Homemade fried chicken that is baked in the oven instead of fried on the stovetop. It’s easy to make and comes out of the oven with golden and crispy skin. It’s an easier and healthier way to enjoy fried chicken without all of the oil.
I love fried chicken but making it at home is such a pan with all of the oil and frying, so I was excited to try oven fried chicken because it looks just like traditional fried chicken but without all the oil.
A few weeks ago, I came across a recipe for oven-baked Southern fried chicken that just made my mouth water. I’ve made crispy baked wings before, but I’ve never made them in such a way that they look just like deep-fried chicken. So, of course, I had to try out this baked fried chicken recipe.
I made some tweaks to the original dish and I was really happy with the way it turned out. My baked fried chicken wasn’t quite as pretty as the original but it tasted great and I loved how crunchy the chicken skin was. I opted to use chicken drumsticks instead of party wings like in the original recipe.
Ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks
- Egg
- Vegetable oil
- All-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Dried oregano
- Dry mustard powder
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
How to Make It
You’ll want to set up your breading bowls – you’ll need two:
- One bowl with beaten egg
- Another bowl with the flour mixture, which is just flour, salt and pepper, onion and garlic powder, dried oregano, mustard powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
The chicken is double-breaded so dip it first in the egg and then in the flour mixture. Dip it again in the egg and again in the flour.
Brush a sheet pan with olive oil and place all of the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. The oil will crisp up the skin as the chicken bakes.
The chicken needs to bake for about an hour total, but you will need to check it and turn the chicken periodically while it bakes. This will help it cook evenly and will ensure the skin is golden and crispy on all sides.
What I like about this recipe is that you can use whatever chicken pieces of chicken you like – drumsticks, chicken thighs, wings, chicken breasts or a combination. Depending on how big your pieces are you may need to add more or less cooking time.
Recipe Notes
The best way to know when the baked fried chicken is done is to use a meat thermometer. Stick it in the thickest part and once it’s 165°F, it’s done.
The original recipe has a honey-orange drizzle that is added once the chicken is cooked. I skipped this part because I don’t really like honey on my chicken. I decided to reduce the amount of salt in the breading since it wouldn’t be balanced out by the sweet drizzle.
I really like how this baked fried chicken turned out and Mr. K. really loved it. He couldn’t believe that it wasn’t fried.
I will definitely make this chicken again. The flavor of the crispy breading is so good. Next time, I want to make some easy biscuits and potato salad to go with it.
More Baked Dinner Recipes
- Crispy Baked Tofu
- Crispy Baked Bang Bang Shrimp
- Honey Garlic Baked Cauliflower
- Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders
Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of drumsticks
- 2 eggs whisked (for coating)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil for pan
for the coating
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine all coating ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush oil across surface.
- Dip chicken drumsticks, first in egg and then coat in flour mixture. Dip again in egg and again in flour. Place onto baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Flip chicken over to other side and bake another 25 minutes. At this point the chicken should be cooked through and the batter should be starting to turn a golden brown. Bake at 10 minute intervals, checking on chicken skin and flipping over again if needed. Cook until chicken is a dark golden brown, about an additional 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your drumsticks.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
O. M. G. For oh my goodness! This is one terrific recipe! We made it Twice this week. Because we’re ‘chicken’, we thought the amount of cayenne had to be a mistake and only used a very small amount, but it was a mistake actually. We made again, doubling the recipe for leftovers and using almost all the cayenne: much better; cold leftovers were Great. Love the small amount of Oil!!
Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
this was really yummmmm. Kid’s wanted more but we ran out of chicken 🙂
so glad you liked!
My chicken cooked 55 minutes and made a nice crust. I made about 18 legs with the mix. Needed an extra egg but used exact dry mix. Family all loved the spice. Served with mashed potatoes, salad, and corn on the cob. Fabulous dinner.
yay! thanks for letting me know!
Had this last night, excellent recipe. I added some fine seasoned bread crumbs to the dry mix. Everyone loved it. Will be making this often. Thanks!
how funny, i was just thinking about wanting to make this again. glad u liked it!
I can’t wait to try this. They look really good. Maybe I’ll try putting them on top of a baking rack set on my cooking sheet so I don’t have to flip the drumsticks. I’ll spray both sides with oil so they will crisp.
sounds like a good idea!
Wow, they really do look fried. I love how crispy the skin looks! I actually recently came across a recipe for baked tonkatsu that looks just like it was deep-fried, too. I love these types of recipes because I (still) have an aversion to deep-frying.
I wasn’t sure it would work, especially about 20 minutes in and the skin didn’t look great, but when it was finished it was fine!
oooh. I have chicken in the fridge. This will work out perfectly. Thanks for the great idea!
enjoy!
Yum, I’m going to have to try this tonight 😀
hope you like it! I was surprised at how much they tasted like fried chicken.