Oven Fried Chicken (KFC Copycat)

4.94 from 130 votes

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My recipe for oven fried chicken has everything you love about crispy chicken with way less hassle. Chicken is marinated in buttermilk, dredged in a batter with 11 herbs and spices, then baked to crispy perfection. This baked version is easier, healthier, and loaded with just as much crunch and flavor!

holding a crunchy drumstick over a basket of oven fried chicken


This recipe for oven fried chicken is one that I had been working on perfecting for a long time. Through much trial and error, I finally came up with the winning formula back in 2014. I’m sharing this again with new updated information, photos and a new video below in the recipe card to see how to make this.

Like any decent KFC copycat recipe, this recipe features a blend of 11 zesty and robust herbs and spices. Instead of going into the deep fryer, however, this chicken gets rendered and crispy right in the oven. This method leaves you with tender, juicy meat on the inside and a delightful crunchy exterior. Plus, it makes both cooking and cleanup easier!

basket of oven fried chicken KFC copycat

For more tasty chicken recipes, check out my Habanero Apricot Chicken, Baked Cubano Chicken, and Creamy Chicken Madeira.

closeup: spices for this KFC copycat recipe

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Chicken – I like to use bone-in, skin-on cuts for this recipe, and I use all the different pieces. Using boneless chicken breasts is also an option, but you will need to decrease your cooking time to 10 minutes per side. 
  • Buttermilk – Keeps the chicken tender and moist while helping the breading stick. 
  • Panko Breadcrumbs – These light, airy bread crumbs add an extra layer of crunch. 
  • Butter – Added to the baking pan, this adds an extra layer of crispness and flavor. 
  • 11 Herbs and Spices – A combination of salt, white pepper, black pepper, celery salt, Italian seasoning, garlic, mustard, paprika, ginger, turmeric, and cayenne make this a true KFC copycat recipe. 
  • Baking Powder – Gives the seasoning mix an added crunch factor.
overhead: KFC copycat recipe on a baking sheet

Tip From Kevin

To double dip and dredge or not?

  • The image above and shows the seasoning and breading I came up with although the photo shows the batch that I double dipped. As in buttermilk marinated chicken, then shake it off, dredge in the seasoned flour and then back in the buttermilk with an added beaten egg and dredged again. Double dipped and ready to bake. Melted butter gets drizzled over each chicken piece and in the oven they went.
  • What I found out was this double dredge technique is great if your actually frying the chicken (yes, I tested it that way, too!). It was good (see image below), though the breading was too much and got slightly steamed on the inside while baking. It was crunchy on the outside, but half of it slide off when taking a bite. Not that crunch-tastic fried chicken feel I was looking for.
  • While it did indeed taste great, I adjusted the paprika and black pepper and used white pepper for the next batch and liked that better as well only doing one dredge. To get the extra crunch my secret is to add some baking powder to the dredge.
  • I prefer how the recipe is listed below in the recipe card (watch the video!), but feel free to experiment if you like!
sideview: oven fried chicken in a basket

How to Make Oven Fried Chicken

  1. Marinate the Meat. Place all of the chicken pieces, skin intact, in a sturdy ziploc bag. Pour the buttermilk into the bag and squeeze out any excess air. Use your hands to massage the buttermilk into the chicken, then place the whole bag in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. 
  2. Mix the Seasoning. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, panko, and 11 herbs and spices. Set the bowl aside. 
  3. Batter the Chicken. Place a 13×9 inch pan in the oven to get hot for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, remove the chicken from the buttermilk, shaking off any excess. Then, use one hand to dredge each piece in the seasoned flour mix, coating on all sides. 
  4. Transfer to Baking Dish. Drizzle the melted butter into the bottom of the heated pan and arrange each piece of chicken, skin side down, in the pan. Make sure to leave plenty of room so they fry rather than steam. 
  5. Bake Until Crispy. Keep the pan uncovered and bake the chicken for 12 minutes. Flip the pieces over, return the pan to the oven, and bake for another 12 minutes. You may need to add more time for larger pieces, but your chicken will be done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. 
  6. Serve. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before diving in.
overhead: a basket of this KFC copycat recipe

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my oven fried chicken soggy?


