In this oven fried buttermilk chicken. Chicken marinates overnight in buttermilk, then gets coated in crushed cornflakes and baked until crispy.
I have a little fear of deep-frying. We’ve discussed this.
And by little… I mean big time.
For me it’s the fear of the oil exploding all over the place and being responsible for burning down my kitchen. I’m sure I’m over dramatizing the situation… but the fear is real. So you may never see a fried recipe on this blog {I’m okay with it} and if you do, it’s because I’m looking to remodel.
This recipe is perfect for a picnic, a party or dinner any night of the week. The night before you can quickly make the spicy buttermilk concoction, pour it over the chicken and pop it into the fridge and go nighty-night. Just give yourself a half an hour and set it out on the counter to bring it up a little in temperature. Then just pull out each piece, drip off the buttermilk and quickly roll the chicken in the finely crushed cornflakes, drizzle a little butter over top and bake. Forty minutes later your house smells amazing and you can sink your teeth into crispy, crunchy, delicious-y oven-fried chicken.
I love fried chicken it’s an American classic and I’m so happy that I can still enjoy it… just minus all that scary hot oil.
Start by measuring two cups of buttermilk.
Smash and peel two large cloves of garlic… and drop them into the buttermilk.
Measure and pour in 3 tablespoons of Frank’s hot sauce…
One tablespoon of your favorite all purpose seasoning salt…
One teaspoon coarse black pepper…
…and a half teaspoon of both paprika and cayenne pepper.
Give it a whisking until the spices are throughout the buttermilk.
As far as the chicken goes, you’ll want four of both drumsticks and thighs. Bone-in and skin-on… well, skin-on for now.
It does take a little muscle power to remove the skin from the chicken. Unless you have a butcher or can buy bone-in, skinless chicken pieces… you’ll have to do this by hand.
Place the chicken into a re-sealable bag or a dish.
Pour the buttermilk over top…
Seal or cover and pop the whole thing into your fridge for 12+ hours.
When the time is up… remove the chicken and let the buttermilk drip off of the chicken and back into the bag.
Place the chicken into the dish with the crushed cornflake crumbs and press, roll and coat the chicken pieces.
Ta-da! We’re almost there.
Place the chicken onto an oven-safe wire rack that is set into a rimmed sheet pan and drizzle with four tablespoons of melted butter.
Bake the chicken in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and crispy.
That’s it. This Oven Fried Buttermilk Chicken are literally to die for. What I love most is what the cornflake crumbs bring to the table. They’re ever so slightly sweet and you can literally taste the buttermilk marinated chicken and all those spices underneath. So so SO good.
And as you can see… these went super fast.
Enjoy! And if you give this Oven Fried Buttermilk Chicken recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance!
Oven-Fried Buttermilk Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cups low fat buttermilk
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce, I use Frank's Red Hot
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 4 skinless bone-in chicken drumsticks
- 4 skinlessbone-in chicken thighs
- 3 cups crushed cornflake crumbs
- 1/2 stick butter
Instructions
- Measure 2 cups of buttermilk and throw in the two cloves of smashed and peeled garlic, three tablespoons of hot sauce, 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning salt, 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and paprika. Whisk to combine.
- In a dish or large re-sealable bag add all of the chicken pieces and pour in the buttermilk. Seal and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 400 and place a wire rack into a rimmed sheet pan.
- Remove the chicken pieces, one at a time, dripping the excess buttermilk back into the bag. Coat each chicken piece in the crumbs and place them onto the rack.
- Drizzle the tops of each piece with butter and bake for 35-40 minutes or until fully cooked.
[this post contains affiliate links.]
Buy the Cookbook: Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy Now available on Amazon »
THANK YOU in advance for your support!
These look picture perfect!! Thanks for the recipe! I’m not a big fan of frying myself. Will definitely try this soon 🙂
I’m with you all the way re frying; this sounds like a much safer (+ healthier) alternative!
My fear is of pressure cookers since as a child I saw one blow a hole in my neighbors roof and catch their house on fire. Oil I can deal with. First I would NOT use the stove top for frying. I use a frying pan with temperature controls. Either way make sure the pan you fry in has a good fitting lid and keep it within reach while cooking. At the first sign of smoke cover the pan and quickly remove the pan from the burner or pull the plug from an electric fry pan.
