Cast Iron Skillet Buttermilk Light Fried Chicken made with skinless chicken and saltines, makes for the most surprising “fried” chicken ever!
If you love Super Crispy Fried Chicken but are looking for a lighter fried Chicken dinner option, this recipe is made for you! Give my Pioneer Take-Out Fried Chicken too!
Sabrina’s Buttermilk Cast Iron Light Fried Chicken
When I tell you it is craveable, what I mean is you will stand over the pan as it comes out of the oven picking at it, not even wanting to wait until you sit down to eat it. Then you will hover over your child’s plate like a hawk hoping they leave some behind. Craveable! For another craveable fried chicken recipe, you can also try my KFC Original Chicken Copycat. The fact that you can enjoy a “light” fried chicken recipe cooked in butter is truly amazing!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
- 4 bone-in chicken breast halves , skinned
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup ground saltines , (I have tried unsalted ones, trust me, use regular)
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Canola Oil Spray
Instructions
- Add the buttermilk and tabasco sauce in a bowl or ziploc bag with the chicken and marinate for at least 4 hours (I marinate overnight but even if you toss it together before heading out to work it will be PERFECT when you get home at night).
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- Combine flour and saltine crumbs in a shallow dish.
- Take chicken out of buttermilk mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper (mostly on the top side since there isn’t much in the way of meat on the bone-y side.
- Dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess; set aside.
- Really press the top of the chicken into the mixture to get a nice crust on top.
- Melt butter in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken to pan, meat side down and cook 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Spray the bone-y side quickly with canola oil spray so that it can crisp up in the oven too once we turn it over.
- Turn chicken over, and bake at 425° for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through.
- You don’t cook the bone-y side of the chicken on your stovetop, so don’t worry about the butter all being gone by the time the top is cooked.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
Chef’s Note: Punch up the flavor
This recipe makes for a great basic light fried chicken. If you want to kick up the flavors or add some spice add in ½ teaspoon of cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder to the breading or some herbs you love. One other quick punch of flavor would be Old Bay seasoning. But I can assure you, made as it is in the recipe card will be absolutely delicious!
Related Recipes
More Delicious Fried Chicken
Photos used in previous versions of the post.
I just found this on Pinterest, looks like an older recipe so not sure if you’re still tracking comments, but have you ever made this with boneless/skinless chicken? I have an aversion to chicken with the bones in it, I know, I’m weird. Even if you’re not tracking anymore, I’m going to give this a try with boneless and watch the cook time, we’ll see how it comes out!
Yes! I have. The best way to get the breading to “take is to score the chicken, like you would a ham, deep little cross cuts to give you a more jagged surface area for the topping to adhere. Then dip in the buttermilk and the crackers. You may need more breading because you have more chicken surface area (since the bone in doesn’t really bread the bottom side) but it will be delicious. You can also probably shave off about five minutes of cook time in the oven 🙂
This looks fantastic! I am making this for dinner this weekend@
Thanks Amanda, I hope you love it!
Your chicken looks delicious…I have never made fried chicken. I will give this a try.
I hope you love it!
I opened this in front of my daughter and instantly decided to make fried chicken. i can’t replicate it completely as I don’t have overnight but you’ve inspired me
Aww, that is so sweet! I hope you love it!
I need a cast iron skillet. This sounds so yummy and I know my entire family would be standing in the kitchen waiting for it to be done.
Yes! I would shout praise for my cast iron skillet from the rooftops!
Crunchy Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken look so amazing. I am always looking for new chicken recipes. I am going to try this on the weekend. It just might be a new favorite.
Wonderful! I hope you love it Ann!
Oh man! I am so finding this recipe I can’t believe the chicken is skinless and it looks like that. I love every ingredient in it so its has to taste great
Thanks Shelley! When I actually made it for the first time I was pretty taken aback. I sort of expected it to be “eh,” but the crust was awesome!
I can’t get over this. I know what I’m making this weekend!
Thanks Melissa!
oh my lorrddd! this looks amazing! I dont cook much but I am gonna have to try this. Thanks for sharing. Recipe A++++++++
Aww, thanks Dawn!
