Oven-Fried Chicken

How to Make Oven-Fried Chicken.

It’s so easy to throw together this family-favorite oven-fried chicken. Check out these simple steps to see just how easy it is, and when you’re ready to make this scrumptious supper recipe, refer to the detailed recipe directions below:

1. Melt the Butter

Place the butter in the pan you’ll use to oven-fry the chicken —no need to melt it separately. You can do this while the oven is heating up but keep an eye on it—it only takes a few minutes to melt it—you don’t want it to burn.

2. Mix the Coating

 Mix the flour and seasonings right in a shallow dish, and it will be a snap to coat the chicken pieces without dirtying unnecessary dishes.

3. Coat the Chicken

Roll the chicken pieces, one at a time, in the flour mixture until the chicken is coated on all sides. Shake off any excess flour mixture back into the bowl. Place the pieces skin-side-down in the melted butter in the pan.

4. Bake the Chicken

Bake the chicken uncovered 30 minutes and then turn the pieces over and bake another 20 minutes or until they test done.

Oven-Fried Chicken Ingredients

Only 6 ingredients are needed to make this easy, family favorite. And each has an important part to in making this top-rated recipe so delicious:

Butter: You get a double bang for your buck out of this ingredient. It provides the rich flavor, that resemble the flavor you get from deep-frying, and it contributes to the signature brown crispy coat. You could substitute all-vegetable shortening, olive oil, or vegetable oil but they won’t give you the same rich flavor as butter does. If you use oil, you’ll want to heat it in the oven for a minute or two before adding your chicken, so it can start cooking the chicken right away, in the same way the melted butter does.

Flour: All-purpose flour is the flour of choice, but you could also use practically any type you have on hand. Bread or self-rising flour would work equally well but you may want to reduce the salt slightly if using self-rising flour. Whole-wheat flour could be used, however it will create more of an earthy, grain-like flavor than all-purpose flour will.

Seasonings: Paprika is added for both flavor and color. Its orange hue helps make the chicken look more “fried” while adding flavor to taste like traditional fried chicken. Salt and pepper also add flavor. You can add additional dried herbs here if you like. Try Italian seasoning, a little dried basil, thyme, or even lemon pepper. Switch it up each time you make it.

Chicken: We call for pieces of a cut-up whole chicken. It’s usually the most cost-effective way to buy pieces and satisfies both white meat and dark meat fans. If your family preferences fall only in one chicken cut camp, check out our Variations of Oven-Fried Chicken section below for how to prepare them.

Variations of Oven-Fried Chicken

This quick-to-make recipe has loads of options that suit your family’s tastes or mood from chicken fingers to wings. Which one strikes your fancy for dinner tonight?

Extra-Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken: Prepare as directed--except melt an additional ¼ cup butter. Substitute 1 cup Progresso™ Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs for the flour. Dip pieces in melted butter before coating the chicken with bread crumb mixture.

Oven-Fried Chicken Breasts: Substitute about 3 ½ pounds chicken breasts for the cut-up whole chicken.

Oven-Fried Chicken Fingers: Substitute 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken tenders or skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1 ½ -inch strips. Decrease butter to 2 tablespoons. After coating chicken with flour mixture in Step 1, toss with melted butter in pan. Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Turn strips; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until no longer pink in center.

Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs: Substitute about 3 ½ pounds chicken thighs for the cut-up whole chicken.

Oven-Fried Chicken Wings: Melt ¼ cup butter in each of two 15x10x1-inch pans. Substitute 48 oz chicken wings sections (first and second wing sections—about 24 pieces). Coat the chicken wings as directed, dividing the wings between both pans. Bake 20 minutes: turn chicken and rotate pans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes longer or until done as directed in recipe.

Buffalo Oven-Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings: Prepare Oven-Fried Chicken Wings as directed—except after baking 20 minutes, place chicken in heat-proof medium bowl; pour 1 cup buffalo wing sauce over chicken. Toss until chicken is evenly coated with the sauce. Place chicken pieces back in pans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes longer or until done as directed in recipe.

Mexican-Style Oven-Fried Chicken Wings: Prepare Oven-Fried Chicken Wings as directed—except substitute 3 tablespoons Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix for the paprika, salt and pepper.

Storing and Reheating Oven-Fried Chicken

Leftover oven-fried chicken is delicious either cold or hot. Whether you want a quick lunch for the next day, finger-licking picnic fare, or a grab-and-go dinner. While the flavor will be just as delicious as right out of the oven, the baked chicken coating continues to soak up moisture from the chicken and will become soft when refrigerated or frozen and served cold or reheated.

Refrigerator Storage and Reheating Oven-Fried Chicken

Promptly cover and store cooked chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. To reheat, place a piece on a microwavable plate. Cover and microwave on medium-high (70%) 1 to 2 minutes or until thickest part reaches 165°F when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer.

Freezer Storage and Reheating Oven-Fried Chicken

Wrap cooked chicken pieces individually with plastic wrap. Place in a resealable food-storage bag. Freeze up to 2 months. To prevent over cooking, thaw individual pieces (still wrapped in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator overnight. Follow the directions above for reheating. To reheat from a frozen state, unwrap a frozen piece of chicken and place on a microwaveable plate. Cover and microwave on low (30%) 1 to 2 minutes or until thawed. Microwave on medium-high (70%) 1 to 2 minutes or until thickest part reaches 165 °F when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer.

How to Get Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken

Oven-fried chicken has a lightly crispy exterior, but it won’t ever be as crispy as deep-fat fried chicken. Use these tips for the crispiest oven-fried chicken possible.

Stick to the Butter Measurement: We found in testing this recipe, that ¼ cup is the perfect amount to coat the chicken without making it soggy.

Use the Right Size Pan: Each piece of chicken needs enough room around it to crisp up and turn that irresistible golden-fried color and texture without being crowded by its neighbors. The pan we call for is known as a jelly roll pan. This is much larger and has shorter sides than a 13x9 pan. If you use a 13x9 pan, the moisture in the chicken gets trapped by the sides of the pan and the size crowds the pieces, which results in soft chicken exteriors.

Timing is Everything: To maintain the crispy exterior, it’s important to prep the chicken right before baking and serve it immediately afterwards, so that the coating doesn’t have a chance to get soft by soaking up additional moisture from the chicken.

Make Extra-Crispy Chicken: If you’re looking for even crispier chicken coating, try our extra-crispy variation in the Variations of Oven-Fried Chicken above.

Sering Oven-Fried Chicken

Oven-Fried chicken is about as versatile as you can get—it goes with just about anything you want to make with it. Try these sides to turn it into a cozy and satisfying meal.

Betty's Best Mashed Potatoes: This ultimate comfort food recipe has all our best secrets for turning out the creamiest, dreamiest mashed potatoes, ever.

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus: Is a super-easy veggie you can make right as the chicken as it bakes!

Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots: Is prepared on the stove top while the chicken bakes, for a sweet side no one can resist.

Garlic-Cheese Biscuits: These insanely easy-to-make biscuits get gobbled up by families, everywhere. Just 5 minutes prep and you can pop these into the oven to bake while the chicken finishes.