Simplify your dinner with this Oven Fried Chicken that comes out crispy & delicious in about an hour. Less mess & clean up, the best-baked chicken recipe. Ever!
My mom was a baker. She did a great job making sweets. But that is where it really ended for her in the kitchen. She didn’t really cook much that I can remember & so when I got out on my own I lived on things like toast & hamburger helper. Easy stuff.
So when I met the hubs we ate a lot of what he calls bachelor food. But I knew we couldn’t live on that forever.
So I started learning the basics & one of the first things I perfected was fried chicken. I make it in a handful of different ways – all equally as good as the next.
But the one that I make the most – this Oven Fried Chicken.
oven fried chicken recipe
It’s so simple to make. I like to coat my chicken using a zip-top bag. Just toss in there with my favorite flour– close & shake. It keeps the mess to a minimum & it does a great job.
I have been making this recipe for 20 years & I can tell you that each & every time we marvel at not only how easy it is to make but just how tasty it is after a long day.
Oh & did I mention that it takes less than 10 minutes to prep & a little over an hour to cook? That’s it! I told you it was easy!
It really is no wonder this recipe has been pinned millions of times & shared on Facebook over 1 MILLION TIMES. It is CRAZY EASY!
This recipe is the one that even my son makes now that he’s out on his own. He can cook once & live off the leftovers all week, which is so great considering how busy he is with work and classes.
Love easy chicken recipes? If you want to make a traditional but simple pot pie, check out my Easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can this be made with drumsticks?
You can do that. Just cook for about 40-45 minutes, turning them over after about 30 minutes. You’ll know they are done when the meat is no longer pink at the bone and the juices are clear. A meat thermometer inserted near the bone should register 165 degrees.
How do you think this would be using Almond Flour to make this recipe Keto-friendly?
I don’t think it would hurt to give it a try. If you make it, please let me know how it turns out. I have tried it with egg white protein powder and most of the time it turns out great with that.
What is the best way to store leftover oven-baked chicken thighs?
After serving, place the leftover chicken in a shallow airtight container. Be sure to label with the date before refrigerating.
The chicken should keep for up to 2 days. As with most things, it is important to get food into the refrigerator within 1 hour after serving to prevent bacteria growth.
Why use a shallow container to store the leftovers?
Well, when the container is shallow, the contents chill faster than if you were to use a large, deep container. Ideally, you don’t want it to take too long for the leftovers to get to their chilled/stored temperature.
As I mentioned, if the food remains above about 35 degrees for more than 1 hour after cooking, the bacteria starts to grow.
So, if the deep container of food takes several hours to finally get to that 35 degrees, the bacteria has been growing in your leftovers for those several hours. Not exactly what you want to happen.
Can you convert this recipe to a convection oven?
Yes – typically with convection you would reduce the temp by 25 degrees OR reduce the time by 25% but I’m not sure about the timing as I have never tried it with convection.
I have a convection chart here but it has been many years since I have updated it and I need to add several more categories.
You might need to use one of the many online free convection converters to get more accurate instructions for this.
How many can this serve?
This will depend greatly on portion sizes & the appetites of your crowd. I typically buy a large pack of chicken thighs that contains 8-10 pieces. So if all 5 of us in our family have 1-2 pieces each, it can feed us for 1 dinner.
oven baked fried chicken
Can I use a baking sheet pan or a cookie sheet pan?
I don’t recommend doing that because you need the taller sides to hold in the juices – that’s what helps to make the skins crispy and crunchy.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, you can double this recipe. But due to constraints on how much the pan can hold, you might have to do 2 baking pans and bake them side-by-side.
Can I make it without paprika?
Yes, of course. You can always add other seasonings if you like. Pick your favorites and swap those in or add them in addition to the seasonings listed here.
HOW DO YOU MAKE OVEN FRIED CHICKEN?
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 metal, stoneware or enameled cast iron baking dish with cooking spray & set aside. (please see notes in the post about using Pyrex or clear glass dishes)
- Combine the chicken, flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a large gallon-size zip-top bag-. Seal the bag & shake well until chicken is coated in flour.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the bag & place skin-side down in the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle with additional seasonings to taste if desired.
- Bake 30-35 minutes.
- Remove & turn each piece of chicken over so they are skin side up and then sprinkle with more seasonings.
- Bake an additional 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven & transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
Can this be made with frozen chicken?
I don’t recommend trying to make this recipe with frozen chicken. It would drastically increase the cooking time and result in the skin burning while trying to get the internal temperature to a safe level.
