Truly Crispy Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken

You won’t be disappointed by this recipe! Made using a simple technique, this chicken gets so crispy in the oven – it’s hard to believe it isn’t deep fried!

My family has a complete and utter love affair with oven-fried everything. The kids will eat homemade chicken nuggets any day of the week, and the husband considers himself the luckiest guy in the world whenever I make my oven-fried fish.

I won’t lie – breading is probably my least favorite cooking technique, right next to rolling an endless pile of homemade meatballs… Either way, this chicken comes out supremely delicious. Is it a little tedious to make? You bet. Worth every second spent in the kitchen? Oh, but yes.

Ingredients 

For the marinade:

• ▢½ teaspoon salt
• ▢½ teaspoon ground paprika
• ▢¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢1 cup buttermilk
• ▢½ lemon juice only
• ▢2 pounds of chicken breast cut into strips (or use tenders)

For the dry coating:

• ▢1 ¼ cup white flour
• ▢4 tablespoon plain bread crumbs panko or regular both work
• ▢½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢½ tablespoon salt or less to taste
• ▢2-3 teaspoons garlic powder
• ▢1 teaspoon ground paprika
• ▢1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢½ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the wet coating:

• ▢2 large eggs
• ▢⅔ cup buttermilk

For the pan:

• ▢⅓ cup butter

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions 

Prep the chicken:

• Marinade: Whisk together all ingredients for the marinade (except for the chicken) in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces, making sure they’re all well coated. Cover and place in the fridge for one hour up to overnight. (If you are short on time, simply place all the ingredients in a zip-lock bag and massage the chicken for a few minutes. Let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before using.)

Preheat oven and pan:

• Prep the pan and oven: Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C). While the oven is preheating, place a dark, rimmed roasting or baking pan in the oven to heat up (more info in the post).

Bread the chicken:

• Mix the dry coating: Place all ingredients for the dry coating in a large bowl. Mix well.
• Mix the wet coating: To a separate bowl, add the eggs and ⅔ cup buttermilk. Whisk very well.
• Coat the chicken pieces: Shake off any excess marinade. Dredge the chicken through the flour mix, shaking off any excess. Dip in the egg mix, making sure the chicken is evenly covered. Dredge through the flour mix once more, making sure the chicken is evenly covered, shaking off any excess.
• Bake the chicken:
• Place butter and chicken on pan: Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, using oven gloves. Melt the butter on it, then place the chicken pieces on top without overcrowding the pan.
• Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, carefully flip and bake for another 5-10 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken pieces are). Finish by broiling for a few minutes, until golden and crispy.
• Serve: The chicken will feel soft right as it comes out of the oven. Let it sit for 2 minutes before serving, it will crisp up. Don’t let it sit for a long period of time before you eat it, or it will start turning soggy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 456kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 40gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 185mgSodium: 1764mgPotassium: 809mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 795IUVitamin C: 6.6mgCalcium: 143mgIron: 2.6mg