Judy Hesser’s Oven-Fried Chicken

I do love this recipe but an hour at 400 degrees is too long - dries out the chicken. Also, I’d make 6 thighs per pain. The first time, I made with 8 and the pan was too crowded and the chicken didn’t crisp as much as I wanted. Still, the flavor is good.

Delicious! I loved the technique. Ended up with crispy skin and deliciously flavored meat.

I made this chicken last and we loved it! Wanted to tear off the crispy skin of the leftovers! But held back. Eating the leftovers tonight and it reminds me of cold fried chicken when I was a kid back in the 60’s.

I think this is one of the best pages for reviews, I love reading what people are doing, why they come from, I look forward whenever I do this recipe for the reviews. Thank you all

My mom was from Mississippi and this was exactly how she made “fried” chicken, it was amazing. I do it just exchange the flour with my own gluten free flour blend. Delicious!

My Lord, what a game changer! So straightforward and simple, with outstanding result.
I’ll certainly think twice about dragging out the deep fat fryer. You just can’t go wrong with this folks.

Has anyone tried this with chicken wings? I LOVE this recipe as is, make it about once a month. I'm looking to make chicken wings for a party, but letting people choose their own sauces. Think it'll work?

This was awesome. I always make a recipe multiple times to make sure I remove any issue I may have caused. By the time I got to my last iteration of this, it was perfect; crispy, buttery, spicy (but in a good way), just perfect. Thank you.

This is perfection in its simplicity and flavor. Confession- I can never leave anything alone, and I did add some dill pickle juice to my brine mixture as well as some garlic powder to my flour.. but beyond those flavor enhancers, the method was just the best. RAVE reviews at dinner last night. It took a solid 50 minutes for the skin to get browned before the flip, plus one pan rotation due to an obvious hot spot in the oven. This is just a terrific recipe that I highly recommend. One thought if not making 8 thighs is to use an oven safe large chef pan or cast iron (preheated with the same method)- my bet is that it will crisp and brown a bit faster.

I’ve made this recipe four times in the last six weeks. Easy and delicious. Couple notes: I have never brined the chicken longer than four hours, once only 90 minutes. Don’t think it makes any noticeable difference as long as you do it for one hour minimum. I use rice flour. I place the baking sheet in the oven when I turn it to preheat. Once the oven is at temperature, then I put the butter in the hot pan and put back in the oven until it melts. I have to bake one hour before it’s brown enough to flip. I brine the excess skin and bake with the chicken, makes great crunchy salad topping.

Has anyone used bone in skin in chicken breasts or boneless skin on chicken breasts? I’m not a fan of dark meat.

Love this recipe. Have made it multiple times and each time it’s great!!! Have been wondering if I could sub in gluten free flour?

I'm about to make this recipe using drumsticks (that's all I have). Any advice for how to get them brown and crispy all over?

I can't understand any rating other than 5 stars. I have made this recipe now dozens of times and it is a huge hit, hot or cold. I love to make extra for lunches.
I think the key are the following steps: shake off extra flour, put the butter in the hot sheet pan about 2 minutes before the chicken so it doesn't burn, LEAVE it for 40 minutes without peeking! I usually cook the second side a bit longer than the 20 or so minutes called for after flipping.
:)

My family couldn't believe how delicious this turned out--the meat was juicy, tender, and perfectly seasoned, and the skin crispy and delectable. I followed the instructions pretty much as written but incorporated some helpful suggestions from other reviewers - specifically I used rice flour in place of all-purpose, ghee in place of butter to avoid the problem of smoking, and used parchment paper on the baking pan to prevent sticking. The chicken thighs emerged from the oven cooked to perfection with a golden crust and flavorful meat. Rave reviews from my family - this is absolutely going into regular rotation. So easy and such great results! Thanks for such a family-friendly recipe.

This recipe is solidly in our rotation. We use Publix Greenwise thighs and the recipe never fails.

Great, delicious, and fairly easy. Just thinking ahead: anyone see any reason I could not substitute matzo meal for the flour? Please advise. Ty!

Tried this recipe for the first. Oh my gosh!! How I wish I had known about this cooking method years ago. Well, this is my new way of frying chicken for my family.

Has anyone ever tried this same recipe with fish? If so, please share your thoughts?

This is super delicious - my chicken was very crisp, moist, and flavorful. I made it per recipe/video and now can’t wait to try different herbs & seasonings as recommended by other reviewers. I do recommend watching the video because it explains melting the butter in a pre-heated pan (not stated in the written directions).
Also - as recommended by another reviewer - the Brussels sprouts salad (Merrill Stubbs) goes great with the chicken. I took the advice in the video and used some pan drippings for the dressing. Yum.
Throw in a nice French white wine and wow, winning chicken dinner!

Has anyone tried this with a buttermilk brine instead of water?

Can I line up the sheet pan with aluminum foil and then pre-heat?

This was absolutely delicious!!!! I followed the recipe, no ad-libbing; it was crisp, moist and best of all, not fried. I would certainly make this again and again

Excellent, with some major modifications: I took a page from I took a page from Kenji Alt-López and covered the skin with a baking soda/kosher salt mixture (1:3), Then laid the chicken in a baking dish and tipped the brine in so the skin was still dry. Only brined it for an hour. The chicken was baked in a hot baking sheet, per the video. I had six thighs weighing 2 pounds total and only required 30 minutes skin side down, then 15 minutes. The only thing I would do differently is reduce the salt in the brine. Otherwise just fantastic, a keeper. I served it with Amanda’s Brussel sprouts salad, subbing the pan drippings for the olive oil. So good.

Just a question. I’m not a fan of dark meat. Has anyone successfully used breasts instead of thighs? If so, any adjustments to the recipe?

