Oven Fried Chicken brings all the comfort of fried chicken without standing over a pan of hot oil. Boneless chicken thighs are coated with a savory blend of paprika, garlic, onion, oregano, and a little chili, then baked until golden and crisp on the outside.
The two-temperature baking method keeps the chicken juicy while giving the seasoned flour coating a beautifully browned finish. It’s an easy option for weeknight dinners, yet satisfying enough when a classic comfort-food craving hits. Even better, there’s no deep fryer and no pot of oil to deal with afterward.
Serve these oven-fried chicken thighs with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, coleslaw, or a simple salad. It’s an old-fashioned favorite made a little easier for the everyday kitchen.
Recipe Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
8 chicken thighs (approx. 2 lbs.), boneless and skinless, organic
2 cups all-purpose flour, organic
4 tbsp. sunflower oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. chili powder
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven:
Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Prepare the chicken:
Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with paper towels and set aside.
3. Mix the seasonings:
In a small bowl, combine the sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, oregano, paprika, and chili powder.
4. Season the oil:
Add half of the seasoning mixture to the sunflower oil and stir until combined.
5. Season the flour:
In a separate shallow bowl, combine the remaining seasoning mixture with the flour.
6. Coat the chicken:
Brush each chicken thigh thoroughly with the seasoned oil. Then dredge in the seasoned flour, pressing lightly so the coating adheres well.
7. Arrange for baking:
Place the coated chicken thighs in a single layer on a large nonstick baking tray, leaving a little space between each piece.
8. Bake until golden:
Bake for 30–35 minutes at 300°F. Then increase the oven temperature to 475°F and bake for another 15 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through, until golden and crisp. The thickest part of each thigh should reach at least 165°F on a meat thermometer.
NOTE: This recipe was created specifically for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Bone-in chicken requires a different cooking time and may not produce the same result.
HELPFUL TIPS TO PERFECT THIS RECIPE
- Pat the chicken very dry: Excess surface moisture makes it harder for the seasoned oil and flour coating to cling evenly and crisp in the oven.
- Give the chicken some space: Arrange the thighs without touching so hot air can circulate around them. Crowding the baking tray can make the coating softer.
- Press the flour coating gently: After dredging, lightly press the seasoned flour onto the chicken instead of simply shaking it through the bowl. This helps create a more substantial oven-fried coating.
- Check temperature in the thickest part: Boneless thighs can vary in size, so use a meat thermometer rather than relying only on color. Chicken is safely cooked at 165°F.
Oven Fried Chicken Recipe Video Tutorial
We’d Love to Hear From You 🤍
Questions, tips, and how your recipe turned out are always welcome.
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Tried this tonight and while I love the convenience it was “flour” tasting. I will make it again but will likely salt and pepper the thighs and leave them in the oil for 30 mins. Also, will adjust the temperature as: 20 mins at 325; raise to 475 cook for 10 mins; turn and cook for 10 mins more. I will also use about 1/3 of the flour. I really like the ease and the bottom was crispy so with a few tweaks it will be one of my go tos! Thanks for pinning Kate!
Your helpful comments are much appreciated, Kendra! Thank you! 🙂
Was good, but I feel two cups of flour is way too much, I only used maybe 3/4 of a cup. The rest was a waste. There for the spices weren’t as flavorful as it could have been. I will make this again but less flour for sure 🙂
Kim, you can certainly adjust the amount of flour. Thank you! 🙂
I made this and loved it. Just wondering if I could make chicken fried steak, or onion rings with the same process?
Thank you Gary! I believe the same process will not work for the chicken fried steak or onion rings. Simply it will become too dry in the oven.
I tried this tonight and though the flavors were good I had the same issue as some others – the flour taste. I think next time I’ll just lightly dredge the chicken in the flour instead of the thicker coating and drizzle the leftover spiced oil over top. Willing to give this another try 🙂
We hope it was a success, Jane. Thank you kindly for your review!
Can I use chicken breast in this recipe?
Using chicken breast is not recommended, Mrs C. It tends to become out too dry.
Made this tonight and I’ll need to tweet it if I make it again. I had to extend the cooking time because it was still mushy. Also, it just tasted like flour. I think two cups was way too much for the amount of chicken in this recipe. I ended up adding a lot of salt at the end. It’s a good idea and it LOOKED really good. Just needs more spices.
Thank you for your feedback, Hillary. We appreciate it!
Ruined my non stick baking sheet–highest temp they are supposed to be subjected to is 425, I felt 2 cups of lour was WAY too much, so only used 1 cup w/spices. Still had to throw away most of it. If I had turned the chicken half way through the first baking at 300 perhaps the coating would have adhered, however, I turned the chicken pieces half way through the second baking , at 475, and the coating stuck to the pan. Also made a mess of my oven—BUT, the flavor was exceptional, so I will “tweek ” the recipe and try again.
Go Lydia 🙂 ! Thank you for your review and I hope the second try was a success! 🙂
I made this today, using olive oil and bone-in chicken thighs. I roasted it at 425 for 45 minutes, and it was perfect! I will definitely use this super-simple recipe again.
Sandi, thank you for your kind words, we really do appreciate it!
I have this in the oven at this moment, hoping it turns out well. I used vegetable oil to substitute the sunflower oil…just didn’t have any. I did do a little bit of olive oil combined but still 4 tablespoons total.
We hope the recipe worked out great for you! 🙂
I love this recipe and I cook it often. I’ve tried both: boneless and skinless chicken thighs as per the recipe description and with bone-in and skin on. I find that boneless and skinless chicken thighs taste much better than bone-in. Also, I tried to cook a larger amount of the chicken and it needed to cook longer and it was not as tasty. So I always follow this recipe to a tee and I always have a great result and my family enjoy it as well.
Thank you for taking the time to review, Renee. We appreciate it!