Oven Baked Chicken – Healthy Version of Southern Fried!

This oven baked chicken recipe has a great flavor from a super mix of spices, but I have cut way back on both calories and fat by baking it in the oven instead of deep frying it. It reminds me of my favorite takeaway chicken but is much more healthy.

I love all types of copycat recipes.  It is fun to tinker in my kitchen to try and come up with recipes that give me the flavors of my favorite restaurant or take away meals.

Today, I’m trying to get the flavor of takeaway fried chicken while reducing the fat and calories. I love the way the recipe turned out.

 

Why oven fried chicken?

Oven fried chicken is coated with spices and herbs and other toppings to give the chicken flavor. But instead of deep frying, as normal Southern fried chicken is, this recipe is baked in the oven with a small amount of oil for crispiness.

For me, it’s a way to infuse my chicken with the spices and give it a lovely texture by using just a little butter and concentrating on what goes on the outside of the chicken.

This chicken could be just baked in the oven without the butter, and it would be okay, but it won’t be the quite the same.  And I don’t like to settle for just okay.

The butter gives the coating a crispy texture and great taste when combined with the spices.   And thus my term – oven fried.

The small amount of butter that I do use is FAR less than normal fried chicken, but it allows the chicken pieces to get a crunchy coating even though it’s not deep fried.

Best of both worlds…. it has plenty of flavor and less calories!

There are all kinds of baked chicken recipes out there but I wanted something that will have me thinking I am eating fried chicken, and also something that won’t have my hips complaining at me for the next few weeks.  

And so this recipe was born.

The spice blend is what gives my chicken a super flavor, and unlike takeaway chicken, I won’t be stingy on sharing the spice mix with you.

After all, once you see how well this turns out for me, you will want to be making it in your kitchen won’t you?  I have seen this spice mix also with the addition of MSG, but I have omitted it for my recipe.

I don’t like using MSG, since so many people don’t tolerate it well. The spice blend does just fine without it, thank you very much.

My helper for this meal is a wonderful silicone baking mat.  The mat is a huge help to make clean up super easy, especially for a recipe like this that can be kind of messy in a normal baking pan.

Once the chicken is done, all that is needed is a wash in warm soapy water to clean it and then it’s ready to use for another project.  I have a whole collection of these mats. Each is allocated to a particular cooking project.

Some I use only to make cookies.  Others are for oven baking like this, and one is even used JUST to roll out dough for bread.  Trust me.  You can’t have too many of these mats. 

Be sure to check out my post for ways to use silicone baking mats.

Make a dipping station

The recipe is easy to make.  You start by setting up a dipping station.  I am using four containers.  One holds the skim milk and next to it is the flour and 1/2 of the spice mix.

A third bowl holds the egg wash and near it is the container of Panko bread crumbs and the rest of the spice mix.  Doing a dipping station makes the whole process very streamlined and easy to do.

I let my chicken pieces rest on a wire rack after coating for a bit so that the milk and egg wash helps to get the coatings to really stick to the chicken.  

This makes them crispy and also makes sure that the coating does not fall off in the oven. 

Melt your butter in the microwave and add it to the mat which lines a baking pan.  Place your chicken on the mat being careful to leave room around it so that every area will brown.

Flip the chicken half way through the baking time for best results and the crispiest chicken ever.  If they look this good before cooking, imagine how they will look after!

Voila!  Just took them out of the oven and can’t WAIT to try a piece.  I love doing this recipe on the silicone mat.  

None of the chicken pieces stuck to it when I flipped them over or when it was done.

The chicken was just perfect when it came out of the oven.

You are going to love this crispy “fried” chicken with a tremendously tasty crust.  You won’t be complaining that these were not deep fried.

The flavor is THAT GOOD. There is just enough butter to give the coating a super rich taste but not enough to add a lot of calories or fat to the dish.

And the flavor of this chicken is unreal. As in WHOA…I’ve gotta have a couple more pieces unreal.

The outside was crispy and perfect, yet it was juicy and flavorful on the inside.   This is no mean feat with skinless chicken breasts that will often dry out in the oven.

Your kids will love these nuggets of chicken and you’ll love knowing that you have made something healthier for them.

Pin this recipe for oven baked chicken

Would you like a reminder of this healthier version of fried chicken? Just pin this image to one of your recipe boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Yield: 4

Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken

Print

This oven baked fried chicken recipe reminds me of takeaway Southern fried chicken but I have reduced the fat and calories considerably.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 cup of skim milk
• 3 egg whites, whisked with 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 tsp ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425º F.
2. Spread out a silicone baking mat in a baking sheet.
3. Combine all of the spice ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. Whisk the spices well to combine.
5. Set up a dipping station with two plates and two bowls.
6. Put skim milk in one bowl, and egg wash in another.
7. Place the Panko crumbs with half the spices, and flour and remaining spices on two plates.
8. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash and then the flour/spice mix first and then into the skim milk and Panko/spice mix last.
9. Set them aside on a wire rack to set for a bit.
10. Place butter in a glass bowl and microwave until it has melted. About 30 seconds. Watch to make sure it does not burn.
11. Spread the butter on the silicone mat.
12. Place the coated chicken pieces on the silicone mat, taking care to leave spaces around them.
13. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the pieces and bake another 10-12 minutes until lightly browned and the chicken is cooked. (test it to make sure. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the chicken pieces.
14. Cook a few more minutes if needed.
15. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to soak up any excess grease. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 491Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 1927mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 40g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

Share on Social Media