So, I am now at 70 minutes at 410 degrees ( I turned it up at 45 min) in a gas oven and the bottom of the chicken thighs are still not brown or crispy. I followed the instructions for patting dry and shaking flour off vigorously. Really don't know what I did wrong. I will turn them over and put under broiler to salvage the dish. Really disappointing.

This is my all time favorite "fried" recipe. Having made it for 1.5 years now, it is my go to recipe and we love it. Crispy, flavorful and moist it is wonderful. I have added some flavors to the flour which knocks it up a bit but even in its original form, just great!!

I've made this recipe several times now. It's so easy and the chicken turns out moist and delicious. It's now a family favorite. My husband and son both prefer boneless chicken but make an exception for this. At the table we add a little Mike's hot honey or spicy maple syrup. But it's good without as well.

I love fried chicken, but it's so dang messy! I like this recipe for many reasons. It's easy, it's delicious, and it's not dang messy! I've made it 4 or 5 times in the last few months. I'm making it tonight. The only changes I make (and as a trained cook, I make changes, and I'm unapologetic!) are I liberally season the flour with S & P, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and onion powder. If you want to go all KFC with the 17 secret spices, I say DO IT! Live a little. It'll be delicious! In place of a roasting pan I use my largest cast iron skillet, an inheritance from my South Georgia MIL who was the "overnight, buttermilk soaked, fried chicken queen". (Did I mention messy preparation?) As a nod to my Texas grandmother, I've been known to make a quick chicken and mushroom gravy in that same cast iron skillet to go with the tater mash. Gramma didn't use mushrooms...but I do! And more herbage if I happen to have it growing around the house...which I do. Done right, you'd be hard pressed to figure out this isn't straight up fried chicken. And the last bonus? With all the quarankilos that I've put on in the last 5 months, I've convinced myself that this really is a healthier version of fried chicken. Crispy skin and all!

This recipe is great. I tipped the fat off the pan after half an hour because I thought it would stop the skin crisping, and I ended up with great crispy chicken. Amazing how simple ingredients can make something taste so good!

Tried this last night...only problem was so much smoke from the oven at 400 degrees. I followed the recipe step by step. Loved the flavor, but had to open windows...and house was still smoky this morning...

This did not come out like the picture. After I cranked the temp and broiled the top it did get crispy Even Amanda said In the video that it did not look like her chicken . Be true to the recipe , don’t alter the picture. There is no way at 400 degrees in an electric oven that the chicken gets that crispy. Be patient and crank the heat.... it is delicious and worth trial and error.

Came out just like the video - crunchy crispy skin - beautiful looking and smelling. Will make again, but OMG WAY, waytoo salty. Next time, will probably go down to 1t of salt in the flour mixture (as opposed to 1T per the printed recipe), and then salt to taste after cooking. As it was, I could barely eat 1 piece this time, my lips still feel like I’ve been swimming in the ocean for hours.

No, no, no. Unless you can get her mom to come over and do this for you, it’s not going to work. There are so many great chicken thigh recipes. This was a disaster like I haven’t had in years.

Thank you Amanda, Judy, and Food52 for this keeper of a recipe. Thanks for sharing this foolproof favorite family recipe, for releasing it to us.

I read a bunch of reviews to get tips from users. For me, I used an aluminum half sheet pan on the bottom rack of oven, at 410 on convection. I followed the recipe very closely. For 10 thighs I used 3T of fine grain Himalayan pink salt, and it could have been dialed back just a little bit. Avoiding overcrowding, I also used a cast iron pan on the middle rack, and although it works fine, those had to cook slightly longer. I will come back to this recipe many times, trying rice flour (GF), Parmesan, and lemon zest. A+++

First recipe I made from this website but it was a definite winner. My teenage son loves fried chicken, and I never make it at home, due largely to the mess it makes. This turned out awesome, really great crispy skin on both sides, and he couldn't get enough of it. I will use two large pans next time, as the leftovers are great as well. In contrast another recipe for oven fried chicken use a rack but not turning the chicken, turned out with a not-so-crispy crust on the bottom.

Perhaps the only time I’ve successfully prepared oven fried chicken. My modifications: I brined thighs in seasoned vinegar water; I used 1/2 rice flour; not aiming for the Colonel’s standards, I did season the flour with many herbs and spices; I replaced butter with buttery margarine. I’ll be making this again soon!

I made these twice in two weeks. First time using a preheated Cuisinart stainless steel Dutch oven, they took an hour to brown; and the skin was a bit messed up when turned. I used a preheated cast iron skillet this time and they were overly browned at the forty minute point - edible but hard as cardboard. The pan used and the temperature of it appears to make an amazing difference. If I make them again, I will use a baking sheet and see what happens.

This was excellent. I was a bit confused but watched the video - brined for about 3 hours (all the time I had). Dried the chicken thighs and let them sit at room temp for about 45 mins. Preheated the oven with the baking tray inside, dredged the thighs then took out the pan and spread the butter. Thighs took about 50 minutes before I flipped them. Crunchy and juicy. Will add to the rotation!

New family favorite! Thank you for the original recipe + the many wonderful suggestions: I used the buttermilk bath instead of brine, I used brown rice flour (soooo crispy), and I popped the room temperature thighs into uncrowded, super-hot, parchment-lined pyrex rectangles (425 degrees). Pure perfection!

Wow this is a simple and delicious recipe. I made 4 thighs but used the same amount of salt, next time I will reduce by half. Other than the saltiness (my fault), the chicken came out delicious. I used a 12" cast iron skillet because it is easy to clean. Heated up in the oven while preheating, followed the rest of the recipe to a T. I love fried chicken without a greasy mess on the stovetop. Thank you.

Hmmmmm.... the video and the written recipe are different. Video...heat the pan, swirl butter onto heated pan and lay chicken pieces down. Bake.
Written...put the butter in the pan, then heat which makes the butter burn and doesn't let the chicken cook well. Please retest. We count on you!

