This is an easy and wonderful change from traditionally baking your chicken.
Chicken thighs are tossed in an easy 3-ingredient coating, then fried in the oven in melted butter. The result is crispy, flavorful skin and meat.
With just 5 minutes of prep, this recipe is an easy addition to your family-friendly meal rotation.
A Perfect Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
There are lots of reasons why I love this recipe.
- Preparation is so easy that you might be surprised at the delicious outcome.
- The result is juicy chicken meat with extra crispy skin.
- This method will also work with chicken drumsticks, wings and any other cuts with the skin-on.
- While I do love Shake n Bake chicken, this is a wonderful from-scratch alternative made with wholesome ingredients.
- It’s so versatile and can be served with almost any side dish like potato wedges and greek salad.
Recipe Ingredients
CHICKEN: The recipe uses 6 chicken thighs. Feel free to use 4-8 depending on how many people to serve. There’s enough coating mix for 8 chicken thighs, but you might need to use a bit more butter for frying.
FLOUR: You can use all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend. I used a gluten-free blend and it turned out beautifully.
BUTTER: This is what the chicken will be fried in while baking. I suppose you could use oil for this step but I haven’t tried it personally. I used salted butter.
SPICES: This recipe keeps things simple with a bit of paprika, salt and pepper used for the chicken coating.
COOKING SPRAY: For crispier results, I do recommend using a cooking spray on the chicken before tossing it in the coating. This is optional, but I find that the skin is more crispy golden when I do this step. You can use any kind of cooking spray for this step.
How To Make Oven Fried Chicken
This is such an easy way to try fried chicken without a deep fryer or air fryer.
- Pat chicken dry, then spray with cooking spray and season with coating mix.
- Bake chicken thighs face down in melted butter according to the full recipe instructions below.
- Flip halfway through.
- Chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F internally. Let sit 10 minutes, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- For crispier results, pat the chicken dry with paper towel before spraying with cooking spray.
- Drippings can be drizzled over mashed potatoes, chicken meat, or rice. They can also be used to make a simple gravy.
- Turn the oven to broil in the last 3-5 minutes for an even crispier skin.
- Cooked chicken should reach 165°F when poked with a meat thermometer.
- Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before serving.
- Leftovers can be reheated in microwave or oven. To make the skin crispy again, broil for 3-4 minutes carefully watching so that it doesn’t burn.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Baked Orange Ginger Chicken uses a delicious orange honey sauce.
- Maple Lemon Garlic Chicken Tenders is simple, flavorful and a family favorite.
- Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Wings are saucy, ooey-gooey, lick-your-fingers deliciousness.
- Garlic Chicken Legs are so easy and a great way to use up inexpensive chicken.
Did you love this chicken recipe? Be sure to leave a rating below!
Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 4-6 chicken thighs
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- nonstick cooking spray - optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Spray the chicken with nonstick cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.
- Add flour, paprika, salt and pepper to a bag or container with a lid. Seal and shake together until mixed. Add one piece of chicken at a time, seal and shake until chicken is coated. Repeat with all chicken thighs.
- Add melted butter to the casserole dish (melt in microwave first). Add each coated chicken thigh skin-side down. Bake for 20 minutes, then use a pair of tongs to flip chicken over.
- Bake an additional 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F with a meat thermometer. Let cool 5-10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- For crispier results, pat the chicken dry with paper towel before spraying with cooking spray.
- Drippings can be drizzled over mashed potatoes, chicken meat, or rice. They can also be used to make a simple gravy.
- Turn the oven to broil in the last 3-5 minutes for an even crispier skin.
- Cooked chicken should reach 165°F when poked with a meat thermometer.
- Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before serving.
- Leftovers can be reheated in microwave or oven. To make the skin crispy again, broil for 3-4 minutes carefully watching so that it doesn’t burn.