Oven Fried Chicken
The not-so-secret ingredient in this oven-fried chicken is cornflakes! It creates a crispy and golden brown coating on the outside, while keeping the inside tender and moist. Making fried chicken at home has never been simpler or more delicious!
All you need is 6 ingredients and less than 30 minutes for this easy oven-fried chicken recipe. There’s no special equipment needed, no long list of spices, and no deep-frying! This baked chicken tastes great, and sure to be a family favorite.
Table of Contents
- The best oven-fried chicken
- Ingredients you’ll need
- Why cornflakes?
- How to make oven fried chicken
- Tips for frying chicken in the oven
- Serving suggestions
- Get the recipe
The best oven-fried chicken
There are 3 key reasons why this oven fried chicken recipe works so well:
- Using cornflakes for the crispiest coating (keep reading to find out why I use them!).
- Drizzling the chicken with butter for the best flavor.
- Baking at higher heat for a short amount of time to maximize browning, while still leaving the chicken inside tender and moist.
Ingredients you’ll need
Why cornflakes?
You might be wondering, why use cornflakes to make fried chicken? Which is a great question! Simply put, cornflakes produce a much crispier “breading” for chicken baked in the oven. In my experience, neither panko breadcrumbs nor traditional bread crumbs produce the same perfect result.
Cornflakes are already crispy, and it’s just easier and more fool-proof to use them instead of bread crumbs. Other unsweetened cereal such as Chex or Wheaties will also work in place of cornflakes.
How to make oven fried chicken
Prep chicken cutlets. For even cooking, the chicken breast need to be about 1 inch thick. You can pound breasts thin using a mallet, or you can use a sharp knife to slice thicker chicken breasts in half (my preferred method). Here’s a helpful how-to video if you need help. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.- Set up a “breading” station. Prepare 2 separate wide shallow bowls, whisking egg and milk together in 1 and adding cornflake crumbs to the other.
“Bread” the chicken. Dip chicken pieces individually first into the egg mixture and then into the cornflakes, making sure each piece is well-coated in crumbs.- Drizzle with melted butter and moisten with nonstick spray. Place prepared chicken on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil. Drizzle the chicken carefully with butter, trying to cover as much of it as you can. Moisten coating completely with a quick spritz of nonstick spray.
- Bake in the oven. Bake 425°F for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through and an instant read thermometer reads 165°. Flip chicken halfway through baking time if needed for even browning.
- Serve immediately! This chicken is its most crispy and delicious when served hot from the oven.
Prep chicken cutlets. For even cooking, the chicken breast need to be about 1 inch thick. You can pound breasts thin using a 
Set up a “breading” station. Prepare 2 separate wide shallow bowls, whisking egg and milk together in 1 and adding cornflake crumbs to the other.
“Bread” the chicken. Dip chicken pieces individually first into the egg mixture and then into the cornflakes, making sure each piece is well-coated in crumbs.
Drizzle with melted butter and moisten with nonstick spray. Place prepared chicken on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil. Drizzle the chicken carefully with butter, trying to cover as much of it as you can. Moisten coating completely with a quick spritz of nonstick spray.
Tips for frying chicken in the oven
- Use boneless, skinless chicken for best results. Chicken breasts, chicken tenders and even chicken thighs will all work, though cooking time may need to be adjusted if using smaller pieces of chicken.
- Start with dry chicken cutlets. Make sure the chicken pieces are dry before coating them in the flour mixture. This will help the breading adhere better.
- How to crush cornflakes to crumbs: Pulse for a few seconds in a food processor, or add to a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin or heavy skillet.
- How to keep your fingers clean while breading the chicken: Use one hand for dipping the cutlets in the wet ingredients (egg mixture) and the other for dipping into the dry ingredients (cornflakes). This video quickly explains this simple but important tip. No more mess!
- Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet. This will prevent the chicken from browning evenly.
- Know when the chicken is done. Bake the chicken until it is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. An instant read thermometer is great for knowing when chicken is done.
- Do not overbake the chicken! It might be tempting to bake the chicken a little longer just to “be on the safe side”, but overbaked chicken is tough and dry. Use a thermometer and feel confident pulling the chicken out as soon as it’s done.
- Want to make this friend chicken gluten free? Use a gluten-free unsweetened crispy cereal.
- To make this recipe ahead: Chicken is best served immediately so it stays crispy, but it is possible to prep the recipe for easy baking later. Slice, pound and season chicken and store in the fridge until ready to bake. Crush cornflakes to crumbs and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- How to reheat fried chicken: Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat the chicken so that it’s crispy again, warm in a single layer in an air fryer at 300° for about 5 minutes, or place on a wire rack inside a baking sheet pan and bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes.
Serving suggestions
This oven fried chicken is a great main dish! But what should you serve on the side? Here are a few suggestions:
Get the recipe
This recipe was originally created in partnership with Go Bold With Butter. View the recipe on their website here.
Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1½-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large or 4 small)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 2 cups unsweetened cornflakes (about 1 cup crushed)
- 3 Tablespoons butter , melted
- Nonstick cooking spray , as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil.
- If chicken breasts are large and/or thick, cut in half horizontally. Cover chicken breasts with a layer of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or heavy skillet to about 1 inch thick. This will help them bake evenly.
- Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Add crushed cornflakes to a second bowl. Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, then transfer to cornflake crumbs, making sure chicken is completely coated on all sides with the crumbs.
- Place chicken on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with melted butter, trying to coat as much of the crumb coating as possible. Finish with a light spritz of the nonstick cooking spray to make sure all of the crumbs are moistened.
- Bake until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breasts reads 165°F, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or tenders instead of chicken breasts.
Watch this video for help cutting chicken “cutlets” for this recipe. You want the chicken to be the same even thickness so it will bake evenly.
Other unsweetened crunchy cereals such as Chex or Wheaties. Panko breadcrumbs may also be substituted, just note that the coating won’t be as crispy if you use breadcrumbs.
Calories: 324kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 132mg, Sodium: 370mg, Potassium: 667mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 576IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 5mg
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.
