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
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Start by lining a baking sheet with tin foil and place cooking rack on top. Lightly spray cooking rack with non stick cooking spray.
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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!
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Add in salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder and oregano. Pulse a couple more times.
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Combine Dijon and light mayo in a shallow dish.
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Get an assembly line ready: chicken, a shallow dish or plate with mayo mixture, Melba crumbs and lined baking sheet.
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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.
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Use an oil mister or non stick cooking spray to lightly spray each piece of chicken.
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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.
Steve says
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!
Pat Nugent says
Man, you must be tough to cook for!!!! LOL
Milan says
Thanks so much for the detailed tutorial! Delicious! I will never use cornflakes or panko again!
EverydayMaven says
Fantastic! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
G.M says
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
EverydayMaven says
So glad it worked out for you and thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Mu says
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!
EverydayMaven says
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 🙂
Kelly says
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!
EverydayMaven says
Thanks Kelly – so glad to hear!
Cara Roxanne says
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!)
EverydayMaven says
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 🙂
Sara S. says
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.
EverydayMaven says
Fantastic Sara! Thanks so much 🙂
Ruby says
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!
EverydayMaven says
Thank you so much Ruby!!! This is definitely a favorite around here and yes, you must get a baking rack pronto 😉
Hazel says
I have Panko on hand – how do you think that will work?
EverydayMaven says
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 🙂
Kari says
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!
EverydayMaven says
Thank you so much Kari – so glad you loved it!