Fried chicken is one of my biggest weaknesses, so naturally I've been perfecting this lighter version for years. I've managed to achieve the same crispy golden texture you get from frying from my oven. Yep, it's skinnier, easier, quicker, and (bonus) there's no greasy mess to clean up. Soaking the chicken overnight (sometimes two nights) in a buttermilk bath is a must for meat that's moist and juicy. To easily remove the skin from the drumsticks, use one paper towel to grasp the joint end and a second one to pull off the skin.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Chicken:
Coating:
Preparation
For the chicken:
Step 1
In a medium bowl, season the chicken with the salt, paprika, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pour the buttermilk and lemon juice over the chicken and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a rack on a baking sheet and lightly spray with oil.
For the coating:
Step 3
In a shallow bowl, combine the panko, cornflake crumbs, Parmesan, salt, parsley, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder.
Step 4
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, dredge each piece in the crumb mixture, and put the pieces onto the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops of the chicken with oil.
Step 5
Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes.
Nutrition Per Serving
How would you rate Buttermilk Oven "Fried" Chicken?
Leave a Review
Reviews (30)
Back to TopThis oven fried chicken is incredibly easy to fix. I love the fact that there is no excess oil to dispose of, and the chicken turns out moist and flavorful as if it had been fried in a frying pan. Kudos to the creator of this recipe.
Anonymous
San Francisco, California
10/9/2021
I’ve made this several times and love it. To the person complaining about too much salt: use less.
lsuss7
Atlanta
7/26/2021
I'm a big Skinny Taste fan and this chicken recipe did not disappoint! One thing I do with ST recipes is to increase the spices.
vbak
IN
7/13/2021
I'm giving this recipe a "1" because of a very basic editorial issue. I filtered on "Healthy" and "Low-Sodium" because of recently diagnosed medical issues that are serious. Note that general medical advice regarding low-sodium meals limits total sodium content for a meal to 500 mg for the entire meal per person. This one clocks in at 790mg, more than 50% higher, and with 2 tbsp. of kosher salt, it's no wonder, considering that is 900 mgs of sodium alone. Somebody needs to really fix this "filtering" system. I won't touch this recipe because of the sodium issue.
mikekelley
Newbury Park, Ca.
11/20/2019
Made the recipe exactly as written and everyone loved the flavor and the crunchy-ness, and it tastes great without the extra fat of the chicken skin. Only thing I will do is try baking it on a rack on the sheet pan next time, to allow air to circulate. The bottoms of the chicken legs were not crispy.
mamazoni
New Haven, CT
9/15/2019
This recipe is OK, but has promise. I made the chicken exactly as directed and found the lemon in the brine off-putting. I'll try again with less acid next time.
fitz44
Montclair, NJ
6/20/2019
This recipe is a keeper!
drma
3/21/2019
Made this with boneless,skinless thighs. It was delicious. I added pots of fresh garlic to the marinade. I also use cornmeal instead of cornflakes. It's my secret for a nice golden crisp.
Anonymous
Toronto, Canada
2/28/2019
I made this recipe and thought it was delicious. I made few modifications to the coating, I used a full teaspoon of garlic powder and chili powder. Next time I would like to use fresh fresh garlic instead of powder, and I would like to try and rotate the drumsticks halfway through to avoid the moist and mushy bottoms.
CPMFP
Dallas, TX
8/22/2017
We love chicken in my house and this is one of the most delicious recipes I have made over the years. Due to unforeseen circumstances, my chicken thighs marinated for three days. Unbelievably moist and succulent!
tamidolls
Florida
8/4/2017
Delicious! A huge hit with family and friends. I have even used chicken breasts (I was so worried they would be dry!) and they were also very good (drumsticks and thighs were the most juicy parts though)
ullie
Toronto
7/11/2017
Wondering what you meant by spraying the tops of the chicken with the oil?
Anonymous
toronto
5/16/2017
I'm from the South, and hard to impress when it comes to fried chicken, but hit the jackpot with this recipe. I marinated the chicken for about 24 hours, and it was absolutely succulent. Used fresh garlic in the marinade instead of powdered, and regular breadcrumbs instead of cornflakes (along with panko). It was delicious, and pleased a group of 3 adults and 6 kids. One can always go up or down with the spices if the taste of the crust doesn't suit you. This is a great base recipe and I will make it again and again.
jobiewan
Portland, OR
2/12/2017
Nasty! As another cook noted, the breading tastes like shake & bake. Next time, I'll just marinate chicken in a buttermilk brine & skip the panko mess. Plus there's little you can do to avoid a soggy bottom to the pieces of chicken. There is sadly NO way to replicate fried chicken without frying it.
mmmcdonald
California
2/6/2017
I have made this multiple times and it's always a hit with my family. Remember to soak the chicken overnight - makes a big difference. It's also a great tip to line the baking sheet with tinfoil for easier clean up.
bshimberg
Providence, RI
12/4/2016
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