Picnic Oven-Fried Chicken

Rating: 3.75 stars
28 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 6
  • 4 star values: 16
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 3

This oven-fried chicken recipe gives you all the deep-fried flavor and crunch without all the oil. Removing the skin and using our tried-and-true “oven frying” method, where we bread the chicken and then coat it with cooking spray before baking at high heat, eliminates 92 calories and 2 g of saturated fat per serving.

Patsy Jamieson
Source: EatingWell Magazine, July/August 2012; October 2020 30th Anniversary

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Recipe Summary

active:
20 mins
total:
1 hr 35 mins
Servings:
4
Nutrition Profile:
Heart Healthy
Low-Calorie
Low Carbohydrate
Low Sodium
Healthy Aging
Healthy Immunity
Low Added Sugars
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Whisk buttermilk, mustard, garlic and hot sauce in a shallow glass dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 8 hours.

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  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Coat a wire rack with cooking spray and set it on the baking sheet.

  • Combine flour, sesame seeds, paprika, baking powder, thyme, salt and pepper in a sealable bag. Tapping off excess marinade, place one or two chicken pieces in the bag and shake to coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Tap off excess flour; place the chicken on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs and drumsticks.

  • Bake the chicken until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part without touching bone registers 165°F, 40 to 50 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 4 oz. chicken
Per Serving:
284 calories; protein 32g 64% DV; carbohydrates 6g 2% DV; exchange other carbs 0.5; dietary fiber 1g 4% DV; sugars 1g; fat 14g 22% DV; saturated fat 3g 15% DV; cholesterol 163mg 54% DV; vitamin a iu 126.6IU 3% DV; vitamin c 0.3mg 1% DV; folate 9.5mcg 2% DV; calcium 54.7mg 6% DV; iron 1.9mg 10% DV; magnesium 41.3mg 15% DV; potassium 372mg 10% DV; sodium 226mg 9% DV; thiamin 0.2mg 15% DV.

Reviews (28)

