If you eat chicken and like food, you probably like Fried Chicken. You probably love Fried Chicken! But you probably don’t want to use an entire day’s worth of Points on a single piece of chicken. Or lose the ability to button your jeans for the remainder of the weekend. It’s good and all, but not that good. Especially now that you can make this Oven Fried Chicken!
Fried Chicken and Oven Fried Chicken (mostly Bisquick or Cornflake) were staples in our house growing up. They were in heavy rotation, maybe even once a week. When my husband came into my family, he got turned onto Cornflake Chicken as well but it never quite did it for him like real Fried Chicken. Don’t get me wrong, Cornflake Chicken is good but it doesn’t have quite the right crunchy crust.
I knew I needed to keep experimenting and looking for the perfect solution. A recipe that would satisfy my hubby’s Fried Chicken cravings but not be deep fried, that would be easy enough to throw together for a weeknight dinner and would use clean ingredients.
We were doing a couple variations on Bran Flake Oven Fried Chicken last summer and while we liked that better than Cornflake Chicken, we just weren’t quite there yet. Until I found an old Cook’s Illustrated from 1999 that discussed Oven Fried Chicken technology and made a recommendation for using Melba Toast. The Corn Flake wasn’t quite crispy enough and the Bran Flake was just always too sweet. Enter Melba Toast.
Cook’s Illustrated broke down every possible cracker combo in their article and with Melba Toast a clear winner, I knew I needed to try it with my mom’s Cornflake Chicken spice mix.
And we have a serious winner! If you crave Fried Chicken, you HAVE TO MAKE THIS! It’s that good. Yes, I did leave my caps lock on that long. Make it (and let me know how you like it)!
NOTES:
- If you want to start making crispy things in your oven that are not fried but sort of taste like it, you need to buy these cooling racks. Even though they are called cooling racks, I use them for cooking/baking. Air circulates all around the food allowing it to get crisp instead of soggy.
- Yes, you can make this with all legs, thighs, breasts or any combo of the above. But if you go with a whole chicken, make sure to ask the Butcher to remove the skin and cut it into 8 pieces (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs and 2 wings). This is a major time saver!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
The Only Oven Fried Chicken Recipe You Need!
- 1 whole organic chicken cut up into 8 pieces, skin removed
- 5 ounce box Classic Melba Toast crushed
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- non stick cooking spray or oil mister
- Start by lining a baking sheet with tin foil and place cooking rack on top. Lightly spray cooking rack with non stick cooking spray.
- Now, lets crush the Melba Toast. If you are a patient person and want the best possible results, place the Melba Toast in a large ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush it. If you are crunched for time or slightly impatient like me, throw it in the food processor. Help the process a bit by crushing it in the package before tossing into the food processor bowl. You do NOT want the Melba Toast to be completely pulverized. Leave some little pebbles and texture for maximum crispy crunch!
- Add in salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder and oregano. Pulse a couple more times.
- Combine Dijon and light mayo in a shallow dish.
- Get an assembly line ready: chicken, a shallow dish or plate with mayo mixture, Melba crumbs and lined baking sheet.
- Coat one piece of chicken at a time with mayo mixture (just enough to lightly coat) and press into Melba toast crumbs, making sure the chicken is evenly coated. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
- Use an oil mister or non stick cooking spray to lightly spray each piece of chicken.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place oven rack in upper middle position. Cook for 60 minutes, rotating the baking sheet one time at 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve and Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
No blender, no food processor,put melba toast in a food storage bag and drive over with the car on a hard surface,this works well with cookies you when you want crumbs for a dessert recipe.
Yep! My Mom used to do this with graham crackers to make a cheesecake crust!
Thank you for checking for the latest comments in 2019. I want to make this in the next few days and was wondering if you could bake it in a toaster over! Would it just be a shorter time because of the heat in such a small space. Thank you!!
How did this turn out?
I love how this variation is the real key to crispy fried chicken. It helps that you cooled on a wire rack and not paper towels, as you see so often. One question for you; how did you buy Best Food mayo (Hellmann’s) East of the Mississippi? hahaha
Ha!!! I was living in Seattle, WA at the time I wrote the post – hence the Best Foods mayo lol!
I grew up on Southern Oven Fried Chicken with a much easier recipe that always gets raves. Melt a stick of butter in the middle of your roasting pan. You prep the chicken by washing the pieces and shaking them in a paper bag to coat with flour, paprika and salt and pepper. Place the coated pieces around the outside edge of the roasting pan. Cook 1/2 hour per side at 350/375 degrees. Quick and easy to prepare.
So I have a big family and none of them like bone in chicken. How should I change the timing for the cooking of the chicken? I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I’m excited to do so.
Hi! Are you going to try boneless breasts or thighs?
This is a real favorite in our household. When I asked my daughter what she wanted for dinner for her 6th birthday, this is what she asked for! Thanks for the great recipe!!
