Easy Oven Fried Chicken with a 5 ingredient coating! Ready in an hour and tastes like fried chicken without the hassle of deep frying.
Looking for a delicious Fried Chicken Recipe without the hassle of deep frying? You’ll love this easy baked version that gives you a crispy coating with way less mess! For more oven-baked Chicken, try my Breaded Chicken Breasts too.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
This recipe has become a go-to for me in place of classic fried chicken when I want a healthier option that is still kid-friendly. It has all the crispiness and flavor you crave without the mess, hands on time, or calories of a deep fryer.
The butter almost magically fries the coating while locking in the juices for the most delicious crispy chicken the whole family will love. And when the leftover fat is measured against what amount was added to the pan, all 6 pieces only used 3 tablespoons of butter to cook.
In addition to it being much more low-fat and easier to clean-up than deep-frying, it also just takes less work. Instead of standing over the stove, you just toss it in a pan and let the oven do the work. And if you’d like to make your own baking mix, I have a recipe below, plus you can use wheat flour to make it even more healthy.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken legs , bone in and skin on
- 3 chicken thighs , bone in and skin on
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup Bisquick mix , recipe
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with an 8×8 baking pan with 6 tablespoons of butter in it and mix the Bisquick in a bowl with the paprika, garlic salt and pepper.
- Coat the chicken pieces well in the Bisquick mix then place skin side down in the butter and bake for 30 minutes.
- Turn carefully taking care to not tear the skin and bake and additional 10 minutes.
Nutrition
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Cooking Time Adjustments
- Skinless Chicken Breasts: Cook for 20 minutes, turn very carefully then cook and additional 20 minutes.
- Bone In – Skin On Chicken Breasts: Cook for 30 minutes, turn then cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Chicken Wings: Cook 15 minutes, turn then cook 15 more minutes.
Side Dish Ideas
The light coating and healthier version of fried chicken means I get to enjoy it with a giant square of Cornbread, hot sauce and some crunchy KFC Cole Slaw guilt free. Go all in on KFC and recreate a classic bucket meal with my copycat recipes for Mashed Potatoes and Creamy Mac and Cheese!
Tips for Crispy Baked Chicken
- Do not skimp on the butter. I promise it is important to this recipe.
- Don’t use flour or panko in place of the Bisquick (I have my homemade Bisquick recipe listed above).
- Start the baking process with the skin side down, this gives it the longest time to render the fat out in direct contact with the hot pan ensuring that you end up with crispy skin.
- Use a baking pan for this dish not a baking sheet, there will be butter in the pan and chicken fat that renders out during cooking.
- There is no need to marinate your chicken before baking here.
- Melt your butter in the oven in your baking pan instead of in your microwave so the butter can be hot when the chicken goes in. This will help prevent sogginess.
- You can coat the chicken and let it sit on a baking sheet while you’re waiting for the oven to preheat. I normally coat the pieces then put them back in, skin side down in the flour mixture waiting for the pan to come out of the oven.
- You can make this fried chicken dairy free by using margarine in the oven frying. When tested it had a different flavor but was still delicious (and kosher!).
- Once you remove the baking dish from the oven remove the baked chicken from the baking pan to your plates or a baking sheet to keep it from sitting in the cooling butter as it will start to become soggy.
Substitute for Bisquick
Many people prefer not to use pre-made or processed ingredients, we actually use a homemade combination for recipes that call for Bisquick which is just 4 easy ingredients which is shelf stable. You can find the recipe below.
I would not recommend swapping out the baking mix for something like cornflakes, cornmeal, breadcrumbs or panko and baking it in the butter with the same method. The recipe composition of the Bisquick is important to the recipe.
Bisquick Baking Mix
- 6 cups flour
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl then cut the shortening in with a pastry blender until the mixture is fully combined and the flour resembles small crumbs.
- Store for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Frequent Questions
I bake fried chicken skin side down for 30 minutes first, then flip it over and bake an additional 15 minutes.
I tested this recipe with both olive oil and vegetable oil and the flavors were simply not good. I just don’t recommend oven baking it with them. If you’d like to coat the chicken and pan fry the chicken in vegetable oil you can but I would avoid using olive oil in this recipe at all.
This recipe doesn’t require that you use chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks but the skin and bone do aid in keeping the chicken moist.
You can also use chicken tenders (sometimes called chicken tenderloin) which are thinner pieces from the bottom of the chicken breast. These pieces are small enough that you can coat them in the breading and they’ll hold onto the coating well. Just be very careful about turning the chicken to prevent the topping from falling off.
If you’d like to use skinless chicken breasts you absolutely can get them crispy with just a small adjustment. Score some lines into the chicken about ½ inch deep into the chicken to give the coating something to adhere to or the crispy coating will fall off. This will give it a chance to bake into the chicken breasts when it would normally not adhere well to it.
Variations
- Spicy Crispy Chicken: Chili powder, paprika, garlic salt and pepper.
- Smoky Crispy Chicken: Smoked paprika instead of paprika, garlic salt and pepper.
- Lemon Garlic Chicken: Lemon pepper, garlic powder, paprika and garlic salt.
- KFC Flavored: Use the seasoning mix from my famous KFC Potato Wedges (you will make this over and over again I promise).
- Southern Fried Chicken: Cayenne pepper, buttermilk powder, paprika, kosher salt and pepper.
- BBQ Fried Chicken: BBQ rub, kosher salt and pepper.
Related Posts
More Fried Chicken Recipes
I love this oven fried chicken recipe!
Easy peasy! I have used breasted & also thighs & legs! I like using the thighs best! They are the juiciest & do well in the oven!
I appreciate your recipe! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed the chicken Deborah and thanks for the five star review!
