All the flavor and crunch of Southern-fried chicken…but made a whole lot healthier by baking! I love this Southern Oven “Fried” Chicken!
This is how the conversation went when my friend saw me editing these photos.
“Oooh! Fried Chicken – YUM!, he exclaimed.
“Nope, not fried. Baked,” I said smugly.
“Bollocks,” he retorted. “Are you being dodgy with your photos? Did you pick up KFC?”
“As if!!!”, I exclaimed, indignantly. “You know me better than that!!! I swear this is made in the oven!”
“Seriously??” he said. “You swear – you made these in the oven?”
YES. I swear. These are made in the oven. Are you as amazed as he was??
As insulted as I was that he would question my integrity, I was busting to prove that I wasn’t lying (let’s be honest, I just wanted to say “See? I TOLD YOU SO!”) so I made it again the next day. Not that it was any sort of hardship, having to make it again. I could seriously eat this every day.
Because, my friends, the plain fact is this: I love fried foods. I have a theory that anything is made delicious by frying it. And I can’t think of any fried food that I wouldn’t happily munch on.
But as much as I love fried foods…I hate deep-frying myself. Partly because I have a fear of frying (at my very core, I am quite a klutz) and also because I feel like it’s a waste of oil.
So I have many baked versions of classic fried foods. This is one of my favorites, along with my KFC Oven Fried Chicken Tenders (seriously – tastes just like KFC!) and because I don’t bake everything… Chicken Fried Steak for the win!
Don’t skip the marinating! It’s key to get flavor into the flesh of the chicken. Promise me you won’t skip it!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 2 cups buttermilk
Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Dredge
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
Coating
- 1 cup bread crumbs plain, not panko
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Combine Spice Mix ingredients.
- Add half of the Spice Mix to the buttermilk in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Add chicken thighs and marinate overnight, up to 24 hours.
To Cook
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine remaining Spice Mix with Coating in a bowl.
- Whisk eggs and milk in another bowl.
- Remove chicken from buttermilk, shaking off the excess marinade. Dip chicken thigh into Dredge, then cover in Coating. Shake off excess Coating. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until deep golden brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, I think you’ll love these crunchy Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken Tenders!
Sandra martin says
I am making this got it marinating in the fridge,
mary thowe says
do you have the nutrition make up on this chicken?
Aubrey Cota says
You should now see the nutritional facts at the end of the recipe.
Jenna says
Do I need to coat the sheet pan?
Jennifer Kimmel says
Hello Jenna! I would lightly spray the sheet pan with a little oil just to keep it from sticking.