This crispy oven fried chicken recipe is even better than classic fried chicken, and it's so much better for you too!
First Published March 2012; Updated August 2020
Why I love Oven Fried Chicken
My family loves fried chicken. They think there is nothing better than picking up a nice greasy bucket of chicken from a fast food joint. In fact, that has been the kids' birthday dinner choices for more times than I care to admit. I, on the other hand, am not so happy with the sluggishness and heartburn after eating a few pieces of fried chicken. Now don't get me wrong. I can put down a few pieces like the rest of them but I really could do without the after effects and extra calories.
Many years back, I found this spicy oven fried chicken recipe from Peanut Butter and Julie and thought, why not try this and bake chicken instead of frying? I became obsessed with oven fried chicken and decided to adapt this recipe to my family's liking. I can never get enough of this recipe's crispy spicy coating. It also seemed like a good idea to remove the skin to get rid of a few calories and the coating is so good that no one misses it.
This recipe is definitely a little more work than I can handle if I have a busy night. It takes some time to make but is well worth it. It can also be made in advance and reheated. My husband loves to eat it cold too. It is definitely worth the extra work. There will be no more fast food for birthdays at my house!
Best Recipe Tips for Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
Buying fresh chicken
- It’s important to look at the “best by” date, but also pay attention to the color.
- Your chicken should be a nice, healthy pink hue.
- If you’re storing chicken in the fridge, you should use it within 2 days, but you can store it in the freezer for up to six months..
How do I remove chicken skin?
- Removing the skin from your chicken pieces should be fairly easy; for the most part, it will pull away with just your fingers.
- If there are places where the skin isn't coming up, just take a knife and do a little bit of trimming.
How should I store my oven fried chicken?
- With proper storage, your leftover chicken can last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Ensure that the chicken has cooled completely, then store either in a shallow airtight container or wrap tightly in foil or plastic wrap, then pop it in the fridge!
- Follow the same methods for storage in the freezer. Your chicken will last up to 4 months stored this way.
How should I reheat my chicken?
- In order to ensure that the chicken stays crispy, it's best to allow the chicken to come to room temperature so all of the pieces start at roughly the same internal temperature. It takes about 30 minutes to achieve this.
- (From frozen: leave the chicken in the refrigerator overnight, and then follow the above step.)
- Place the chicken on a foil lined tray, then cover with another layer of foil. Bake the chicken at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. More time can be added if you want extra crispiness, but only add in 5 minute intervals or so.
Variations
- While the breading on this chicken is delicious, if you're looking for added flavor, you could try making a sauce to go with it. Something as simple as barbecue sauce or ketchup would be good, or you could get a little fancy and make something like a honey garlic sauce.
- This breading and baking procedure could also be used to make chicken tenders or even nuggets. Use chicken breasts and cut into pieces. The baking time gets cut in half!
- Of course, if the breading has a bit too much kick for your taste, you can always leave out some of the spices. My kids did not like the curry powder or hot sauce when they were little but now they love them.
More Chicken Recipes
- Brick Chicken Quarters
- Best Chicken Noodle Soup
- Caprese Chicken Cutlets
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Chicken Shawarma Sandwich
- Cuban Roast Chicken in a Dutch Oven
- Easy Skillet Chicken Parmesan
- Easy Chicken Cacciatore
Side Dish Suggestions
- Cauliflower Flan with Cheddar Crisps and Bacon
- Marinated Mushroom Salad
- Crispy Oven Fried Zucchini Chips
- Easy Homemade Biscuits from Sugar Spun Run
- The BEST Mashed Potatoes from Gimme Some Oven
- Braised Collard Greens with Turkey Bacon
- Greek Quinoa Salad
If you like this crispy oven fried chicken recipe, please give it a 5-star rating below!
RECIPE
Spicy Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cups low fat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons salt divided
- 12 chicken pieces, skin removed I use all dark meat thighs and legs
- 1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- In a large casserole dish, whisk together the buttermilk, curry, hot sauce, garlic powder and 2 teaspoons salt to blend well. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day, turning occasionally.
- Place racks on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and spray the racks with nonstick spray. In a large baking dish, whisk the Panko, cheese, flour, thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Add the chicken to the breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat completely. Arrange the chicken on the racks on the baking sheets. Let stand 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Bake the chicken until crisp, golden, and cooked through, about 55 minutes, switching positions of the trays halfway through.
Nutrition
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claudia @whats cookin italian cuisine
Healthier baked and we love chicken so this would be on the top of the list for must trys with that spicy coating yum!
Kate
We had oven fried chicken last week. I really think the rack is the key to the extra crispness.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
Had to pop on over to see your chicken too and it looks phenomenal! 🙂
Ramona
I like these kind of recipes. Trying not to fry things right now.
My mean ol Dr. told me I was too fat....the nerve of the guy!
Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet)
Sorry to hear about your Nana, Lisa! I love fried chicken, but oven-crisped is so much healthier. When it's filled with good flavors like this, no one misses the fat!! I love cooking with panko!!
Rach
Oh wow, this looks so good! I love oven "fried" chicken! Always so tasty and this looks amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe. 🙂
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
This chicken looks so crisp and tender, Lisa! What a lovely and easy recipe. My husband would enjoy this so much, and I would too!
Pam
It looks crispy and delicious without all the guilt! Bookmarked.
patsy
I love that this is a flavorful, lightened version of fried chicken!
Deborah
Oooh, I love the spicy twist to this!
Robin
That is a good alternative to a big greasy bucket of KFC (which my kids would get in a heartbeat if I would let them).
teresa
oh i can't wait to try this, we love fried chicken!
Amanda
Oh yum! You got me at spicy oven fried! Who can resist?
Mary
Who can resist crisp delcious and good for you all on one plate. Very nice! Have a great day. Blessings...Mary
Wendy L. Kirby
We eat so much chicken in our house. I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it. This sounds like a great meal for dinner. I like that it is chicken on the bone. Cheaper than boneless and on the bone always has more flavor.
Liz
Oh, yeah...this sounds delectable. And I hate the mess of deep frying chicken...this is much more doable! YUM.
Lisa @ Snappy Gourmet
I made something similar tonight! I should have added hot sauce, good idea!
Cookin' Canuck
I used to have an oven-fried chicken recipe that we loved, but I have no idea where it is. This one looks fantastic and I can't wait to try it out on my family.
Krista
That looks great! At least once a year we gotta have some greasy fried chicken. Good to know we can enjoy this version year round!
marla
Love that these are oven fried - bet this chicken has great flavor!
Shelby
Yummy! I also love there is curry powder in there! 🙂
Kristin
Great idea to oven bake AND remove the skin. Then it's practically guilt-free! Can't wait to try these. Thanks for the great recipe!
Rachna
I make baked chicken so often and really love it. Your recipe is wonderful and I am surely going to try this over the weekend. Removing skin is a fantastic idea.
Pooja
This is my kind recipe.I prefer over fried rather then deep fried one. Mind blowing.
Emmeline
Mmm this recipe makes me hungry!! Can't wait for dinner time ... I think I need to treat myself to these today!
Lata Lala
wow, this looks so delicious! I love chicken! This looks crispy and so tasty and amazing! Thanks for sharing the lovely recipe. ????
Dannii
You can't beat homemade baked crispy chicken and the flavours in this are delicious.