I’ve since re-made this recipe after a disastrous first attempt where it stuck impossibly to my baking trays. I think it took me a good 2 days to clean them (yes there were tears 😭)! I follow the recipe but I don’t cook the chicken on a naked tray or use butter! I’ve found that if I cover the tray first with Glad Bake paper and forget the butter it comes out crispy! I use thigh cutlets (bone in) with the skin on. The fat under the skin renders while cooking and crisps up the chicken beautifully. I do find it does take a little longer to brown - first an hour (or a bit more depending on where your tray is sitting in the oven) skin side down then flip and another 10-15 mins skin side up. Now I always make extra because leftovers are guaranteed to be gobbled up the next day! I’m glad I didn’t give up after my first attempt, this recipe is definitely worth pursuing! It’s now a regular dish in my house of 6 and if you brine a day or 2 ahead it’s an easy meal to throw together! Thank you Judy!!!

Delicious and easy to make! I added paprika and cayenne to the flour mix. So yummy! Make sure to not put the butter in the oven too early because it may burn before you are done dredging the chicken. Followed the directions exactly and it was amazing! It works every time and tastes just like fried chicken.

I made this recipe tonight. I read the reviews. Most people think this is a great GENIUS recipe. I think this recipe is NOT. I followed the recipe exactly. First the butter burned even before the chicken was put on the pan. That is a mess #1. I had to start over. The chicken cooked in puddles of oil and was totally mushy. I drained the oil once to try to crisp the chicken. It took over one hour to fully cook and brown the chicken. This is NOT fried chicken, but baked chicken. My method works much better, is faster and easier. And much tastier with more spices added. Skip the brine!. Soak in buttermilk for 1 hour at room temperature. Line a half sheet pan with foil, insert a rack on the sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, coat in flour, seasoned salt, pepper and sweet paprika. In a 13" nonstick deep skillet, add 1/4 cup canola oil. Heat until just shimmering. Add about 4 pieces of chicken, brown on one side and then the other. The chicken will continue to cook in the oven. Continue with the remaining chicken, add more oil if necessary. Place the browned chicken on the rack, bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through and nicely browned. THAT'S IT. Easy. NO MUSHY CHICKEN. All the oil drains through the rack resulting in a crispy crust. Lots more flavor too. Sorry Amanda.

This was excellent! A friend told me about and it was exactly as he described, easy, crispy, and delicious! I have actually made it a few times since I found it. I am just finally getting around to rating it.

This recipe is awesome. I have made it many times following the recipe exactly. Recently made it for a family reunion and it was a real hit with everyone. I will now try some additions such as Parmesan. Only piece of advice is to ensure the baking pan with butter is very hot, quickly add chicken and return to the oven ASAP.

This is my go-to oven-fried chicken recipe. I don't even bother with the brining anymore. I find if I place the rack on the bottom of the oven and don't turn the chicken over for an hour, I do get that deep caramel color. I might turn the pan around halfway through for even baking. I also sometimes use the convection setting to ensure the thighs are cooked through, even when they've been in the oven for a total of 80 minutes. If you do use the convection setting, don't turn down the temp. Delicious.

Has anyone a used cast iron pan in their BBQ for this recipe?

I have made this chicken at least a dozen times. If you are looking to get the chicken as deeply colored as the picture, good luck. Browning usually takes longer than mentioned, but the lack of color doesn't affect the taste. Next time I will take the advice of no aluminum sheet, I would think that would help. Rice flour would be interesting as well.
Still a great recipe though.

I halved the recipe for 4 thighs and they came out perfectly crisp with moist meat. I think the problems other posters have mentioned come from not letting the chicken get upto room temperature first and/or not getting that pan screamin' hot. The only change I made was substitute coconut oil for butter.
I saved the goodie from the pan and made browned roasted potatoes and onions with it for breakfast!
Next I want to try eggplant with parmesan and lemon peel in the breading.
This is my new go to for anything fried and breaded and I will be experimenting!

I preheated the pans (used 3 different types) for about 20 minutes at 415 degrees. 40 minutes was more than enough to brown, but I read the other reviews, got nervous. Chicken was a bit dry but had great flavor. So easy to make and using 3 Tbs of butter in each pan, they were a cinch to clean. I generally read the reviews for helpful tips, in this case- just follow the recipe and add a bit more butter. Definitely making again.

This is a great recipe! I found it to be pretty true to the instructions on the first try. I used a baking sheet and a baking tray lined with foil so they wouldn't get too sticky. I warmed them up as the oven was heating and then put the chicken on. The chicken took about an hour and came out excellent!

At 400 degrees, 40 minutes should cook thigh all the way, no? I cook a lot of thighs and it rarely takes 40 minutes total. You can achieve similar results of you sear them in a cast iron pan five to seven minutes skin down then finish in a very hot (424?) degree over about 30 minutes.

I finally got this recipe right. Here are the changes that required (taken from other people's helpful posts in this thread, and experimentation)

Add a spoonful of sugar of some kind to the brine. Ideal soaking time is a full 24 hrs

The pan can't be a standard aluminum baking sheet--it has to be made of something that conducts heat better than that. Cast iron is ideal, but Pyrex will work, too, if you bump the baking temp up another 25 degrees.

Don't crowd the pan. Divide the chicken (and the butter) into two good sized pans. (9" by 13" minimum) Put the butter in the pans and the pans in the oven, and then hit preheat. Regular butter works better than the yeasty European kind. Don't know why, but it does.

Using rice flour instead of wheat will result in crispier chicken. Rice flour turns out to be the ideal flour choice for frying anything. Who knew?

