Oven Baked Fried Chicken

Crispy, Crunchy PLUS ALL THE FLAVOR of the deep fried south!  Trust me, you WON'T be sorry for trying these baked chicken legs and baked chicken thighs. Any piece of chicken will work for Oven Baked Fried Chicken.

Why This Recipe Works...

• Easy!
• Fast!
• Works with ANY cut of chicken.
• Perfect Baked Chicken Legs, thighs, breast, etc. 
• The crushed potato chips give extra flavor and crunch! 

Here's How To Do It

STEP 1. 

Pat the chicken dry, then coat with melted butter. 

STEP 2. 

Crush potato chips, flour and seasoning in a zip lock bag or bowl. Coat the chicken with the chip mix by pressing it into the skin.

STEP 3. 

Set on baking sheet or on rack in baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Then allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Can I Remove the Skin?

Yes, absolutely you can.  You do not HAVE to though, it is better if the skin is left on, but that's a personal choice.

How Do I Remove Skin from Chicken? 

I know this sounds gross, but just pull it off. If any sticks to the chicken, use a knife and scrape it off. 

I Need An Easy Oven Fried Drumstick Recipe, Do You Have One?

Yes!  This is the easiest and tastiest one you will find!

Can I Use Something Besides Potato Chips For This Recipe?

Yes! Absolutely! 

Substitute any of the following...

• Frito Chips
• Tortilla Chips
• Dorito Chips
• Panko Breadcrumbs
• French Fried Onions
• Canned potato stix
• Bacon bits
• Pork Rinds
• Corn Flakes
• Saltines
• Butter Crackers

Can I Substitute Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Boneless Thighs? 

Yes, you can use ANY cut of chicken for this recipe!  You may need to adjust the baking time. 

Cook until juices run clear and the meat is uniformly cooked throughout. 

How Long Do I Need To Cook Oven Baked Fried Chicken? 

For legs, boneless breasts and boneless thighs, you will bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes.

The BEST way to know when your chicken is done is to test with a good thermometer and make sure it is at 165 degrees. 

You can check out the thermometer that I recommend and other kitchen goodies on my Resources Page.

Can I make Baked Chicken Legs in the Air Fryer? 

Yes! Absolutely!  

1. Preheat the airfryer to 400. 
2. Coat the chicken legs according to the recipe below.
3. Cook in the Airfyer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until they reach an internal temperature of 165. 

Can I make These Baked Chicken Legs in the Instapot or Crockpot? 

Actually, this recipe doesn't work in either the instapot or crockpot because the skin doesn't crisp that way.

How about making this recipe in a Toaster Oven? 

Yes, you SURE can!  

1.  Follow the instructions below for a regular oven. 
2. Use a thermometer to make sure that the chicken is done at the appropriate time.
3. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temp of 165.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR OVEN BAKED FRIED CHICKEN

• You can use any cut of chicken you would like but you may need to adjust the baking time.
• If you are really concerned about the butter, you can use yogurt or egg or buttermilk. Honestly though, the butter works best because it helps to crisp the skin a little. You won’t be having that much butter on each piece any way.
• Back before I had a cooling rack, I made this chicken by just baking it on a cookie sheet or by baking it in a baking dish - and that worked fine. The only issue is that the skin doesn’t crisp as much and the chicken will lay in any drippings that happen making it a little soggy and oily - but that isn’t the end of the world.
• If you don’t have any potato chips, you can also use crunched up corn flakes cereal, crackers, breadcrumbs - just about anything that will make a crust - but at the Loaves and Dishes house, we like potato chips!

PRO TIP: One thing you'll need is The Best Way to Freeze Chicken (Easy Freezing) method that I've outlined here!

What Do I Serve This Dish With? 

We LOVE ours with....

Macaroni and Cheese

Classic Mashed Potatoes

Slow Cooker Beans and Potatoes

and of course, 

Banana Pudding

Other GREAT Chicken Dishes on Loaves and Dishes...

Cha Cha Chicken

Chicken and Dumplings

Blueberry Balsamic Chicken 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ya’ll Help me Out, OK?

Please leave me a 5 star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  comment below in the comment section , all right? I would LOVE to know if you made this recipe or even if you are planning to! Of course, head on over to Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram and tag me with some photos of your creation!

I can’t wait!

Ya’ll know I love your comments!! ❤

Oven Baked Fried Chicken

Keep this recipe pinned to your fridge for the next time you want a quick dinner but don't want to compromise on delicious. 

5 from 2 votes

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Course: main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: How to Bake Chicken legs, oven baked fried chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 181kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 8 pieces of bone in/skin on chicken we like dark meat
• 1 stick of unsalted sweet cream butter
• ½ Cup all purpose flour
• 1 packet of medium heat taco seasoning
• 1 packet powdered Ranch dressing
• 1 cup potato chips crushed
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black ground pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Place a rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Melt butter in the microwave in a small microwave safe dish. Remove the chicken from the package and pat dry using paper towels. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, the taco seasoning, ranch dressing, crushed potato chips salt and pepper.
• Brush each piece of chicken with the melted butter and then using your hands pat the flour mixture onto the chicken and pat it into the skin as well as possible so that it adheres well.
• Lay each piece of chicken on the rack in the rimmed baking sheet and allow an inch or more between each piece so that the air in the oven can circulate. Once all chicken is coated, place the baking sheet into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 35-40 minutes. Chicken is done when the juices run clear and inner temp is 165. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

• You can use any cut of chicken you would like but you may need to adjust the baking time.  
• If you are really concerned about the butter, you can use yogurt or egg or buttermilk.  Honestly though, the butter works best because it helps to crisp the skin a little. You won’t be having that much butter on each piece any way.
• Back before I had a cooling rack, I made this chicken by just baking it on a cookie sheet or by baking it in a baking dish - and that worked fine.  The only issue is that the skin doesn’t crisp as much and the chicken will lay in any drippings that happen making it a little soggy and oily - but that isn’t the end of the world.
• If you don’t have any potato chips, you can also use crunched up corn flakes cereal, crackers, breadcrumbs - just about anything that will make a crust - but at the Loaves and Dishes house, we like potato chips.

PRO TIP:  If you are concerned about eating chicken skin, then it is just fine to remove it.  This recipe tastes perfectly good without chicken skin.  However, the skin does add a lot of flavor and we suggest leaving it on. 

PRO TIP:  It is super important to cook chicken to an internal temp of 165.  Sometimes the chicken meat can be a pink color and be at the proper temperature.  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Oven Baked Fried Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 181 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Cholesterol 2mg1%

Sodium 726mg30%

Potassium 366mg10%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 25IU1%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 5mg1%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Mention @loavesanddishes or tag #loavesanddishes!

***This Dish first appeared on the pages of Loaves and Dishes on April 16, 2016 and has been updated with "Why this Recipe works", "step by step photo instructions", Frequently asked questions, What to serve with this dish, Other related chicken recipes, video, the recipe card was updated, nutrition information was added and recipe notes and pro tips were added***

A VERSE TO SHARE

This week I had to deliver bad news to my dearest friend. I've thought a lot about that encounter and how it happened.

Let me tell you something, terrible bad news is the last thing in the world you want to tell someone who you love so much.

Yet, if she had to hear that bad news, I'm glad to be the one to tell her.

Why? Because I know she trusts me and understands that I would never ever do something to intentionally hurt her, and because sometimes the straight up honest truth is what you most need to hear. Even if it hurts. 

It reminds me that the Bible actually has quite a LOT of bad news for Christians. A LOT of BAD NEWS!

The good news? Jesus has already conquered that for us. 

John 16:33