To get the crispiest, crunchiest fried chicken possible, be sure not to overcrowd the baking pan. Air needs to be able to circulate around each piece to get the oven-fried effect we are aiming for. 

Make sure that your oven is fully preheated and set to 425 degrees F. Cooking at too low of a temperature will also lead to less-than-crispy results. Don’t forget to preheat the baking pan too! 

When dredging and battering your chicken, be sure that you shake off any excess liquid and leave only what you need for the breading to stick.

What should I serve with oven fried chicken?


Since this is a KFC copycat recipe, I like to pair it with homemade versions of some of my favorite KFC sides like Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy, and Biscuits

Oven fried chicken is also tasty with classic comfort foods like Baked Mac and Cheese or with lighter sides like a Classic Caesar Salad. The possibilities are endless!

How long does fried chicken last in the fridge?


Cooked leftovers will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. 

If you end up with lots of leftover fried chicken, freezing is also an option. Arrange cooked pieces on a baking sheet, then place the entire sheet in the freezer and let the chicken flash freeze for about an hour. After that, you can transfer the pieces to a freezer-safe bag and store them for 3-4 months. Be sure to label and date!

When it comes time to reheat the frozen chicken, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for around 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your portions.

grabbing a drumstick of oven fried chicken over a basket of drumsticks
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A crunchy drumstick and basket of KFC copycat chicken

Oven Fried Chicken (KFC Copycat)

4.94 from 130 votes
Oven fried chicken is moist and tender with an irresistible crunch. Avoid oil splatters and make this baked KFC copycat recipe instead!
Servings: 6
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 24 minutes
Total: 44 minutes

Ingredients 

Seasoning Blend

Instructions 

  • Place the chicken parts with the skin on in a plastic bag and pour the buttermilk in to coat. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal. Massage the chicken and buttermilk with your hands to coat evenly and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes minimum up to several hours.
  • Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a medium sized bowl using a whisk, mix together the flour, Panko, baking powder and 11 herbs and spices. Set aside.
  • Place a 13×9” baking dish in the oven to get hot for at least 15 minutes (See Note 2). While pan is heating up remove the chicken from the buttermilk, shaking off excess, and dredge in the seasoned flour mixture (See Note 3), coating on all sides with one hand.
  • Drizzle the melted butter in the heated baking dish and arrange the chicken pieces skin side down on top of butter (with plenty of room on each side so they “fry” not "steam").
  • Bake for 12 minutes, uncovered. Carefully turn the chicken pieces over and bake another 12 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165°F depending on the size of your chicken. (See Note 4) Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes and then serve.

Video

Notes

***Nutrition info should be lower than noted as this currently represents using all ingredients, BUT not all fat from chicken and butter is eaten as it renders and butter “frys” chicken and remains on bottom of baking pan.
  1. I use all parts of a chicken fryer (breasts, wings, thighs and legs). The photos show 6 chicken drumsticks only.
  2. Avoid glass bakeware as oven temperature and adding of liquid (melted butter) is not something advised per most manufacturers instruction on care.
  3. When dredging I keep one hand for the wet part and the other for the dry part. This avoids getting clumpy fingers on both hands.
  4. If using boneless chicken breasts bake/fry 10 minutes per side instead of 12.

Nutrition

Calories: 868kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 251mg | Sodium: 784mg | Potassium: 724mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 4.8mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: Dinners
Cuisine: American
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!
KFC copycat chicken drumbstick in basket

Kevin

Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!

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338 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Looks delicious Kevin one question though what rack are you baking this on? The bottom? I may have overlooked it in the instructions somewhere but read it twice. Awesome looking pictures though they made me so hungry : ) I make the copycat fried recipe that you refer to in the article and love it but I have a family member with high blood pressure and she had a mini stroke so I was very happy to find this recipe thanks Kevin.

  2. I’m using your recipe as a starting point. Putting my stamp on it of course. I didn’t have turnmeric or white pepper and I can’t make myself put ginger on fried chicken so I added a tsp of old bay a tsp of poultry seasoning and 1 1/2 tsp black pepper. Sure hope it turns out good. I’ll see tonight! And I don’t have buttermilk so will be using milk with a lil vinegar to sub!