That is awesome Christine!! You totally made my night – thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know and also a HUGE Happy 6th Birthday to your little girl 🙂
Made this tonight, very good and moist!! We added more of the spices, used boneless chicken breast (moderate thickness) drizzled olive oil on top and cooked at 400 for 35 minutes. Yummm!!
Sounds great Lynn! So glad you liked it and thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I used stale french bread and got the same results. I researched melba toast and found out it is just plain toast! Making Melba toast is easy since you toast bread and cut through the middle without crust. That makes this delicious recipe that much easier. Especially since Melba toasts are rare even here in the UK.
Hi Nicholas,
Glad to hear you found a substitution that worked for you! 🙂
I have looked for Oven-Fried Chicken recipe all over the net but found some with few negative comments about them except for this one. (almost all who tried this had given good feedbacks).
So I will be using your recipe for my daughter’s 1st birthday. And I will be back to give my verdict on this.LOL!! (just kidding). Im trusting this will be a hit.
Hope you all love it Irene! Come back and let me know 🙂
I’ve used this recipe a number of times with Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix-not cubed. So you can eliminate all the spices and just go to the cooking. dee-lish!
Glad you found a way to make it work for you Mary!
Wow! All I can say is amazing. Definitely will be a regular recipe in our house!
Pretty darn good! i’ve tried oven fried chk b4 but something was always off. But this was on the mark with everything, although i did omit the oregano, didnt have any and didnt miss it either. only negative is the hard labor+long prep time for the toast. i need to cook fast since i have a 2 yr old instead of a food processor. Thanks for this, i will def make it again.
Thank you so much Nabila!!!
wonder how this topping would be on fish – missing fish and chips every so often – and if it stays crunchy on chicken hope it does the same on fish!
Hi Linda – It is a pretty spicy / robust topping. I think it might overwhelm most white flaky fishes although it might work on Swordfish or another bold, thick cut.
This looks delicious! I was wondering what size pan you use under the 12×17 cooling rack? I love that your rack fits in there exactly. Thanks!
Hi Mary – I use half-sheet pans like these.
This is delicious! We rarely make fried chicken at home because its always either too greasy or not very flavorful but this recipe fixed both of those problems! Thanks very much for sharing!
Thanks so much Tim – that is exactly why I created it – so glad to hear you loved it as well 🙂
hi does this recipe freeze well? like can i make it a few days in an advance and freeze it. and if i freeze it should i freeze it raw or cooked?
Hi Cheryl,
I have never tried to freeze this chicken – we usually don’t have much leftover and when we do, someone takes it for lunch the next day. I would think that the breading would get soggy in the freezer and from reheating but if you try it, please let me know your results. Thanks 🙂
I try to avoid GMOs so the mayo is out and the canola spray is out. I prefer using a single egg whisked to coat my chicken (pastured chickens only) and then cover it with a mixture of fava/garbonzo flour and gluten free rice bread crumbs. Fry in a pan with coconut oil until each side is crispy, then bake @ 400 for a further 25~30 minutes and check with a meat thermometer that you’re over 80C. Using a cooling rack on top of the baking tray so like you mention, nice and crispy.
Not only is this a crispy, delicious fried chicken recipe, but it also avoids the health concerns of all the GMO products you’d find in North America using this recipe. Cheers!
Man, you must be tough to cook for!!!! LOL
Thanks so much for the detailed tutorial! Delicious! I will never use cornflakes or panko again!
Fantastic! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
I finally made crispy chicken that is juicy. I did change some things; i used normal mayo, a tablespoon of everything for a extra kick, and panko crumbs. I didn’t have a cooling rack but i did have a disposable aluminum pan. 30 mins. later, a masterpiece arrived in to my stomach. Thank you very much for this recipe
So glad it worked out for you and thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Great recipie. Really gave the crunchiness of the chicken just like KFC. One thing I found though is that once I started to devour a piece, I noticed the actual meat slightly bland. Should I use full fat mayo or even marinate chicken slightly in something with extra herbs and spices?
Brill recipie. I had to prove I made this by showing the binned skin of the chicken and the washing up as my lot thought I went down to local KFC!
Thanks for the feedback! You could definitely marinate the chicken in advance in a brine of some sort if you need an extra flavor boost! Have a great weekend 🙂
My husband and I made this for dinner tonight, and it was awesome! The chicken was moist and tender and had a nice crunch and flavor. THis recipe is definitely a keeper!
Thanks Kelly – so glad to hear!
So, if I do end up using boneless chicken breasts, do I need to change the temperature? Fried chicken is a WEAKNESS of mine and I can’t quite find a good baked recipe. (THANK YOU for the cooling rack idea, that makes so much sense!)
Hi Cara,
Yes, you will. I would do them more like “tenders” so they don’t dry out. If you can find chicken on the bone, I recommend it as it will be much more moist! Enjoy 🙂
Delicious!!! My husband loved this so much he requested it once a week! lol Your blog is now my ‘go-to’. Thanks!! 🙂 I also used the multi-grain since the store I went to was out of original.