Great recipe Thank you I did change the biscuits to Carbquick which makes the carbs much less and still came out great.I increased the temp to 450 for the last 15 minutes my oven must not be Tru to temp, but they did come out nice and crispy. Will use this again!
When making chicken , you don’t add the shortening right? I in your biscuit recipe. was thinking shortening was when you’re making biscuits.
You are right Kara! The shortening is just for the biscuits.
I am confused, do I make a batter with the bisquick or use it dry?
I have given you my homemade “Bisquick” recipe to use to coat the chicken.
You can coat the chicken and let it sit on a baking sheet while you’re waiting for the oven to preheat. I normally coat the pieces then put them back in, skin side down in the flour mixture waiting for the pan to come out of the oven.
For the Southern Oven Fried Chicken: Cayenne pepper, buttermilk powder, paprika, kosher salt and pepper. What would be the measurements for the spices?
Try our Blackened Chicken Recipe! https://dinnerthendessert.com/blackened-chicken/#wprm-recipe-container-48266
Chicken didn’t really get very crispy. Not much flavor.
I’m sorry you were disappointed. There are so many variables as to why meat doesn’t get crispy I don’t know how to advise you. It even could be oven temperature variances as an example.
Is there any reason not to use real Bisquick in this recipe? I have some I need to use before the exp. date. This sounds delicious, looking forward to making it!
Go for it! Totally a-ok
I have a question I don’t have a pastry blender nor do I have Bisquick could I possibly coat chicken wings with cornstarch Want to make these tomorrow
If you used cornstarch im not sure how much that would change the flavor! But you can try.
Can I use regular bus quick instead of making bus quick mix?
Yep!
This recipe is delicious second time making it my husband and I love it
I loved this recipe! I’m so thrilled that I found a truly crispy oven fried chicken. No mess. I changed one thing. I used convection bake at 425 degrees. The circulating air helped creat crispier skin. I couldn’t get it crispy without doing this. Got this idea from another recipe. I’ve been searching for an oven fried chicken recipe for years! Thank you. I’m making it again tonight.
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback.
I like to add powdered buttermilk to my bisquick mix.
I’ve read that butter can be used as a sub for veg. shortening… Can I do that for the Bisquick recipe? I hope to hear from you soon as I’m making this tonight… But no rush Sab, lol, cuz I’m going to try it anyway… Whether I hear from you or not, I’ll let you know. Thanks for all your yummy shares, I’ve never made a bad dish using your recipes 🙂
I’ve not tested it but I can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you!
Can you use jiffy biscuit mix?
I haven’t used that particular kind before, but if you do, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi I made this and it was delicious! I was wondering if the bisquick mix would work well with tilapia also?
Sure, sounds amazing!
Do I melt the butter prior to putting it in pan? Or put in cold slices of the butter
You want to melt the butter in the pan prior. Under my tips section, I have my preferred method.
This recipe will be our go-to for crispy chicken from now on. Followed it as written and my family enjoyed them thoroughly. Took a couple to work the next day for lunch and they were just as good cold, with zero sogginess.
So glad to hear! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Thanks for the homemade Bisquik recipe. I made this chicken with chicken thighs and it turned out super crispy and delicious. Great easy recipes.
You’re welcome, Amanda! So glad you enjoyed it.
I plan to make this for dinner tonight since I need to cook the 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs and 2 chicken thighs that I defrosted, and I have a box of Bisquick. My son is allergic to dairy and has IBS, but I always have Earth Balance vegan margarine to use instead of butter. Spicy food upsets his stomach so no cayenne or red pepper flakes. Can I use garlic powder or garlic cloves in this recipe? I don’t have garlic salt. This recipe will be a great alternative to frying chicken in the skillet. I never know what to do with all that grease after the chicken is cooked.
I’m so sorry I’m just now seeing this. It got caught in my spam filter. You can use garlic powder as substitute. I hope you enjoyed the recipe.
What a great alternative to frying chicken. My kids will absolutely love this oven fried chicken.
I hope you all enjoy it!
Thank you for the tips on making it crispy! That’s always my biggest issue is not having a soggy crust. This sounds much easier than frying chicken!
Yes, so much easier and less mess.
is breast suitable for this recipe
Yes though using skin on and bone in helps to keep the chicken moist. Enjoy!
If you want really crispy chicken or fish, use rice flour instead of wheat flour — It makes a big difference!
OMG, I want to dive into the screen and eat this chicken. It looks like a classic recipe we should all know how to make!
Haha, wouldn’t that be nice if we could do that?!
Totally agree that oven frying chicken is a game changer, and yup, those with skin and bone are the best, definitely much better than simply meat. Your version with bisquick mix looks awesomely crunchy and delicious. Will definitely try it out for my next batch of fried chicken. 🙂
Definitely crunchy! I hope you enjoy it!
I love using Bisquick to aid in fast meal preparation! This looks like one that I haven’t tried but will ASAP! Looks delicious and I love how easy it is!
I’ve also added the ingredient list to make your own Bisquick mix. Enjoy!
Can you freeze this fried chicken? If so then how would you warm it up so it would taste this good. Thank you
I am defiantly going to try this recipe asap.
I hope you enjoy it!
Can I use regular Bisquick, instead of making the above recipe?
Yes, you can use the it instead of mixing your own. I hope you enjoy it.
You do realize the regular Bisquick contains GMO’s? They still have not changed that, it’s like eating poison in small doses.
I added my own ingredient list to make your own. 🙂
Really??
Just tried this recipe and loved it. Was actually searching for why oven fried was so bad, found this and decided to try it. Will be making this again. Crispy and flavorful.
So glad you liked it and you were converted! 🙂
Can you se smart bisquick ck in this receipe