Simplify your dinner with this Oven Fried Chicken that comes out crispy & delicious in about an hour. Less mess & clean up, the best-baked chicken recipe. Ever!
My mom was a baker. She did a great job making sweets. But that is where it really ended for her in the kitchen. She didn’t really cook much that I can remember & so when I got out on my own I lived on things like toast & hamburger helper. Easy stuff.
So when I met the hubs we ate a lot of what he calls bachelor food. But I knew we couldn’t live on that forever.
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So I started learning the basics & one of the first things I perfected was fried chicken. I make it in a handful of different ways – all equally as good as the next.
But the one that I make the most – this Oven Fried Chicken.
oven fried chicken recipe
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It’s so simple to make. I like to coat my chicken using a zip-top bag. Just toss in there with my favorite flour– close & shake. It keeps the mess to a minimum & it does a great job.
I have been making this recipe for 20 years & I can tell you that each & every time we marvel at not only how easy it is to make but just how tasty it is after a long day.
Oh & did I mention that it takes less than 10 minutes to prep & a little over an hour to cook. That’s it! I told you it was easy!
It really is no wonder this recipe has been pinned millions of times & shared on Facebook over 1 MILLION TIMES. It is CRAZY EASY!
This recipe is the one that even my son makes now that he’s out on his own. He can cook once & live off the leftovers all week, which is so great considering how busy he is with work and classes.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can this be made with drumsticks?
You can do that. Just cook for about 40-45 minutes, turning them over after about 30 minutes. You’ll know they are done when the meat is no longer pink at the bone and the juices are clear. A meat thermometer inserted near the bone should register 165 degrees.
How do you think this would be using Almond Flour to make this recipe Keto-friendly?
I don’t think it would hurt to give it a try. If you make it, please let me know how it turns out.
What is the best way to store leftover chicken?
After serving, place leftover chicken in a shallow airtight container. Be sure to label with the date before refrigerating. The chicken should keep for up to 2 days. As with most things, it is important to get food into the refrigerator within 1 hour after serving to prevent bacteria growth.
Why use a shallow container to store the leftovers?
Well, when the container is shallow, the contents chill faster than if you were to use a large, deep container. Ideally, you don’t want it to take too long for the leftovers to get to their chilled/stored temperature. As I mentioned, if the food remains above about 35 degrees for more than 1 hour after cooking, the bacteria starts to grow.
So, if the deep container of food takes several hours to finally get to that 35 degrees, the bacteria has been growing in your leftovers for those several hours. Not exactly what you want to happen.
How many can this serve?
This will depend greatly on portion sizes & the appetites of your crowd. I typically buy the large pack of chicken thighs that contains 8-10 pieces. So if all 5 of us in our family has 1-2 pieces each, it can feed us for 1 dinner.
oven baked fried chicken
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, you can double this recipe. But due to constraints on how much the pan can hold, you might have to do 2 baking pans and bake them side-by-side.
HOW DO YOU MAKE OVEN FRIED CHICKEN?
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 metal, stoneware or enameled cast iron baking dish with cooking spray & set aside. (please see notes in the post about using Pyrex or clear glass dishes)
- Combine the chicken, flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a large gallon-size zip-top bag-. Seal the bag & shake well until chicken is coated in flour.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the bag & place skin-side down in the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle with additional seasonings to taste if desired.
- Bake 30-35 minutes.
- Remove & turn each piece of chicken over so they are skin side up and then sprinkle with more seasonings.
- Bake an additional 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven & transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
Can this be made with frozen chicken?
I don’t recommend trying to make this recipe with frozen chicken. It would drastically increase the cooking time and result in the skins burning while trying to get the internal temperature to a safe level.
***NOTE: Due to some safety concerns with baking glass cookware at high temperatures, please use a Metal Baking Dish, Corningware or Enameled cast iron dish.
How to Oven Fry Chicken
To make this recipe you will need…
- chicken thighs with skin
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- pepper
- smoked paprika
Products I love when making this fried chicken recipe…
This chicken recipe is so EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have many of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made fried chicken in the oven before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love the how simple this recipe is. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this dinner.
- Metal Baking Dish
- Corningware
- Enameled cast iron dish
- all-purpose flour
- table salt
- pepper
- smoked paprika
- zip-top bags
Oven Fried Chicken Thighs
If you love this easy fried chicken recipe, you’re going to love these other delicious recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
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Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 8-10 pieces chicken thighs with skin bone-in
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 3 tsp table salt
- 2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 metal, stoneware or enameled cast iron baking dish with cooking spray & set aside. (please see notes in the post about using Pyrex or clear glass dishes)
- Combine the chicken, flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a large gallon-size zip-top bag-. Seal the bag & shake well until chicken is coated in flour.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the bag & place skin-side down in the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle with additional seasonings to taste if desired.
- Bake 30-35 minutes.
- Remove & turn each piece of chicken over so they are skin side up and then sprinkle with more seasonings.
- Bake an additional 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven & transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
Kelly Hayden says
Made this for dinner tonite. Delicious, easy and even my picky husband who is not a chicken lover, said this chicken was really good. Outside was nice and crispy, chicken was very juicy and flavorful. Definitely will make again and again. Thank you.
Julie says
This is outstanding. Period. I usually bake at 30 min. each side. I cannot believe how crispy this chicken is. Soooooo good. Thank you!!!
Connie says
Question, can you make this in an air fryer?
Gina Kleinworth says
Hi Connie,
You can, but you may only be able to make about 3-4 at a time depending on the size of your air fryer. Coat the chicken as directed, place in a lined or lightly greased air fryer, and spray liberally with cooking oil. Then cook chicken thighs in the Air Fryer for 25-28 minutes until they reach a temperature of 180-185°F. They might not be quite the same as this oven-baked recipe, but still pretty delicious.
