Oven-Fried Buttermilk Chicken
Shatter-crisp crust, juicy inside — all the crunch, none of the fryer.
What you'll need
The chicken
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
The crust
- 2 cups cornflakes, crushed to coarse crumbs
- 1 cup whole-wheat panko
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Let's cook
- 1
Soak the chicken in the buttermilk and hot sauce for at least 30 minutes (overnight is even better). This is where the juicy magic happens, so don't skip it.
- 2
Heat your oven to 425°F and set a wire rack over a baking sheet. The rack lets air move all the way around each piece so the bottom crisps up too.
- 3
Toss the crushed cornflakes, panko, and all the spices together with the olive oil until the crumbs look a little damp — that's what makes them turn golden.
- 4
Lift each piece of chicken out of the buttermilk, let the extra drip off, then press it firmly into the crumbs. Really pack them on.
- 5
Lay everything on the rack with a little space between pieces and bake 35–40 minutes, until deeply golden and cooked through.
- 6
Let it rest 5 minutes before digging in — the crust sets and the juices settle right back in.
Why this works
This is Sunday-supper fried chicken without standing over hot oil. Cornflakes and a hot oven give you that craveable crackle, so it tastes like the real deal and still feels like a treat.
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