To your rice flour, salt, and pepper, I suggest adding a teaspoon of MSG, and a half teaspoon of something with kick, like chipotle pepper. That's not enough to make it really spicy, but it brightens the overall flavor profile.

I have found that if I do all of this, it's tastier and most important, it browns in exactly the time specified.

I don't know if oven fried chicken is any lighter in calories than standard fried chicken, but it tastes great, stays pretty moist, and you don't have to worry about it burning. A person can stick this in the oven and walk away until it's time to flip the pieces, instead of standing over the skillet keeping an eye on them, and there's no worry about being popped with hot grease.

I hated this recipe the first time I tried it. Should have mined the thread for tips from the get-go, instead of doing it as written. Smacking myself on the forehead.

The first time I made this the chicken stuck hard and fast to my baking trays. It took a lot of elbow grease to get them clean. Not one to give up so easily I thought I’d give it another go. This time though i thought I’d try lining the trays with baking paper. I preheated my trays in a hot 200c oven. When hot enough I lined them with Glad baking paper. I rubbed a little butter over the paper, not much at all, just enough to give a thin coat. I then placed my chicken thighs skin side down, with plenty of space between them. As I used 2 trays I swapped them around after about 40 mins. It took them close to an hour at 200c before they went brown and crispy on the underside. I flipped them over, reversed their position in the oven and cooked them a further 20 mins. They worked out perfectly this time! And the best thing is that clean-up was a breeze! Paper went in the bin and trays got a quick rinse over, job done! I will definitely add this dish to my list of ‘often’ cooked meals.

Didn’t work for me. The pan that I chose was to well insulated, a tad small and not hot enough. Yes, preheating the Pan is a must. I will try again with a rimmed sheet pan. The seasoning was good but the browning just didn’t happen the way I like.

I made this yesterday subbing only brown rice flour for the all-purpose, and it was SO GOOD. it did take an insanely long time to brown on the first side (at least 75 minutes, i stopped keeping track) but was still very flavorful and moist!

This is BY FAR the best oven fried chicken I have ever made! Tip: there is a You Tube video that you definitely should watch to get the perfect crispy chicken for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l46Ndg3t2Ww
They heat the pan first, then melt the butter, then add the chicken. I think that makes all the difference. Highly recommend!

Cooked this yesterday in my cast iron skillet and it resulted in some darn good chicken! It was very well seasoned, the skin was crispy, and meat was hot and juicy. I am someone who is always craving fried chicken, so this will be a great addition to my arsenal.

I used boneless chicken thighs. I put the butter on a sheet pan and let it melt in the oven.
I removed it from the oven when the butter was melted. and placed the chicken on it immediately and returned to hot oven to reduce heat loss. After 75 minutes I thought the chicken would be overcooked, it wasn't, but the chicken was greasy, and not really very crispy. I was disappointed.

This recipe was fantastic! Absolutely brine in the morning, the chicken had the perfect flavor throughout. I read the reviews and was nervous about the crispness (or lack there of) but I didn’t not have any issues. The chicken was perfectly “fried” crisp & delicious! My son who is a chicken and waffle fanatic said it was the best ever (vs eating this out) and homemade vs anything else is a win win for me! I will 💯 make again!

I cannot for the life of me figure out how anyone has gotten this recipe to work. Does it require a special pan? Something cast iron or something? I followed the recipe to the letter, and eighty minutes of baking in, not one of my chicken thighs is anywhere near brown on the bottom. I'm going to have to flip them anyway, and maybe, if the meat hasn't cooked into a brick after that, brown it by finishing it in a skillet after. Looking at the reviews, it seems like I'm not the only person who couldn't manage to get this to work right, so I do not understand why it has so many stars.

I made a batch of 4 thighs tonight. I bit messier than I thought but, no big deal. I baked the chicken per the recipe and the skin was too crispy and could peel off the chicken. However, chicken was moist and tasty. Either I could have reduced the baking time or tried another teqnique - corn flakes dipped in egg to coat chicken and then bake. Do you think this can work?

I prepared this for dinner tonight. Followed recipe to a ‘T’ but the chicken stuck to the pan. I had to use brute force just to get them up but then all the skin was left behind and the chicken was exposed to dry out while the bottom baked. I don’t think I’ll ever get my pan clean, it looks like it’s going to have to go in the bin! Shame, I so hoped this recipe would work as so many people have commented so, but for me this was a HUGE fail.

So fantastic! Has anyone tried to make this Nashville hot? I’m going to this weekend but welcome suggestions

Never elly browned. I moved to a dry skillet for about 3 minutes per side. After that, excellent!

Fantastico, I couldn't believe how good it came out without any OIL. I'll try adding the Parm and Zest next time to bring up the flavor. This came out so well, for me - 50 Minutes seemed like the perfect amount of Cooking Time. So happy I can have more "fried chicken" with less guilt....

I have made this recipe dozens of times and it's always a big hit! I love the simplicity of this recipe and no cooking oil to recycle. I skip brining the chicken, use (gluten free) brown rice flour, a deep cast iron pan and bake 400 degrees, 20 mins on skin side, 15 on the other. The chicken is still fantastic. Thank you Judy!

Is there any chance you'd get the same results using chicken breasts ? My husband's not a fan of chicken thighs .

Can you substitute almond flour or non-gluten flour for oven fried chicken?

Made this and everyone loved it! First time trying oven fries chicken. Thank you for the recipe!

The best ever! It’s my go to quick dinner during the week ..I start the brining the morning before work ..then if don’t have time in evening to cook ..I keep it in the salt soak another day..everyone love this and have passed on recipe to friends!

This was so easy and delicious. I still can't believe there is only 2 tbsp of butter in it - so crispy. Mine took a little longer to brown, I think it didn't have enough space in the pan - so make sure the chicken has space! I transferred it to a baking sheet and it crisped right up.

