Pretty Little Apron

Oven Fried Chicken

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I’ll be the first to admit.. I LOVE fried chicken. Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t though?


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When I was younger, I remember my parents taking me to Hardee’s after church. Remember Hardee’s? Apparently they are still around. Who knew?!?! I totally thought Wendy’s would have taken them down by now. At that time (20 some years ago) everyone was lovin’ the fried chicken at Hardee’s. You know, because it was the 90’s and people were snackin’ on SnackWells and Rice Cakes…then having some fried chicken. Not exactly how you remember your childhood? That’s probably a good thing! *face palm for SnackWells*

I always got the same thing at Hardee’s. If it was breakfast I would get the biscuits and sausage gravy, and if it was lunch I would get friend chicken. I know, I know, WHHHYYY!?!?! I was a kid though and had no idea this stuff was horrible. Now don’t get me wrong, a piece of fried chicken every once in a while isn’t going to kill anyone, but now-a-days I realize the oil they fry the chicken in is likely GMO and may even contain some preservatives and trans fats. Trans fats = deadly. Enough said!

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Then one day a light-bulb went off above my head. How about I make my own chicken in the oven. It will be crispy, juicy, and delicious. No deep-fryer, no GMO oils, no trans fats. Just chicken, butter, spices, and whole wheat flour. Yes, it is THAT easy. And yes, this is one of those times I wish I would have realized this sooner.

For this Oven-Fried Chicken I first marinate the chicken in buttermilk, then pat it dry. After that I season the chicken GENEROUSLY with kosher/pink Himalayan salt, and pepper. I mix the spices together, season each piece, then dredge it in flour. I bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, then give each piece a nice rub of butter, to ensure the skin cooks up crispy and golden. How easy is that?

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Not only do I love this meal because it is extremely delicious, it is also really inexpensive to put together, as chicken leg quarters don’t cost as much as breasts, or boneless chicken meat. I served this Oven Fried Chicken with a baked sweet potato and asparagus to add a ton of extra nutrition to this meal. Take a look. 🙂

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154

Oven Fried Chicken Recipe

By Dana Published: June 23, 2014

  • Yield: 4 Servings
  • Prep: 60 mins
  • Cook: 60 mins
  • Ready In: 2 hrs 0 min

  I'll be the first to admit.. I LOVE fried chicken. Have you ever met anyone who doesn't though?   When I was …

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pour buttermilk over chicken and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Remove chicken from refrigerator and pat skin dry with a paper towel.
  2. Mix spices together. Generously salt and pepper the skin of each piece of chicken, then sprinkle with spice mix.
  3. Dredge in flour and place on broiling or baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until juices run clear. Halfway through, take your 2 Tbsp of melted butter and brush over chicken skin, making sure all flour is wet. If you don't wet all flour, you may end up with dry skin at the end!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    2. Lenora

      OMG! This chicken is amazing, I tried this last week and it was yummy. I made a trip to my spice store and it will be even more yummy tonight.

    3. TShipley

      Can I have the chicken soak overnight? I was going to make this tonight but realized by the time I get home we would be eating close to 8:30 and that is way too late!

    4. Meagan H

      How many chicken quarters did you use? I can’t wait to make this-my husband is going to be over the top excited. 🙂

    5. Sarah

      Hi, this looks delicious! In the directions, you say to sprinkle spice mix on chicken, and then dredge in flour. But in the pictures, it looks like the spices are added to the flour, then you dredge the chicken. Can you clarify where and when you add the spices? Thanks!

      • Dana

        Hi Sarah! You are correct, I did explain differently then pictured! This recipe’s images were updated and the second time I made it I mixed everything together (when I took the flour/spice mixture pic). Having done both ways I would recommend seasoning the skin, then dredging just because that way you know you are getting an even amount of spices on the chicken. Sometimes when I mix spices and flour together and I end up with extra flour I feel like some seasoning is missing. Hope you enjoyed the recipe!

    6. Kim

      I’ve been cooking for about 40 years
      so I know a thing or two about fried
      chicken and this is the BEST oven fried
      chicken I have EVER eaten ! Chances
      are I’ll NEVER deep fry chicken again
      because of this FANTASTIC recipe !

    7. Allie

      Just wanted to comment and say that I made this recipe last week (making it again tonight) and it’s absolutely delicious. I’m always trying healthier recipes of decadent foods, and they usually disappoint. Not this recipe! The chicken is juicy, crispy, and delicious. This will be a staple in my kitchen for years to come. Thank you so much for sharing!

    9. Isaac

      We’ve made this multiple times and recommended it to my mother in-law who didn’t care for it. After talking with her, since we were shocked, we decided the difference was the balsamic vinegar. She used a cheapo one from the grocery store and we were using a high end dipping type. SO, if you wouldn’t dip your bread in it… don’t use it with this recipe because you may just be disappointed. 

      • Dana

        Yes you could certainly give boneless a whirl! I’ve done boneless a few times and they are great!