  3. 4 stars
    Pictures look great, tried it, came out perfect but for me, the taste was not even close to KFC. Sorry Kevin! Will use your method because it was excellent but going back to my own seasonings.

    1. Sorry you didn’t feel the taste was like KFC Cindy, but I appreciate your feedback and comment. What seasonings do you use?

  4. Not sure what happened. Followed to a tee and the breaded was too soggy. Not sure if skinless makes a difference. Had to leave in oven much longer and breaking fell off when flipping over. Some pieces when turned over were white in the breaking area. Any suggestions for next time?

    1. 5 stars
      The recipe calls for flour not bread crumbs. The reason the underside was white is due to the pan not being preheated first and therefore has heated too slowly to ‘brown’.

    2. Sorry that was your experience Kimmy, although I would say that skinless would make a difference. The rendered fat helps crisp up the breading as it bakes.

  5. Sounds like a winner, can’t wait to try. However, I am thinking about cooking the chicken on top of a wire rack placed in jelly roll pan. Then, I intend to bake it as instructed using the “conventional bake” on my oven. Any thoughts or recommendations using that approach?

    1. My only thought would be it does need to baste itself in the melted butter with plenty of room on each side so they “fry” but I’d like to hear how it turns out Charles, please come back to let me know.

      1. 4 stars
        Just made tonight and I’d say the “spirit” of the Colonel’s original recipe is there. As I previously mentioned, I cooked these on top of the wire rack sitting in the jellyroll pan. I didn’t bother to turn them, as I used the “conventional bake” setting on my oven. Some of the pieces stuck to the rack at certain points, telling me that next time I should either flip them and/or grease the rack. Nevertheless, these came out as crispy as you would want coming from the oven. I would definitely make it again with adjustments to the technique.

      2. Fantastic, thanks so much for letting me know Charles. And thanks for reminding me of this one, might have to happen for dinner tonight! 😉

      3. 5 stars
        Hi Kevin – Thank you for this awesome recipe. I have made these twice with large thighs and legs. I baked them on a butter greased wire rack that was place on a foil lined dark sheet pan. I used convection bake on 425 and they baked perfectly in 35 minutes. I am gluten free – so I used Cup 4 Cup all purpose flour and gluten fee Ian’s panko crumbs. Since gluten free is very dry, they turn out even crispier that traditional wheat based flour. I highly recommend trying this method. Turned out very crispy and flavorful. Thanks again! This will be a regular meal for our family!

      4. Thanks Brandy, so happy you like this one and I appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a comment. Cheers!

  6. 5 stars
    Hi Kevin
    Ive been searching the web about the “baked” version of KFC and came across your brilliant read.
    I request your kind advice.
    I’m planning to setup a new Fried Chicken shop so by tradition, Pressure frying will be the obvious choice it appears.

    However I have come across the Rational SCC combi steamer and it has piqued my interest and given what I have just read in your posts here, Id really appreciate your comments whether using the Combi Steamer instead of pressure frying would give me conparably great results in commercial high volume “cooking”.

    The objective is breaded KFC style fried chicken.

    Looking forward to your kind feedback

    Regards
    Mike

    1. Thanks so much for the kind words here Mike. Unfortunately I have no opinion on the Rational SCC Combi Steamer as I have never heard of it until you mentioned it. I also have never done any pressure frying ad I am a home cook. I wish I could give you some help, possibly go to some chicken fry shops and ask the cooks their opinions and thoughts?

  7. 5 stars
    I want at this recipe for over a week, marinating too long (inevitable delays), throwing it out, starting over again — and then again, but it was worth it! The chicken was delicious. Even my very fussy husband loved it. Thank you for all the pains you took in creating this recipe. You’ve got a new fan.

    1. I am so happy you stuck with the recipe and enjoyed it! You were dedicated. Appreciate you coming back to let me know. 🙂

    1. Six thumbs up? I’m a happy guy! Thanks for letting me know and have a wonderful weekend Alexa!

  8. 5 stars
    My family loved this! They recognized the KFC flavor without me telling them about it. I will be making this recipe again! Thank you!!

    1. Oh that makes me smile! Love to read comments like this. Thanks so much for letting me know Mary Jo. 🙂