Lately for health reasons I have been doing my frying in the oven too. My only complaint about this is I have to clean my oven a lot more then I use too. Is there any way to cut down on the spattering in the oven and still get crispy chicken?
Haha, your afraid of deep-frying and I’m afraid of touching raw chicken! I hate it! I have to wear gloves…..and close my eyes and pray I don’t cut my fingers off.
But this recipe is worth it, maybe my mom will help, hehe. Like you said, perfect for a picnic and summer is looming….
This chicken looks delicious – crispy and juicy! Frying stinks! It’s also so messy!!
yum this looks absolutely incredible!!!
I would take this version over fried chicken any day!! WANT!!
What a great marinade, love the way you brought heat to this dish. Fried chicken is such a treat and you have done such a great job.
I despise frying. It makes a mess, and I never know what to do with the used oil. Oh, and my house and hair smell like oil for days. This chicken looks unbelieveably crunchy. Can’t wait to try this!
Fried Chicken makes my Southern heart swoon.
My mouth is WATERING.
Ideal picnic food, and I LOVE that you use thighs and legs, that is pretty much all we use except when we go whole. I have been dreaming of fried chicken, and am thinking it is coming camping with us next time!
I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Delicous!
Oh my goodness! I am dying to make this! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m making this tomorrow. Question, I’ve always had trouble keeping crumbs attached to anything. Is it the overnight in buttermilk or the skinless chicken that helps he crumbs adhere to the chicken?
Love this site, patiently waiting for Cajun recipes. Thanks.
This recipe is a winner! I made it for dinner this evening; we loved it! I used chicken breasts instead since my husband is not a fan of chicken on the bone. It has the perfect amount of spice and heat, and the chicken is so juicy on the inside. Thanks for such a great recipe, Laurie!
Looks amazing!
Do you suppose there are any subtitutes for the buttermillk for a lactose intolerant? how would coconut cream/milk work?
Thanks!
Anna
I share your fear for deep frying and I almost never deep fry my food (but that doesn’t stop me from eating it elsewhere)
The recipe sounds really interesting and I’m going to try it soon. I just opened up my own blog too. It’s just about 3 weeks old.
If my family loves it I will definitely feature it on my own blog. (if thats ok with you)
Thanks
Hi! I don’t have any buttermilk on hand, can I substitute it with whole milk?
I love your blog!
Hi Enybe! Great question but unfortunately the flavor will not be the same. Also buttermilk is also a tenderizer so I recommend waiting until you have the buttermilk.
I don’t like deep frying, won’t do it in fact, but frying chicken does not require deep frying. #1 Get an electric fry pan, that way it’s not on a burner and even if it got knocked over (very unlikely), it wouldn’t catch fire. #2 And electric frying pan will be about 3-4″ deep, with a domed lid. You’re only going to use about an inch of oil. Place your breaded (I just use well seasoned flour) chicken in to 350° oil skin side down. Let fry until it’s just a shade or two lighter than you want the done chicken, then flip it and cook the other side until it attains the same color. #3 At this point I pile the pieces in the lid and cook more chicken, #4 When all the chicken is browned, you pile it all back in the pan, but that domed lid on and lower the heat to about 250°. Let it steam bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on how big your pieces are. #5 Take the lid off and pile most of the chicken back in the lid. Turn it back up to 350° and recrisp both sides. It’s only take a few minutes. As each panful get it’s crispy back, pile it on a serving platter lined with paper towels and keep going until it’s all done, placing the platter in a warm between batches. Don’t overly crowd the pan, but as log as there is enough space between the pieces for the oil to bubble up just enough to crisp the sides, it’s good. This really is the best way to fry chicken. I only do a couple times a year, but when I do, everyone and their aunt Sadie shows up to eat. They all leave happy.
This looks so good! Would the recipe still work if I leave the skin on? Thanks!
Look delicious! May I ask why you do not keep the skin on the chicken?
Great question! The skin won’t crisp so it will just slide off when you bite into the chicken (eww!)