***NOTE: Due to some safety concerns with baking glass cookware at high temperatures, please use a Metal Baking Dish, Corningware or Enameled cast iron dish.
Can you tell me about the concern with clear glass bakeware?
NOTE- one of the videos we made of this recipe shows us using a glass pan. This was MANY YEARS AGO and PRIOR to learning about the issues with these pans. We had used the glass pan for many years and never had a problem. However – our son used a newer one and had the pan explode. (we did an updated video on Instagram showing a different pan)
There have been countless reports of the glassware exploding – I even had one of my readers tell me that when she was pulling out the dish at the end of baking, the whole thing exploded, sending glass & all the hot juices all over her oven, kitchen & herself.
I don’t recommend using them for baking over 350 degrees. Some say that it is because they set the hot dish on a cool countertop, but many people report that it happened when they were pulling it out before it left the oven, and in some cases, when it wasn’t even being touched with the door closed.
You can see more information here and there are many images on the internet if you search glass bakeware exploding.
ALSO – you can watch this TikTok video I found that explains that the OLD glass dishes with the all-caps logo “PYREX” (made by Corning) are the older version that is made with borosilicate and are safe to use.
The ones with the lowercase logo “pyrex” (made by Corelle) are made by the new company since it was sold in 1998 and those are the ones made without borosilicate (the new ones are made with soda lime – which isn’t as durable or resistant to large fluctuations in temperature) which makes them so durable.
So – that is how you tell which dishes are good to use.
How to Oven Fry Chicken
Ingredients for Oven Fried Chicken
- chicken thighs with skin
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- pepper
- smoked paprika
Oven Fried Chicken Thighs
If you love this easy fried chicken recipe, you’re going to love these other delicious recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
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Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 8-10 pieces chicken thighs with skin bone-in
- 1 cup all-purpose flour up to 3 cups depending on how much coating you like.
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 3 tsp table salt
- 2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 metal, stoneware or enameled cast iron baking dish with cooking spray & set aside. (please see notes in the post about using Pyrex or clear glass dishes)
- Combine the chicken, flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a large gallon-size zip-top bag-. Seal the bag & shake well until chicken is coated in flour.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the bag & place skin-side down in the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle with additional seasonings to taste if desired.
- Bake 30-35 minutes.
- Remove & turn each piece of chicken over so they are skin side up and then sprinkle with more seasonings.
- Bake an additional 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven & transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Richelle says
Bake with lid or without?
Gina Kleinworth says
No lid
Linda S says
This is so yummy!!
Star says
Good-Icut the recipe to 1/3 ,only cooked 2 thighs.browned nice was crispie. Chicken tender ,will put it on roation ,thank you
Amanda says
Very good and crispy!!
Kelly says
What kind of paprika works best?
Gina Kleinworth says
Whatever you have or prefer is fine. As I mentioned, we prefer smoked paprika, but it really is a personal choice. It isn’t going to ruin the recipe if you change it.
Dorothy says
My husband loves fried chicken. I prefer baked. I reduced the flour to 2 cups. I had more than enough for a 6 pound chicken. It was delicious!
Deborah Saunders says
I fixed this oven fried chicken tonight for supper an it turned out great. It was crispy an juicy. My husband loved it. Will definitely make agai
Lynette says
So easy and yummy. Baked in a cast iron dish. Have had two glass dish explosions and what a mess. Not to mention loss of a good dinner. Both happened as I was about to take them out of the oven in new glass dishes. Metal only from now on.
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh, I am so glad to hear that you liked it. Also very sorry to hear about your glass dish issues, though. It certainly isn’t fun and quite dangerous too. Using cast iron is a great alternative.
Kim. says
Sounds good
Jeanne DeBoer says
Would another cut of chicken work? Nobody likes dark meat.
Gina Kleinworth says
I have not tried it with another cut of chicken. It would have to be bone-in and still have the skin on it. I would imagine larger pieces would take longer than shown here.
Connie says
Our chicken came out amazing! I used to use a popular seasoning packet and realized how many preservatives were in it. This was fast simple and now one of our favorites. We call it” takes like fried but its not”. Thanks for recipe!!😊
Valeri Hume says
Would a foil pan that you buy at the store like for a turkey or whatever be a good pan to cook this chicken in?
Gina Kleinworth says
I have never tried it in a pan like that. I would think that as long as it has a rating to withstand that temperature, it should be fine. Make sure to support the bottom when pulling it out, so that the pan doesn’t collapse. There will be plenty of hot juices from the chicken in the bottom that you don’t want to spill.
Emily says
Hello! Is the chicken fresh or frozen?