*The best* fried chicken recipe out there. I'm not usually a recipe repeater but I've made this five times in the past year and it comes out perfectly every time.

I've always wanted to make fried chicken but could never bring myself to heat all that oil and make a huge mess. After discovering this recipe, I don't see any need to actually go to the trouble to fry. Just made this for the third time tonight. The first two times I followed the recipe exactly as written and the results were fantastic. This time around, I decided to add a few twists based on some of the other comments. I added buttermilk to the brine. I added smoked paprika, dried thyme, and garlic powder to the flour. I used ghee instead of butter. My family and I thought the results were great. This is a really useful recipe because once you get comfortable with it you can certainly experiment to change things up. No need for any other fried chicken recipes in my humble opinion!!

Made this yesterday and it came out amazing! So little work too, which is great! I made it gluten free using gluten free AP flour. This is one of the best discoveries!

I took a stab at making this and was shocked at my own failure to make this work. It took forever to get it to brown and by then the meat was over cooked. I am usually handy at oven cooking, meats, etc. I suspect it wasn't the recipe's fault. I did use organic chicken (previously frozen) but it was Purdue ;) So I think that the industrialized, supermarket chicken is too water logged. Maybe with fresh chicken from the butcher case? Also, I let the butter melt in the pan but took it out while finishing the flouring. I wonder if the pan needs to be hot and sizzling in order to get the crisping going. I am willing to try this again after all the rave reviews.

Why not Perdue?

Easy & delicious!!! I had four thighs and used a 12" cast iron skillet. Perfect browning!

any one try this with margarine instead of butter? Or coconut oil? Should that work? I don't use butter when cooking meat.

This was so good and really easy to throw together.
I will make again and again for sure!

Why the "(organic or natural, not Perdue or somesuch)" comment? Does it really matter in this recipe? I usually get the least expensive because it's what I can afford, and I don't trust those advertising labels anyway since there's little to no regulation on their definitions.

A keeper! I followed the recipe word-for-word and it was fantastic! I may try adding some thyme and paprika in the future, but my whole family was amazed by how good it was with just plain old salt and pepper.

This is the best recipe for oven fried chicken! It's not true fried chicken, but the meat is juicy and skin super duper crispy! I used brown rice flour, and would recommend using a rice or other gf flour as it has less chance of getting gummy. Winner for sure!

This is the BEST and easiest oven fried chicken I ever made. I used ghee (higher smoking point) and sweet rice flour to make it gluten free. Excellent, excellent, excellent! Going to try it with chicken wings next time.
RF

I made a paleo, gluten AND grain-free version of this last night. I will admit that I was a bit nervous as I've made the standard version MANY times since "Cooking For Mr. Latte" was first published, and it's probably my husband's favorite chicken dish, certainly far outstripping any fried chicken available here in NYC, even in the tonier joints. HUGE success. As good as the original, and virtually indistinguishable from the original. I will immodestly venture to say that the hack is practically a "genius recipe" in its own right.

I made it and came out prefect! I must add that I started the brine two hours previous the cooking, I used a paper bag from the bread shop, two of the 8 pieces got dried as they were smaller in size that the other 6, cooked them on a 210 centigrade celsius, I add a tea spoon of red chilli pepper to the dried mix, and it turned out fantastic. Thanks for this easy and wonderful recipe. I hate fried food but I love fried chicken and what a saviour this recipe is!

This recipe worked perfectly for me, with only one deviation from the recipe: I used ghee (clarified butter) to ensure that there was no smoke generation. The recipe is clear on the type of roasting pan needed. I used a simple rimmed baking sheet. I'm wondering if some of the failures below involved use of a deeper roasting pan or one of non-metallic construction. Either could preclude sufficient heat transfer (radiant in the first instance, transfer via conduction in the second) to brown and crisp the skin. My guests all agreed that it was some of the best chicken they'd ever eaten and wouldn't leave until they'd extracted a promise from me to make it again! I hope disappointed reviewers will give the recipe another try. This ridiculously easy, awesomely delicious dish is now my go-to recipe for casual entertaining on weeknights.

I am making this right now. chicken has been in for almost 50 minutes and not brown at all! HELP!!1

I'm afraid the only thing good about this recipe was that the chicken thighs were incredibly moist after brining....and this was after 1 hour, 20 minutes of cooking! The skin never browned appropriately in the "skin side down" portion of the recipe - even after an hour. I finally turned them over and drizzled some of the chicken fat/butter mixture over top to try and get the skin-side browner and crispier.

I had also seasoned the flour mixture with more pepper than called for, paprika, and some dried thyme - and still found the overall result rather bland.

So my search for a a really good oven-fried chicken continues.

This method worked great, though I had to use what I had on hand - kosher salt, garlic butter and half white flour/half rye flour. Delicious - had it for dinner, a piece cold for a midnight snack, and warmed up for dinner the next night. All were great! Will definitely use this method again.

I will definitely try this soon! I agree that adding some extra spices could be interesting.
Having just read the article about roasting veg on the oven floor I'm thinking of doing that with this rcioe too.
Thanks for sharing and all the tips in the comment section!

I love to oven bake too and make oven fried chicken all the time. I use thighs also but chicken breasts work out fine for me. This recipe needs more spices with the flour. Seasoned salt, garlic pepper blend, and a little dried thyme makes all the difference in this recipe. I also like to soak in buttermilk first for about an hour. I line my half sheet pans with foil and then use a smear of canola oil. Here in the South, we have lots of organic chicken to choose from and the flavor and quality is so much better than regular chewy super market chicken. i like our Publix Greenwise chicken.

Great recipe. I actually used perdue chicken thighs. What's the reason of avoiding perdue chickens?

I make this regularly, and it's definitely a family favorite! Instead of butter, I use butter flavored coconut oil, enough to coat the pan. It works like a charm! Also, try soaking the chicken in buttermilk instead.

