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
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Questions, tips, and how your recipe turned out are always welcome.
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Serve 8?
Put this in the oven and could tell it was going to be soggy. So the light went off and I transferred the chicken to the nuwave and crust is firming up and browning. This recipe was made for an air fryer.
I took the advice from other responses and doubled the spices and only used 1 cup of flour and still had some left over. I also used the last bit of bread crumbs i had left over. It turned out great!
I am going to try this as soon as I buy the thighs! I will brine them first because I use bone-in skin-on & don’t want them drying out. I will do as others suggest and use less flour but for my 1st try I will use the seasonings as stated.
First, I’m not a good cook. I called my son about the flour comments and he said “mom”, just use panko. I had some and followed most of the instructions substituting some spices (Italian seasoning instead of oregano and the like) and I have to say, it worked GREAT! I didn’t really measure the seasonings and took the advice from a comment that said to marinate the chicken for an hour. YUMMY!!! Thank you so much!
I followed the recipe to the T and I ended up having to throw it in the air dryer afterwards because it was soggy. Not sure what I did wrong but I’ll be sticking to the air fryer. I added a ton of my own flavors so it came out flavorful.
Made this but took some advice and reduced that flour and added more than double the spices. Marinated the thighs in the seasoned oil for an hour prior to baking. Definitely used foil for easy clean-up. Chicken was very good and moist and spicy. But even better as chicken salad the next day. Chunked the chicken, added diced red onion, worcester sauce and mayo. Amazing flavor from the flour/spices.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, Elizabeth. We’re glad you enjoyed it!
I love it!
Thank you so much, Noah! We’re so happy that you loved it 🙂
I made this chicken tonight substituted the boneless for bone-in, had to cook longer but it was absolutely delicious. The seasoning was really on point.
Thank you for your review, Sonethia! We appreciate it!
Do you start counting the 15 additional minutes when you turn the oven up or when the oven gets to 425*
That’s a great question Amber. You start counting the 15 additional minutes when you turn the oven up.