Gina Kleinworth says
Please use fresh chicken. You can use previously frozen and then thawed chicken, but baking chicken from a frozen state will not end with a good result.
Hailey Scroggs says
My husband told me this is the best chicken he’s ever had when I made it for him! Making again for the third time tonight! Love it so much!
Lydia says
Quick tip for glass cookware: to further prevent thermal shock to the glass, I recommend putting the pan your going to use in the oven while it’s heating up with 4 tablespoons of butter in the pan, when the butter is fully melted, pull the pan out, set it on the cook top to keep it warm and add your chicken, quickly returning it to the oven. I recommend 375° with this method. 40-45min each side max. I hope this can help a few bigginners.
Gina Kleinworth says
The issue people were having was when they were removing the pan after it has been completely cooked. So they then had hot juices exploding in the oven.
Margaret Grissom says
I made this last night and it was delicious! I used breasts (cut in half) and drumsticks because that’s what I had on hand. Next time I’ll use less flour and add the seasonings after I flour the chicken. We will definitely be having this again soon!
Ximena says
Absolutely love this recipe!!! Super easy and delicious!!
Dianna says
Flour stays on the chicken n doesn’t bake in.
Not a good recipe.
Gina Kleinworth says
It sounds like the chicken didn’t get flipped at the halfway point. The flour should definitely bake in – I think there was a step that was missed in the prep process.
Vicky D. says
Wow! So crispy moist and delicious! Easy recipe. I put the spices on after i floured the chicken and again when I turned it over. I wish I could post a picture of my dinner. Thanks for this great recipe that I will be adding to our dinner rotation.!
Deborah Moidel says
Last weekend my mother-in-law passed away and after the funeral we had relatives come over to eat. One of the meals on the Buffay was your fried chicken. I had eight pieces and whoever ate it wanted your recipe so it was a success. I will definitely make this again, thank you for the recipe for the time in need
Gina Kleinworth says
I’m SO VERY SORRY for your loss. Thank you for giving it a try and taking the time to come back to share your experience, even with all that you are going through right now. I truly appreciate it. BIG Hugs Deborah!
Deborah Moidel says
Hi Gina! Thank you for your kind thoughts! Last week was difficult & exhausting because I was the executor to hosting all of the out of town family! I’m exhausted this week!
But I needed your recipe again because it’s simplistic & easy to make. 6 drumsticks this time. I think the flour should be cut back a tad. I was brought up never to waste food. So I did 2 cups of flour for 6 legs & had to pitch the rest of the flour out.
Nevertheless I enjoyed your recipe but next time I will definitely do the thighs! Thanks for sharing! Deborah
Jennifer Ison says
Can boneless thighs work?
Gina Kleinworth says
They won’t work the same – especially since boneless thighs are usually also skinless. You need the skin as the meat itself won’t get crispy when coated and baked. Also the baking time will change significantly without the bone.
Rachael says
This was sooooo delicious!! I wanted to know if you think it would “fry” as well if I used a sheet pan? Thank you!
Gina Kleinworth says
I’m glad you liked it. Unfortunately a sheet pan won’t work because part of the reason it becomes crispy is because it is “frying” in the juices the chicken releases. If you have it on a sheet pan, the flour will stay dry and you won’t get the same frying affect.
Debra Newman says
I put condensed milk, milk and honey in bag mixed well put chicken marinade for 2 hours. Used seasoned flour that I added pepper flakes to for coating. Then baked as directed. Best chicken my family and I have ever eaten.
Jenny says
This recipe is a flop. I followed the instructions to the letter. I even had my chicken out ahead to placing it in the oven and it took almost 2 hours to “fry” and my skin didn’t look anything like the picture. The picture is actually fried. I can appreciate the thought but this recipe was not tested and if it was then there’s a step not listed
Gina Kleinworth says
I have made this exact recipe almost every week for the last 30 years & my kids now make it for their families. It’s difficult to mess this one up. Every single time someone tells me they followed the recipe to the letter – when I press for details, it turns out that something was changed or missed altogether.
Also, your assumptions about the images are incorrect. The photo is what the chicken WILL look like if the recipe was followed because I took those photos myself after making this recipe. There is also a video in the post that shows the whole process – including what it will look like when it is done. You can also see an updated video on my Instagram that I just created a few weeks ago – https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrbovTZuMwk/ – same recipe, same result.
Were you using bone-in chicken thighs that were fresh and not frozen? Are you sure your oven thermometer reached 425 degrees? What type of dish were you using?
Angela says
Unreal how good these came out!! This recipe has been added to my dinner rotation!