Have people tried using just a regular baking sheet? I don't have a roasting pan, but I want to make more than 8 thighs, which I don't think will fit in my biggest skillet or casserole.

This was so amazing! Even with GF flour for my daughter with a gluten allergy. I was skeptical it would still turn out crisp, but it was perfect! I did tweak a touch by adding some leftover pickle brine to the salt water and served with honey sriracha butter and lightly sautéed collard greens and pickles. My other daughter who claims she doesn't like dark meat, ate two pieces! No leftovers tonight. All gone!

THIS WAS SO GOOD. Definitely took on the longer side of things, but well worth the wait. I can't believe how crispy it got with only a small amount of butter. We used a 15" cast iron skillet. I don't always love chicken thighs, but these were perfect.

Delicious. Added some smoked paprika and smoked garlic powder. Came out nice and crispy. Wouldn't change a thing.

This was in the Betty Crocker cookbook when I was growing up and we made it all the time. Worked perfectly.

Would this work with pork chops?

Made this last night with mixed results...Used two glass Pyrex dishes as chicken wouldn't fit in one. The chicken in the fish on the lower shelf of my oven was great. Excellent crust and not dry. The other one never really crisped up at all. Finally took it out after an additional 15-20 because I didn't want the chicken to dry out. Maybe I should have just used a cookie sheet....or at least a metal pan. Has anyone else made this in a glass dish?

Followed this recipe to the letter. Very, very poor results. Chicken was dry and tough. My entire house now smells like burning butter. I strongly discourage any one thinking about attempting this recipe.

Can I use chicken breasts instead for this?

I always enjoy your site, new and old recipes. I am still enjoying the Cook and Gardener and giving it as a gift whenever possible. At a point where I need to watch my intake and still continue enjoying food. Does this site have a specific section of recipes for lower caloric ?

Hi All, the reviews look great and I want to try this recipe. Question: it says to put butter in the roasting pan and THEN add it to the oven to preheat....won't the butter totally burn if you do this? Or should the butter be added after preheating and before putting the chicken into the pan? Also, can I use a roasting pan with higher sides without steaming the chicken?

I find paprika in the flour gives a nice colour and taste, and cayenne pepper to turn up the heat.
Adding drum sticks works well too

This recipe is a Keeper! My Grandmother made a similar oven chicken.

I also threw in some cheap grated parmesan with the flour mixture and it was perfect!

made this for dinner last night and it was amazing!!! I baked at 425 for a shorter cook time. perfectly brown and extra crispy. loved it!

I don't think it is necessary to dissolve the salt in warm water. It dissolves just fine in cold water if you stir it around for a bit

MIssed the part where it said to put the pan in the oven. Put the chicken in the cold pan, and it stuck horribly. Now instead of having delicious chicken for lunch I'll be having ordinary chicken. :/

Should you skip the brining if using kosher chicken?

Wow, this is a terrific recipe! The thighs are good hot, cold, or at room temperature. i've made this a few times and it is excellent. The only tampering I've done is to add a bit of smoked paprika and a pinch or two of cayenne to the flour mixture. Brought this to a beach picnic yesterday and it met with rave reviews and multiple requests for the recipe. Thanks again folks!

Made this last night. Super easy and it turned out great: crispy exterior, moist flavorful interior.

I wonder about the instruction to put the chicken in warm water, then add ice. Raw chicken in warm water = bacteria bloom. Probably not a big deal since you chill it right away. But if you are interrupted at the wrong moment, could be unsafe. I chilled the brine before adding the chicken.

Tasty but I feel overcooked by the time it met the browning criteria. I wonder if higher temp for shorter time might do it.
Salt was perfect if you ask me.

I have made this recipe many times now..I just use regular table salt..I do not think it matters if it is a bigger grain size...I do not use three tablespoons of salt...I use 1 tablespoon because to me that would be to salty and do not add to flour...If you are use to using a minimum amount of salt then that 3 tablespoon would be too much.

Salt doesn't matter. Use whatever you prefer. Exact measurements don't matter. It just has to be briney water. This recipe is super easy and flexible so don't over think the details. Just go for it.

I am more than psyched to try this recipe, other than one aspect that always confuses me...In our kitchen, I have Morton's table salt, as well as Diamond Kosher salt. There is a good amount of salt in this brine, and when it comes to "sea salt", my confusion is the grain size. Do I look for a sea salt that resembles table salt, or one that is more coarse? I do want to have the proper amount of sodium to brine, without overkill. Would love some input. Thank you,Jeff

I've been reading in various publications that rice flour is the secret to the crunchiest chicken (or anything else that is fried). Would that hold true for oven-baked recipes such as this one?

This was a great recipe! Hot cooked pasta is also a great thing to throw into the roasting pan afterwards, to mop up the "chicken butter", top with some blistered cherry tomatoes - voila!

I don't know what I'm doing differently but I get no splatter, no oven to clean and my pan cleans up fine in the dishwasher. Lucky me! Don't let the mess put you off this recipe, it might be fine like mine.

Sarah because of the high temperature the pieces get really crisp and when you turn them you really scrape them off the pan and foil may hinder this! I normally line everything with foil but not on this recipe. Afterwards put a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar in your pan and let it sizzle and soak while you are enjoying the superb chicken! Use gloves and the pan should come clean without any hard work! You need to clean the oven afterwards anyway because of the high heat and the fat from the chicken but it is still worth it!!! Xxz

Can this recipe be done successfully if the pan is lined in foil (for a super easy clean up)?

Just made it for our evening meal.....Finger licking good! Thank you!! 🌻🌻🌻🌻

We weren't big fans of chicken thighs until I tried this recipe. We love that it's made in the oven and with such a small amount of butter. They're great! The only problem I have is that I sometimes forget to brine them in the morning and then I have to wait an extra day to cook them.