Totally in awe that the skinless chicken still has a crunchy layer! However if it’s cooked in cast iron, it’s gotta be good! <3
Thanks Angie! The crunchy layer is pretty darn awesome!
I am going to thaw some chicken for tonight. This looks so good!
I hope you love it Krista!
Wow, this definitely looks like the fried chicken I know! I’m so glad that you made these skinless!
Thanks Christie!
I love finding new chicken recipes. My family is going to love this one. I am going to try it tomorrow.
Crunchy Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken looks so delicious. I will have to try this recipe on the weekend. Chicken is my favorite meat to make.
This looks like a fabulous dinner idea. Thanks for the post.
Thanks Aubrey!
Yet another of your recipes that we will be trying. I buy a lot of skinless chicken breast but always feel like our kids are cheated out of fried chicken… so this would be perfect for us!
Yay! I hope you love it! It is in our heavy rotation 🙂
Oh, that looks so good! I wonder how it would turn out using Gluten free flower instead.
I think the bigger issue would be the crackers. I haven’t tried gluten free saltines.
Mmmmm. I love oven fried chicken!
Me too!
This looks so tasty! I like the idea of using buttermilk.
Thanks! It really does help it taste amazing!
I love using saltines as a coating for chicken. This looks and sounds delicious. I will be giving this a try, for sure. Thanks for sharing… YUMMY!
My pleasure Shauna! You’ll be shocked at just how good it is!
You had me at fried chicken and bttermilk. Sounds delish and so much easier than the way I normally make it. I’ll have to try it in my skillet!
Vanessa, I hope you love it!
I want this. I truly want to eat that entire panful. I rarely allow myself fried chicken of any kind but I’d be powerless before this one.
Now you can eat it guilt free! I’ve lost 45 pounds in the last 5 months and I probably eat this recipe once a week, haha.
I love fried chicken and this looks yummy. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks Catherine!
Yum! I love fried chicken and they way you made this chicken looks so good! Going to have to try out your recipe! Thanks!
Thanks!
This does sound really good! I really like that buttermilk/Tabasco sauce marinade.
Thanks Liz!
Fried chicken is one of my all time favorite foods. This looks like a tasty way to prepare it.
Me too!
Ahhhck! You drive me nuts with these yummy looking meals! Seriously, you could be a chef at a restaurant with all these recipe you have under your belt! Yummy!
Haha, I am a chef! But for families in home. 🙂
That looks fantastic! I am always down for fried chicken.
Me too!
Oh my gosh that looks amazingly yummy! I think I will try to get someone to make this for me when I go on maternity leave!
Thanks Amber!
I’ve never made ‘fried chicken’- just baked chicken with breading. This looks like such a hearty, homestyle, meal the family would really love. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure!
That sounds absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to make this for my family!
Oh Sabrina, my mouth is watering! This looks AMAZING!
Thanks Kaitie!
There is alight way to fry? I so want to try this! I am trying to get myself back on the healthy track and something like this would make the transition easier!
You’d love it!
Man that looks absolutely amazing! I am going to have to try this out sometime! I need to buy a cast iron skillet soon!
Yes! Buy one! I use my cast iron skillet for everything!
Yummo! I have a cast iron skillet that I haven’t given nearly enough play time to. Time for coach to put him in!
Haha, mine is the Team Captain. Even ahead of all the All Clad!
That’s amazeballs. I’ve never tried cooking in cast iron skillet before, but I think it’s time I tried.
Yes! I love my cast iron skillet, it is a workhorse!
I love popping by your blog, Sabrina because you make everything look so good and it works! Fried crispy chicken without skin?! Awesome for anyone watching their weight!
Aww thanks Kacey, that is so sweet! I love your blog too!
I’ve got to get myself a cast iron skillet, because I MUST make this. It looks fantabulous!
Yes! You totally should! It is a piece of cookware I couldn’t live without!
That looks so good! I live in the south, and if there’s two things we have, it’s cast iron skillets and a love of fried chicken. Yum!
You and I are kindred spirits, I swear it Stacie!
Love using my cast iron skillet, it’s perfect for fried chicken. Your fried chicken looks crunchy and moist – love a piece right now!
Argh! ME TOO! I shouldn’t have looked at these comments right before bed, haha.