Oven Fried Chicken

Published January 17, 2019. Updated April 20, 2020

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This Oven Fried Chicken has all the flavors of the deep fried chicken without all the extra fat and oily mess! These chicken thighs are coated with a seasoned Panko and baked until golden brown and perfectly crisp! You wouldn’t believe how close they come to the real thing. This is how you do comfort food.

Oven Fried Chicken on wire rack on baking sheet

Deliciously Satisfying Baked Fried Chicken

I’ve always loved deep-fried chicken, but we all know it’s loaded with fat and calories. This version skips the frying and is coated with lightly oiled panko, then cooked in a hot oven instead of a pot of vegetable oil.

It’s deliciously flavorful and you’ll be swooning over the crispy breading and perfectly tender chicken.

I tested several different ingredients for the coating. I’ve tried melba toast, cornflakes, and Panko, and Panko is my favorite here. Then, I opted to leave out the flour for dredging because it works fine without it here, the egg whites are the perfect “glue” on their own.

I added some spices and herbs to the Panko to build flavor and mimic color (the paprika helps give it a nice orange shade). And you’ll love the light kick from the cayenne.

And this crispy oven fried chicken really isn’t difficult to make. The hardest part here will just be waiting for it to bake in the oven!

Oven Fried Chicken on serving plate with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans.

Oven Fried Chicken Ingredients

The best part about this oven baked fried chicken recipe is that is requires just pantry staples!

  • Panko bread crumbs
  • Olive oil
  • Seasonings (paprika, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, S&P)
  • Egg whites
  • Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of fat)

How to Remove the Skin from Chicken Thighs

Removing the skin is actually really easy (and necessary for this recipe, you don’t want the extra oils). The skin mostly just pulls away then in areas where it sticks trim away with a sharp knife (HERE is a quick video that shows how).

Ingredients for Oven Fried Chicken

How to Make Oven Fried Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large wire rack with non-stick cooking spray and place in an 18 by 13-inch baking sheet.
  • Pour Panko into a shallow mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss and rub with fingertips to evenly moisten.

Mixing panko with olive oil and spices in a shallow dish for oven fried chicken.

  • Sprinkle in paprika, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste then toss.
  • In a separate shallow mixing bowl whisk together egg whites, salt and pepper until slightly frothy.

Dressing chicken thigh in egg white in a bowl and panko for Oven Fried Chicken

  • Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip both sides of chicken in egg white then transfer to Panko mixture and dredge both sides in mixture while pressing crumbs to adhere, sprinkle some over top as well and press.

Eight panko and olive oil coated chicken thighs on a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet before baking.

  • Transfer to prepared wire rack spacing evenly apart.
  • Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and cooked through (center of thickest portion should register 165ºF on an instant read thermometer), about 50 minutes. Serve warm.

Oven Fried Chicken on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.

Can I Use Boneless Thighs or Chicken Breasts?

I personally prefer the bones because they add flavor, plus they take longer to cook with bone-in so you end with a really crispy coating that has a nice golden brown color. But boneless thighs or chicken breasts will work fine too.

How Long do You Cook Oven Fried Chicken?

  • Chicken thighs with bones (about 5 – 6 oz each, after removing skin) will take about 50 minutes at 400 degrees F.
  • If using boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each), cook time should be about 20 – 25 minutes.
  • Boneless thighs (about 4 – 5 oz) should take about 25 – 30 minutes.

Oven Fried Chicken on white plate with mashed potatoes and green beans

Can I Use Regular Breadcrumbs?

No, I don’t recommend using regular breadcrumbs for this oven fried chicken recipe. Panko breadcrumbs are lighter and flakier than regular breadcrumbs, and they’re what make this baked fried chicken so crispy.

What to Serve with Fried Chicken

This healthy fried chicken pairs nicely with your favorite side dishes. A few of my favorite fried chicken sides include:

Slicing into a piece of Oven Fried Chicken

Tips for Making Oven Fried Chicken

  • If your oven generally browns more than average and you find the Panko coating is getting darker than you’d like, you can drape a sheet of foil over the chicken when needed and continue to bake through.
  • This baked breaded chicken is best enjoyed right away as it loses its crispness over time.
  • If you love heat, feel free to add more cayenne pepper.

More Comforting Chicken Dishes to Make:

16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

Oven Fried Chicken
5 from 32 votes

Oven Fried Chicken

All the flavors of the deep fried chicken without all the extra fat and oily mess. These chicken thighs are coated with a seasoned Panko and baked until golden brown and perfectly crisp!
Servings: 8
Prep20 minutes
Cook50 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a large wire rack over an 18 by 13-inch baking sheet, spray wire rack with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Pour Panko into a shallow mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss and rub with fingertips to evenly moisten.
  • Add paprika, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste then toss.
  • In a separate shallow mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, salt and pepper until slightly frothy.
  • Working with one pieces of chicken at a time, dip both sides of chicken in egg white then transfer to Panko mixture and dredge both sides in mixture while pressing crumbs to adhere, sprinkle some crumbs over top as well and press.
  • Transfer to prepared wire rack spacing evenly apart. 
  • Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and cooked through (center of thickest portion should register 165ºF on an instant read thermometer), about 50 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes

  • If your oven generally browns more than average and you find the Panko coating is getting darker than you'd like, you can drape a sheet of foil over the chicken when needed and continue to bake through.
  • This method will work for boneless thighs or boneless chicken breasts too. Cook time will be about half but as always test to 165 degrees F in center for doneness.
Nutrition Facts
Oven Fried Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 282 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 96mg32%
Sodium 219mg10%
Potassium 304mg9%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 190IU4%
Calcium 37mg4%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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74 Comments

  • Debbie

    This is fantastic! A much healthier version of fried chicken but every bit as crispy. I would like to know if I can do ahead? I was thinking about preparing the day before and placing the baking sheet in the fridge so I can have my (adult) son put it in the oven before I get home from work. Do you think that would work?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Unfortunately prep a day ahead wouldn’t work as the Panko would become soggy. So glad you enjoy this recipe though!

  • Will

    Hi.
    Can you add cornstarch to keep it crispy?
    Can I bake the skin separately? (That’s the best part lol.)
    Thanks.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      The skin should come out crispy with the recipe as listed. :)

  • Robin H

    In this recipe I used legs instead of thighs. I spiced up the panko bread crumbs to what I like. It took about an hour to cook because they were really big legs.
    This is a very easy and delicious recipe for crispy oven fried chicken. My daughter commented and said you may shake and bake and I told her this is homemade shake and bake crispy fried chicken from the oven.
    Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe.

  • Pennmom

    Delicious! Absolutely the best fried chicken tasting recipe and best of all it”s not fried.

  • Tina Tahmineh Yaghoubi

    We made it tonight with boneless chicken thighs and it was amazing! Thank you for this amazing recipe that we will be making over and over and over again!

  • Cecilia

    Excellent. Recipie as written is a keeper. We loved it. I have already recommend it to family. Thank you.