I have a recipe for a sweet tea brined chicken. I'd love to try this using this method rather than deep frying. Do you think the sugar will make it burn in the oven with such a long cook time?

Can I use a stainless steel roasting pan, or will I have sticking issues?

I am going to try making these today with skinless thighs, any suggestions or has anyone tried them with skinless thighs.

I've made this a couple of times and it is really delicious. I have a bit of a sensitive tum and have been advised to try and avoid wheat (gluten) for a period to see if that is the problem. I am a bit of a novice where this is concerned. Will this work with gluten free flour?

I've made this four times now and each time it's been a big hit. I started adding grated Parmesan to the flour and it's a nice flavor boost. People flip for this recipe. It's great! Thank you😋

This recipe was a big hit with my husband, daughter, and son-in-law. Crispy outside, tender and juicy inside! And so simple to make! I will definitely make this again!

I have made this numerous times..Leftovers: .Warm in oven with no oil...comes out crispy and taste like first day.

This is PERFECT. Crisp skin, juicy and tender dark meat. My husband and I loved it. I tossed in a quartered onion and a few smashed cloves of garlic into the brine. I also spiced up the flour with some cayenne and smoked paprika. De-lish!

I have a recipe for a sweet tea brined chicken. I'd love to try this using this method rather than deep frying. Do you think the sugar will make it burn in the oven with such a long cook time?

what is the time adjustment if using drumstick (with skin and bone) instead of chicken thighs?

Delicious! Juicy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and very tasty. I will try the suggestion to add lemon slices and garlic to the brine, though, because that sounds interesting.

I have made this chicken twice.....the only problem I had was warming over....second time I just cooked enough for the day....However next time I will warm up in oven without butter as someone did..will let you know how that works.

I added herbs and lemon to the brine and lemon zest & parmesan to the flour as suggested. Very simple recipe resulting in delicious crispy skin and juicy meat, however the second time I made it, I used a saute pan instead of my skillet and it just wasn't browning properly. I moved it to my skillet and it came out great. Don't know why the pan made such a difference, but I'll stick with my skillet from now on. Oh - and budget restrictions required me to use "Perdue or somesuch" and it was still fabulous.

this was amazing. I made this exactly following the recipe (using 4 thighs only though, what a foolish mistake). It's not fried chicken, like KFC or popeyes or fried in a fryer fried chicken, but it is so delicious. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. It's fantastic- we did cook 50 minutes skin side, 20 the other side. But if all you have to do is brine the chicken in the morning, that is fantastic.

Made this again last night with eight thighs since my husband can't get enough and followed the recipe exactly (1 hr. on the skin side). This time I cooked 16 oz. of sliced mushrooms after draining most of the fat, adding some Chardonnay to help loosen the brown bits and it was another winner. Our new fav! It warms up quickly in the oven beautifully with no added butter. Still crispy. We serve it with a corn, black bean and avocado salad too. Already thinking of winter roasted veggies.

pretty plain chicken. Not real impressed w/ this recipe.

I warmed up next day in oven and it was not as good as first day....only will cook enough for one day....

Can I use this recipe with chicken breasts? If so is the cook time different? Thanks

I'm so excited to make this! Question about the butter- is it being used to grease the pan, or should it be cubed and sprinkled around before placing the chicken?

Report on using convection: worked out great. Gave it 30 min for step 1 and 15 for step 2. Turned out perfectly, might have been able to take it out a bit earlier as the internal temp was 180, but it was still juicy and not at all dry. Didn't lower the oven temp. Just FYI for anyone else who wants to speed it up.

Another recipe I saw online that was similar, mentioned cooking it on parchment paper. This recipe doesn't mention that but the picture looks like it's sitting on parchment paper. Is that needed with this recipe?

Another recipe I saw online that was similar, mentioned cooking it on parchment paper. This recipe doesn't mention that but the picture looks like it's sitting on parchment paper. Is that needed with this recipe?

Another recipe I saw online that was similar, mentioned cooking it on parchment paper. This recipe doesn't mention that but the picture looks like it's sitting on parchment paper. Is that needed with this recipe?

Any advice for speeding this up by using a convection oven? I'm cooking it now, will check after 30 min for first step. Using a high-sided roaster, so the fan might not make that much of a difference.

How can this technique be used for vegetables like eggplant,zucchini, etc?

@Ludo Gallagher thanks I will try the deep sided pan...because the one I use was low...

I don't know how to reheat. We didn't have a problem with clean up. Use a nice deep sided pan

How do you reheat? I am telling you this is the best recipe..and I do not even like chicken thighs but now I am a fan...Only oven cleanup I do not like

You can also jazz up the brining solution. Jason Keller (and me) ads some garlic cloves, bay, lemon slices. I too devoured the skin which I never ever do. Also I'm a chicken breast girl. Don't like chicken on the bone. But boy oh boy, it's thighs all the way for me now if they taste like this.

Oh my goodness I cook this for my hubby and me and it was the best chicken ever...we even ate the skin and normally we do not...was not to salty either...How do you reheat? someone say in the oven again...with butter or without? Only thing is cleaning the oven... otherwise very very good

This is the first time I've made more than one comment!
I agree that this recipe is not exactly fried but it made the crispest skin I've ever been able to produce with the juiciest insides. Making it for a picnic and I know it will be devoured with alacrity.... ?

Made this yesterday. Loved the brine but, to me, did not taste like fried chicken. Baked chicken, yes. Better cold than hot. I would use the brine solution for other chicken dishes.

Made this last night for dinner. Could not get over how great is was with no real effort and no mess!

No. Don't cover. I made this yesterday and it was great. I used a cast iron skillet and perhaps used a bit more butter than necessary-- think it would have been even crisper with only one tablespoon as I was doing only two nice size thighs. But chicken was beautifully brown and crisp and very juicy inside. Love this.