Fantastic Sara! Thanks so much 🙂
This recipe is AMAZE-BALLS!! So delicious! Better than the Colonel himself! I didn’t have a baking rack, and now I know why it’s important. The toast tends to get a little mushy in the middle, however the flavor remains! No big deal to me. I think I am addicted to this chicken!
Thank you so much Ruby!!! This is definitely a favorite around here and yes, you must get a baking rack pronto 😉
I have Panko on hand – how do you think that will work?
Hi Hazel, I have’t tried the Panko for this dish. I think they might get a big soggy because they are so delicate to begin with. Try it though – let me know how it comes out! Have a great weekend 🙂
You’re right– I’m done looking for a great oven-fried chicken recipe! This is it. I wasn’t paying attention and used table salt so it came out way too salty, my mistake. Regardless, it was delicious and came together so quickly that by the time the oven heated, the chicken was ready to put in. I used chicken breasts cut in half and worried they might be dry but they were moist and perfect. Thank you so much for another dish to add to the meal-planning rotation!
Thank you so much Kari – so glad you loved it!
I just made this oven fried chicken for my family and it is hands down the Best chicken we have ever had!!! So easy to make and so flavorful!!! I’m already making plans to serve this for company!!
That is fantastic – so glad you loved it!!! 🙂
This was great, thanks for sharing! My only issue was that the edges of my chicken breasts got a little dry and chewy– I am assuming I be more generous with the spray? Looking forward to trying the detox salad, just bought some flax oil, which I’ve never cooked with before. Do you have any thoughts about substitutions for the parsley? I love fresh herbs, but am not much of a parsley gal.
Great Katy! I would say either be more generous with the spray or maybe check them 5 minutes earlier since chicken breasts can dry out. How about cilantro instead of the parsley? Or Dill!
The link to the “cooling” racks used seems to be broken. Could you please provide a brand or place to purchase them. I think they might be just what i need to make oven fries and of course this recipe!! thanks
Sorry about that Nico I thought I fixed it earlier. Here you go! CIA Master’s Collection cooling / baking racks.
This recipe is an absolute must try – I am always looking for healthier recipes to replace deep fried things where possible so I am delighted to have come across this!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks Amanda – I hope you love it!!
This recipe looks delish, I hope I can find those crackers. I wanted to know which cooling racks you use, the link did not open for me. Thanks
Hi Shelby! Sorry about that – I think it’s fixed. The racks I use are by CIA baking / cooling racks.
I haven’t made fried chicken in a coon’s age and frankly, I’m intimidated by it! Should I admit that? This looks like a winner. Evernoted. And congrats on your Fitterati nomination! I will vote for you.
Hi Cindy – Thanks for stopping by! I am intimidated by yeast dough and bread baking so we are even! 😉 Try this though – it is really easy and sooo good!
Im am definitely going to try this. How would croutons do with this? Bookmarking this recipe.
Hi Buffie! I think the croutons will become too pulverized and wind up more like the Cornflake chicken. Try to get the Melba if you want that crispy, crunchy coating!
I just forwarded this to my mom! she needs in this in her repertoire, for sure!
Awesome Joanne – I hope she loves it as much as we do 🙂
You have my vote!
I discovered your blog a few weeks ago, when I was browsing for blogs with WW recipes (after joining WW). I enjoy getting your daily emails, and love your recipes!
Pinning this recipe to my “Slimmed Down Recipes” board.
Cheers!
Jenn/Rook No. 17
Hi Jenn! Thanks so much and thanks for stopping by! Good luck with WW 🙂
I want to make this tonight!!! I have tenders defrosted and whole grain Melba, does this work?
I will tell you that I did try the whole grain Melba and it wasn’t *as good* as the Classic but I still think it will be YUMMY! Do you have the cooling racks to elevate the tenders so they get nice and crispy? OK, I ‘m coming over 😉
LOL, OH HOW I WISH YOU COULD!!!!!!! I would love to be cooking in the kitchen side by side with my favorite cuz!!! xoxox
Ummm, I don’t have those racks but I do have a metal cookie rack can I do something to kind of construct it to get the same results?? COME OVER PLEASR?!!!!! ;D
And I’m assuming I cook less time since they are boneless tenders, but how long? 30 minutes?
Help!
😉
Shoot the time difference killed this – sorry! I hope it came out great. I would say 25 to 35 for boneless tenders and a metal cookie rack (as long as its oven safe) is great.
That’s ok, I waited for you. It gave me the night off;) Yes definitely oven safe. I can’t wait to try it tomorrow!!! Thanks cuz! xoxoxo
Cool! Let me know how the tenders come out 🙂
Oh Alyssa, even my picky family loved it! So good! This will definitely be going on the rotation! xoxo
So glad you all loved it!