicken breast (which would be about 1/2 the size of yours). Just wanted to make you aware!
This was WONDERFUL! They are so full of flavor and moist… sometimes chicken breasts can be dry but these were perfectly juicy! I have Celiac Disease so I had to make a few changes. Instead of flour I used corn starch and instead of corn flakes (NOT a gluten free cereal because of the coloring) I used crushed up ruffled potato chips (ruffled because they are thicker). I will definitely be using this recipe again, thank you so much!
I am soooo happy to hear this Dawn! Thank you for trying the recipe and for leaving this lovely review. Your tips to make the recipe gluten free are great too!
Isn’t it dangerous to reuse marinade that has had raw chicken sitting in it for hours? I have been told it is.
Carole, since the chicken bakes in the oven afterwards, I didn’t have an issue with it, but certainly just do what you are comfortable with!
Would you have the nutritional breakdown for this recipe? Watching carbs & salt for a diabetic
Hi Lisa, I began adding nutrition estimates in 2016, but unfortunately it’s fairly time consuming so I’m not able to go back to previous recipes to add it. If you’d like, you can calculate it yourself for free at MyFitnessPal.com (what I use) or another online calculator. I’m sorry I’m not able to provide it for this recipe, but I hope MyFitnessPal will be a helpful resource for you!
Can I use Wheaties instead of Corn Flakes?
Hi Cheryl! Personally, I think that would throw off the flavor, since Wheaties are sweeter than cornflakes and wheatier in taste and texture. But if that doesn’t bother you, you can experiment.
Can I follow this recipe for a whole cut up chicken?
Hi Christina! I’ve only tested this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, so it would be a complete experiment (and the cook times will vary). If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
I just ran across this and plan on making for dinner tonight!
I hope you love it Kerri!
Will be making this in the coming week – looks fantastic! My grocery store also has b/s chicken breasts the size of my head – really annoying. Most of the time, I just cut them into equal sized pieces (halves or thirds) and package them in meal portions. It takes less time to thaw out when frozen and easier to see what I’ve got. It appears that the cornflake crumbs are kept in a decent size and not totally crushed – probably makes the coating much crispier. Looking forward to making this. Have a nice and safe weekend.
I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it, Chris!
We love you Erin! This is delicious. Your cookbook is fabulous. We are also giving your Well Plated
cookbook to a few family members for Christmas. The time and effort you put into creating your recipes, rewards us with a healthy and tasty meal that makes us want to try the next one! And the tips for storing leftovers are a helpful added feature. Have a great Christmas Erin ! Pam and Scott
This comment MADE my day, Scott! Thank you for sharing this kind review and for your support of my book!
Thank you Erin! I had tried oven baked fried chicken before and it came out horrible, but this recipe came out so good and crispy even my picky family members liked it. Thank you again for the great recipe.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Nicole! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Was trying to stay away from fried foods so I decided to try this recipe. Looks delicious here but was highly disappointed afterwards. Followed the recipe to a T. Took it out of the oven and not only wasn’t it cooked all the way through but it looked nothing like the pic. Ended up putting it in the air fryer to finish it up and that’s how it ended up turning out good. I think the pic on here is fake. Won’t try this again with these steps.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as you hoped. Unfortunately, it’s so hard to say what might’ve gone wrong without being in the kitchen with you. The baking method has worked well for me (and other readers), so I truly wish it would’ve been a hit for you too!
This recipe turns out great every time I make it, no matter the protein. I’ve used both chicken and chops. A definite keeper!
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed the chicken! Thank you for this kind review!
The buttermilk made the chicken moist and tender and I will use the marinade again. Unfortunately, the cornflakes made the coating overly sweet and my family found it to be unpleasant. The finished chicken didn’t taste anything like traditional fried chicken.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Carol. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!