I want to make this, looks so good. Do I have to cover the pan? Thank you.

Just made this. Yum. I brined for 2hrs only and cooked for 10mins less. Worked perfectly. Also added garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, smoked paprika and fresh thyme to the flour.

Can this be made the day before and not get soggy?

So what is the total amount of water used after you add the cold?

Can chicken broth be used instead of water?

Can skinless & boneless thighs be used? I got them by mistake instead of skin on!

I love this idea but holy cow mine was salty. What did I do wrong?

I have done something like this before only soak in buttermilk with hot sauce then I heat up some oil in a disposable alum. pan and put on the gas grill that way I don't have to heat up my kitchen and the chicken is delicious!!!!!!!

We made this yesterday, to give company a July 4th option other than burgers or hot dogs. What a delicious choice it was, too. I will definitely make this again. I wouldn't have believed that oven baked chicken could be this crispy! a real keeper.

Ooh! I've always been afraid to cook fried chicken but this looks like a great, less messy version. Thanks Amanda! Cooks - any tips before I embark on this?

Can you tell me what a tablespoon of butter is in oz or grammes please?

So good! I made it with coconut flour. Next time I'll add some lemon zest.

Should (already) koshered chicken be brined?

Are we letting the butter melt in the oven while we are coating the chicken with flour?
If using boneless chicken breasts, should we cut them is half?

Made it. Killed it. Crowd favorite!

I made this tonight for my husband and me. I brined for 2 hours then cooked the thighs. Yummy. Chicken was still moist and the skin was to die for. What an easy way to get a fried chicken taste without the fry. I used a large cast iron skillet and cooked 5 thighs. Perfect for 2-3.

I learned something like this from a woman that I babysat for, over 40 years ago... She used chicken breasts, cut in half. She didn't brine, but I will now. She put olive oil in the pan, not butter. Dredged with flour and seasoned with salt and pepper and then she threw cloves of garlic all around...along with some peeled and cut-up potatoes. Then she put a pat of butter on top of the skin (she began it skin side up) and turned twice. Same long cooking time---and somehow the breasts didn't come out dry, but you have to have bones and skin on your chicken. I hadn't cooked this in 30 years and my husband remembered it about 6 months ago. It is incredible. I'll do the asparagus instead of potatoes. (PS to that person who won't make this because of salt: not much of the salt in this recipe will actually end up in you. I'd use it. My grandmother was in heart failure at 68 and told never to eat salt again. She didn't listen, salted everything--even her chocolate cake--and lived to 92. She wasn't overweight, though, she had an arrhythmia. In the 80's they used to tell pregnant women, who had preeclampsia to not eat salt. Not eating salt actually made it much worse and threw them straight into toxemia. Salt is not such a bad player.)

Yes one can use vegetable or chicken broth or stock to enhance flavor. Personally when I find chicken quarter of sale, around 40 cent a pound or less, I use the 10 pounds to make my chicken stock, plus I get the good chicken meat for other dishes. Presently I have about 10 Quarts of great flavor healthy stock in the freezer.

Can I use vegetable or chicken broth instead of the warm water?

It is a warm day here in south east New Mexico, so I decided to use my sharper image roast and it worked great. Only had to rotate the drumstick once to brown all sides.

Should this be cooked covered?

I'm all over this. Looks great and no mess.

to remove the excess flour I use a hand strainer by placing the meat pieces in the strainer and a good shake. This leaves just the light coat of flour. Use not only but other meats too.

Could you use rice flour to keep it gluten free and still get good results?

Will drumsticks work?

Living in the South, fried chicken is a staple recipe. I do agree, why do we have to fry it in all that oil to achieve that classic crisp coating? My way is to soak the chicken thighs in buttermilk for about 1 hour, then coat lightly in seasoned flour. I brown the chicken on both sides in just a few tablespoons of canola oil to set the coating and THEN bake ON A RACK on a half sheet pan until cooked through. No need to turn. No excess oil as it drips off and great taste. I often use boneless skinless chicken thighs and remove the excess fat. My secret seasoning for oven fried chicken is minced thyme added to the flour mixture. Delicious every time. Of course served with buttermilk biscuits.

I do not see an answer to the question about substituting Earth Balance for butter. Yes? or is there another better alternative to butter for those who cannot eat dairy products?

Will this work for other bone-in chicken parts (leg, breast) or is it best with thighs?

BY "sea salt" you mean the large flake salt, right? Because you can now get sea salt in the big flakes, and in a fine grind, like table salt.

made it last night winner I put chicken on a wire rack for about 10 mims to to let some of the fat drip off

This is an instant winner in my little family! I cooked 5 thighs for two of us with a little less butter. I've never enjoyed thighs before, but read that they were the only thing for this, so... They were delicious! When they came out of the oven, I drained most of the fat and sautéed sliced mushrooms, adding some Pinot Grigio to completely loosen the fond. What a hit with my husband who now wants it once a week! Thank you Judy and Food52.

This is really delicious!

Can this be used with chicken legs or boneless breasts?

I keep kosher. So if I use kosher chicken, I should skip the brining, and start with the second step, right? I'll also have to use smart balance for the butter :-)

This is a winner! I have a friend who's been begging me to make fried chicken, but I really don't want a fat-coated kitchen, so I keep putting her off. This one I will do.

After brining shouldn't you rinse in cold water to get the remaining salt off the chicken? I have brined chicken breasts in the past and did not rinse them. They were very salty to the point we couldn't eat them. Perhaps I used too much salt?

Hi! I am excited to try this over the weekend and was wondering: when you say "turn them; cook the other side the same way" do you mean also for the same length of time? so total cooking time is 80 - 120 minutes?