Let me know how it goes.
Emily says
Has anyone made this with Boneless skinless chicken?
Gina Kleinworth says
Hi Emily,
The bone-in thighs turn out juicier and the skin gets extra crispy as it bakes. You can certainly use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. I have not seen boneless thighs sold with skin, so at that point, it would be a completely different recipe as crispy skin and juicy insides are what makes this recipe special. If you wish to give it a try, bake at 400 for 20-35 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
Please let me know how it goes.
Sassafras says
So delicious! Any reheating tips?
Gina Kleinworth says
Rarely do we have leftovers with the size of our family, but when we do, we usually just microwave until hot. Unfortunately, that doesn’t keep the skin crispy. You could air fry for a few minutes if you have a fryer though. I have not done that yet.
Patti Garcia says
This is one of our new favorite recipes! So easy!! I heavily spice it up with lemon pepper. Yum!!
Barbara Karr says
Can this be made with boneless skinless breasts? Don’t like dark meat.
Gina Kleinworth says
Well that would be a completely different recipe. You can’t bread boneless skinless chicken breast with flour the same way you do these thighs because you are missing the needed fat for them to cook correctly. You might want to try this recipe instead – feel free to change out any seasonings to your liking.
https://www.kleinworthco.com/crispy-sriracha-cheesy-chicken-bake/
Clivia Nicholls says
Thanks for this simple and delicious recipe. I made it but added more seasonings and brine the chicken pieces.
Lynn Geyer says
Can you use Boneless Chicken Breasts in this recipe, and how would you adjust cooking times? Also, if prepared as written, it doesn’t specify but would you use boneless or bone-in chicken thighs, and how would you adjust cooking time accordingly? Thank you.
Gina Kleinworth says
No worries! We use bone-in thighs for this recipe. I have never tried it with boneless, but they can often cook 50-60% faster than bone-in. I would set the timer for 35 minutes & check the temperature and adjust as needed from there. I would still recommend keeping the skin on if possible, as skinless thighs would be the same as the skinless breasts when it comes to the flour coating.
Please let me know how it turns out!
Lynn Geyer says
Nevermind. I see you addressed using chicken breasts above. Sorry.
Gayle Richards says
I started making this when my husband came in and said he felt like chicken on the grill. I had already mixed the seasonings and flour, but after thinking about it…why not! I washed the chicken dredged in the flour mixture, patting off the excess. Using the thermometer on the grill, I brought the temp to 400d and placed the chicken thighs on the grill for about 40-45 minutes, turning half way through. Deliciously crunchy skin, and juicy on the inside. We even put bbq sauce on a couple pieces in the last few minutes of the cook time just to experiment The bbq flavor on the still crispy skin was equally as delicious. This cooking method with your recipe is a keeper!
Sharon says
Do you have the nutritional facts and calorie count on this recipe? Thanks.
Gina Kleinworth says
I’m so sorry, I do not. But there are plenty of apps & online calculators available that should be able to calculate it for you.
Alisa says
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. My chicken turns out done and juicy, but pale yellow with white flour showing around the. edges and not crispy at all (and bland). Very unappetizing to serve. Maybe I need to use a black pan instead of a silver cookie sheet? Ideas?
Gina Kleinworth says
Are you turning it after 30 minutes? When I pull it out after the first 30 minutes, it does have that appearance. But once I flip it & then that side cooks for the other 30 minutes it is crispy and brown. The baking pan does help as it contains the juices and keeps the heat around the chicken a bit tighter, accelerating the browning process. Also- when the pan is deeper, the juices are less displaced, when it fills the bottom of the pan, they sort of bubble and give a frying effect to the chicken. You can also try sprinkling seasonings on the chicken after you flour it and place it in the pan – then again on the other side once you flip it over. I also like to start with the skin side down, so that they are up when it is cooking for the final 30 minutes to give it the best possible crisp.
Cathy Alexander says
This recipe turned out awesome and it could not have been easier! The chicken was moist and very flavorful. I added additional spices to the flour such as Mrs Dash Garlic Herb seasoning and the flavor was great!!
Susan Mayle says
Wow! Excellent chicken, came out perfect. I just added a bit more salt and that’s it. I will definitely be making this again.
Christine says
This recipe did not turn out at all – even though I followed the directions to a tee! The flour never even absorbed and so it was visible after cooking for an hour! So disappointing. The flavor was ok, but there was absolutely no crispy outside. I sent photos of the recipe picture and mine yo family to laugh at the “Pinterest fail.” Wish I would have just used a more traditional recipe with an egg batter and flour or panko.
Gina Kleinworth says
I’m so sorry to hear that. I have had millions of people make this recipe with great results. Would you mind sending the photo to me so I can maybe figure out what might have been the issue? What type of pan did you use? Can you walk me through how you made it? I’d love to trouble shoot for you. We have been making this recipe for decades & never had it turn out as you describe.
Gina Kleinworth says
Thanks for sending the picture. A couple of questions – that looks like boneless chicken breasts or tenders- is that right? Did the chicken you started out with look like the chicken in the video? Also did you flip the chicken after the first 30 minutes?
The recipe calls for bone-in chicken thighs with skins (as I don’t believe you can actually buy boneless chicken thighs without skin) & for the chicken to start skin-side down & to be flipped after the first 30 minutes so that the skins have time to crisp. The chicken should let out enough juices so that it sort of bubbles and helps keep the chicken juicy and crisp and flavorful.
Can you clarify what you were using & the process you used?
Thank you so much.