My granny always fried her chicken in bacon grease. Yes, you read that right. For the first 10 years of my life, that seemed normal to me. And it totally was. For that time. She grew up learning to make do with what she had. Nothing got wasted. I just know she’d be trying to claw her way out of her grave to come rescue my bacon grease if she could see me throwing it away.
Every time she cooked bacon, she’d save the grease in a little tin pot on her stove. It had a filter thing built into it. She’d pour the hot bacon grease in there, and the gunk would stay in the filter so her grease stayed “clean.” That pot got really nasty, but we all survived.
We were never able to get her to stop cooking fried chicken without bacon grease. Old habits die hard, she said. But she did agree to start putting it in a Mason jar and keeping it in the fridge. Once in a blue moon we cook it her way, but usually our arteries thank us for keeping it a little healthier.
This oven fried chicken gets so crispy on the outside you’d swear it came out a deep fryer. The inside stays tender and juicy. And that’s the whole point.
I found a version of this recipe way back in the day when the internet was mostly Usenet newsgroups. I played with it over the years to get this oven fried chicken and it’s one of the best dinner ideas ever.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This crispy chicken bakes up crunchy on the outside and stays juicy inside. It tastes like takeout but it’s a healthy fried chicken option cooked right in your oven.
- Super easy cleanup: One baking sheet and a Ziploc bag. That’s about it.
- Tastes like the real thing: The panko and spice combo gives you that crunch you’d get from deep frying without all the grease.
- Kid-approved: My daughter and her friends can go through a whole batchof these babies in 10 minutes.
- Leftovers for work lunches: Make a big batch on Sunday, you’ve got lunches ready to go.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
The spice blend I use makes it taste similar to what you get at drive through windows. But way healthier. I’m in total control of the ingredients. I like being able to cook healthy fried chicken.
- Chicken tenders or breast strips: Tenders are the easiest since they’re already the right size. If you’re using breasts, just cut them into strips about the same thickness so they cook even.
- Panko breadcrumbs: These give the breaded chicken that extra crunch. You can swap in regular breadcrumbs if that’s what you have. Crushed Doritos or Ritz crackers work too. Cornflakes are another good option.
- Butter: Melted butter gets brushed on top before baking. You could use olive oil spray if you want to cut some calories and keep this more of a healthy fried chicken.
- Paprika: Adds a little warmth and color. Smoked paprika will give it a deeper flavor if you have some.
- All-purpose flour: Helps the coating stick. Gluten-free flour works fine here too.
Tips for Success
A few things that’ll make your oven fried chicken turn out even better.
- Soak your chicken in buttermilk or regular milk for about 30 minutes before you start. The coating sticks way better and it adds a little tang too.
- If you’re working with thawed chicken, you can skip the soak. Thawed chicken tends to be sticky enough on its own for the breading to grab onto.
- Want a thicker crust? Run the chicken through the coating process twice.
- Don’t crowd the baking sheet. Air needs to get around each piece so you get crispy chicken all the way around.
Storage and Reheating
Keep leftover chicken in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat it again, pop it in the oven at 375°F for about 8 to 10 minutes. The oven is better than the microwave here because it brings back that crunch. Microwaving will make the breading go soft.
You can freeze these too. Lay the cooked pieces on a baking sheet in the freezer until they’re solid, then move them to a freezer bag. They’ll be good for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the oven at 400°F for about 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This crispy chicken goes with just about anything. Mashed potatoes and gravy is the classic move. Fries or sweet potato fries are great too.
Coleslaw or potato salad for that after church potluck picnic vibe. Or any other type of cold salad. Baked beans are good with breaded chicken. For bread, we like cornbread. A cup of soup for lighter dinner ideas. My sister swears by a simple green salad with ranch to balance things out.
Notes
This recipe started as my workaround for Granny’s bacon grease breaded chicken. I wanted that same old-fashioned flavor withoutgunking up my kids’ arteries before they were out of grade school. It took me a bit to get it perfect, but now crispy chicken is our jam anytime we want it.
Crispy Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Chicken bone-in thighs and drumsticks skin-on
- 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt or buttermilk
- 2 Large eggs
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. Onion powder
- 1 tbsp. Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper optional, for heat
- 1 ½ tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup Unsalted butter melted (for drizzling)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and fit a large, wire cooling rack securely inside a rimmed baking sheet, coating the rack generously with non-stick cooking spray. Pat the chicken pieces bone-in thighs and drumsticks completely dry on all sides using paper towels, which removes surface moisture so the coating can stick seamlessly.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, vigorously whisk together the plain Greek yogurt and large eggs until completely smooth and unified. In a separate large bowl or a paper bag, combine the all-purpose flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and black pepper, stirring firmly to distribute the spices evenly.
- Submerge a dried piece of chicken entirely into the yogurt mixture, lifting it to let any heavy excess drip back into the bowl before dropping it straight into the seasoned flour mixture. Toss and press the flour firmly onto all sides of the chicken until it is entirely insulated in a thick, dry white coating, then shake off any loose powder.
- Arrange the dredged chicken pieces skin-side up on the prepared wire rack, leaving at least a half-inch of space between each piece so the hot air can circulate uniformly. Stream the melted unsalted butter evenly across the floured tops of the chicken, which hydrates the flour starches and coaxes the crust into a deep golden color.
- Bake uncovered at 400°F for 40 to 45 minutes without flipping. Watch for the exterior coating to turn a deep, shaggy golden brown and crisp up, checking that a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part near the bone reads 165°F for the white meat or 175°F for the darker cuts. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest flat on the wire rack for 5 minutes to lock in the internal juices before serving.