Read More Reviews
28 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 6
  • 4 star values: 16
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 3
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Jennifer Brush
Rating: 4 stars
08/18/2019
This worked really well. I cheated and left the skins on and cooked it for an hour. Read More
Gay Griffeth
Rating: 3 stars
01/20/2019
I won't make it again I didn't think it was anything special. Read More
c o b
Rating: 4 stars
09/03/2017
I really liked this recipe. It totally hit a fried chicken craving for me. The sesame seeds in the coating add nice visual interest and a good nutty flavor. I added cayenne to the breading and additional hot sauce to the marinade. Like many readers have suggested this recipe requires good technique to be successful: preheat the pan and rack before adding the chicken; be generous with the exterior coating of oil on the rack and the chicken pieces; and flip halfway through. This is definitely going into my "healthier" junk food rotation. Read More
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gsdaftary@gmail.com
Rating: 3 stars
05/29/2017
Needs more salt Read More
Vicky Bakaitis
Rating: 5 stars
09/27/2016
I used to make this frequently years ago. Delicious. I'll have to make this again. A tip for the chicken and soggy bottoms. Heat oven to 450 place baking sheet into oven for about 5-6 minutes remove sheet spray and place chicken on it. You'll hear the chicken start to sizzle. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/17/2013
Tried out this recipe today and it was great! I made these today and they turned out great. I used skinless chicken breasts instead of drumsticks or whatever. I left out the hot sauce instead I used 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 Tbs of spicy brown mustard and 2 ts of garlic powder for the marinade letting them sit for about two hours. I used 3/4 cup plain flour 2 Tbs paprika 2 1/2 Tbs of sesame seeds 1 ts baking powder salt and lots of pepper. They were so delicious moist and flavorful! I didn't know if I should make this because of some of the comments but boy am I glad I did! They did stay a little soggy on the bottom of the rack but once I flipped them over they became crispy just like the top. Make sure you are generous with the spices! Do not skimp! Will definitely make this again Pros: Moist crispy and tasty! Cons: Was a bit soggy on the bottom flipped it and cooked it another 15 min turned out crispy. Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 1 stars
06/12/2013
Did not like this recipe at all. Left a slight bitter taste. Re-heated it was worse. Read More
Shelly3
Rating: 5 stars
03/05/2013
Finally I love fried food but that doesn't work when you're trying to lose weight. Saw this recipe and decided to try it out of desperation. Loved It! I love flavorful food so I added some of my favorite salt free seasoning to the marinade and the batter and that seemed to do the trick. I used my open proof grill pan and that worked well. I highly recommend it. Pros: Crunchy Crispy Good Cons: None Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
01/10/2013
Extremely Healthy Oven Fried Chicken I'm from New Orleans so no stranger to the kitchen. Big Smile) I used lemon juice and plain old milk to do my marinade but I also added some grated Parmesan cheese to the marinade. Just an FYI that any chicken would be considered bland if you only add spices to the marinade. In my recipe change I also added chili powder salt lemon pepper and paprika to the wheat flour just to make sure that it has a kick and I also sprayed the chicken all over with butter flavored olive oil cooking spray. I wrapped a turkey rack (the kind inside of a turkey pan) with foil and perforated hole sin the bottom of it. Worked like a charm. The chicken was extra crispy because I baked it at 450 for an hour or so. The skin was also nice and golden brown. I will definitely be doing this chicken again soon. OUTSTANDING! Pros: Outsanding Flavor Cons: Had to take it up a notch Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
08/03/2012
Crispy Crunch Bland I followed this recipe almost to a T (I made less chicken) and the chicken was juicy the breading was crispy but there was no flavor. I was shocked because it smelled great preparing this dish but in the end it had no flavor and I won't be using it again. If you try this: MAKE SURE TO SPRAY ALL THE CHICKEN WITH SPRAY. If you don't spray the chicken with cooking spray some will be left looking floury and odd. Pros: Crunchy Breading Easy Clean-Up Cons: Bland Flavor Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
07/04/2012
Extremely flavorful! I loved that I could make this ahead of time for a picnic we had. I just breaded and baked them shortly before we left. I had them marinate for a long time overnight which was longer than stated in the recipe but turned out extremely tender and juicy. The spice blend recommended in the recipe was delicious and I loved that it used whole wheat flour. It did not turn out super crispy but realistically I wouldn't expect it to. The texture of the breading was still very pleasing. My husband thought it was excellent as did I. I will definitely make this again. Pros: Easy to make ahead very juicy and tender nice blend of spices Cons: Not quite as crispy as fried but flavor outweighs this Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
04/02/2012
Great. crispy and low fat! I made this last night and I thought it was wonderful. Now reading the comments I realize how important it is to follow this exactly. I marinated the chicken for 6 hours and then did the breading as described. Be sure to use a rack above the baking sheet with the more holes the better to let the heat circulate around the bottom of the chicken. I brushed the rack with oil rather than spraying but sprayed the top with oil. This kept it from sticking. Also whole wheat flour really makes a difference - much crispier than plain flour would be. Loved it! Pros: Crisp and tasty Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 2 stars
01/24/2012
Not that great I added more spices and salt and I'm glad I did. There was not enough flavor. Also it will get mushy on foil. So if you don't have a rack don't waste your time. Maybe I'll try it as a breading just not fried chicken worthy though. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 1 stars
11/19/2011
What a disappointment Save yourselves the cost of ruined chicken. I didn't like this at all and I'm mad at myself for trying it! Cons: Bland and tastes like raw flour Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
Being new to cooking this was very easy and juicy. Tender oven cooked chicken yummy. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
My husband and I enjoyed eating this dish without any guilt. How often can you say that about "fried chicken"?! Kavi Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
After making so many flawless Eating Well recipes this one hit the skids. My husband and I made it together using boneless/skinless chicken thighs and breasts. We let it marinate for 30 mins. We tried using the shake and bake technique but it turned into a gummy mess in the bag. I instead whipped up a second batch of coating and dredged the chicken pieces instead. They never crisped up in the over (even after turning it up by 50 degrees 1/2 through baking. So instead there was a cooked flour coating liked they'd just been dusted. My husband attempted to eat them and we ended up throwing the entire batch out. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
The coating didn't get particularly crisp but the chicken was moist and tasty. All in all we enjoyed it. I'll tweak the recipe to see if I can get it crispier though. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
The chicken was tasty. The top portion cooked nice and crispy while the bottom half was soggy. I baked them on a rack too. Perhaps next time I can turn the pieces over half-way through the baking time to solve that problem. We like spicy chicken and will try adding another teaspoon of hot sauce. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
I don't know what serving size you are using. Is it two pieces? I may have missed that but the recipe is an excellent idea. My family will enjoy this and winters will never be the same! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
Mine crisped up but there were patches of flour coating the chicken scattered all over. The chicken was moderately moist. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
This is an awsome recipe for fried chicken oven cooked and I cant wait to try it.I do love my fried chicken and this is one dynomite recipe. Deliciousos! 5/25/10 4:39pm. Anonymous Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
We loved this recipe! It had tons of flavor and it was crispy as if I had fried it in oil. I sprayed the pan with Pam but I also sprayed the pieces - front and back - really good with Pam. I checked the chicken as it baked and if there were any flour spots I sprayed the spots with Pam. It was juicy and delicious! Even the next day for lunch! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
This is a good recipe that has a bit of spice in it. My 5 yr old found it on the spicy side but I enjoyed it. I would recommend making sure you spray all sides of the chicken with cooking spray prior to putting it on the rate. Otherwise it turned out good and was good cold the next day too. I followed the recipe as directed. I would use a little less hot sauce for kids. The chicken turned out juicy inside and crisp on the outside. We left the skin on prior to flouring. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
I really didn't try this recipe yet because I don't care for dark meat. I have a question. I want to try this recipe on boneless skinless chicken breasts so on what temp and how long would I need to cook them? Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
I made this for the second time last night. Fried chicken is my favorite thing and this tastes just like it. Be sure and put the foil on the baking sheet. I didn't have foil so the bottom didn't get crispy. And I agree you have to spray it on the top AND bottom to get rid of the flour patches and get it to crisp up. Also I just used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Read More
DEBORAHARV614
Rating: 1 stars
10/29/2011
Tried to like this but.. Yuck:( We truly tried to like this recipe... my husband will usually eat anything but even he thought this was too bland and mushy to eat. I added extra spices and then followed all of the tips from other reviews to crisp the chicken to no avail. It was a waste of good ingredients as we ended up throwing it in the trash:( Read More
Elena Alexandra Gee
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
An amazing recipe Made that recipe yesterday for dinner and my boyfriend absolutely loved it. I made chicken thighs and chicken breast and to my surprise even the chicken breast came out moist on the inside and nice and crunchy on the outside. I added a little more hot sauce for a stronger kick and fresh thyme instead of the dried one. I also toasted the sesame seeds. I paired it up with roasted onions and sweet potatoes. The only advice I have for whoever is going to make it for the first time is make sure you bake it on a rack because on the flat surface the batter becomes very watery and the chicken does not come out crispy. I do not have a rack at home so I lined a pizza tray with foil and baked it on that and it came out perfect. Also make sure to spray the top of the chicken with oil spray before baking it. Thank you for this recipe its definitely a remake. Read More
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