These KFC Oven Fried Chicken Tenders are my KFC copycat recipe!! Made in the oven, tastes like KFC, nice and crunchy but with just a fraction of the calories! These are Baked Fried Chicken Tenders are a total crowd pleaser!
Confession: I love KFC. I have it maybe three times a year. I don’t crave it regularly (thankfully) but I’d say every few months, I have the urge to splurge. And my bottom hates me for it.
I do the drive through because I’m too ashamed to risk being seen inside KFC. And though I savour every bite while I’m consuming it, I always regret it afterwards. Always. It’s heavy and excessively greasy and I don’t feel great.
And yet, there’s a repeat performance every few months.
I contemplated about the ridiculousness of craving something that makes me feel not-so-crash-hot afterwards. Then I realised – well, it’s like champers. SO much fun, so enjoyable while it’s being consumed. But the next morning? Ugh. Not so fun! (Unless you’re drinking real French champagne, in which case, you’ll be headache free! Did you know that? It’s true!!)
I’ve been on a mission to make the “best” oven baked KFC since early this year. I’ve had around 10 goes, using recipes I’ve found online and trying my own variations.
Here’s the thing that I’ve come to accept. You will never, ever be able to make “fried chicken” in the oven that tastes as good as chicken that’s been deep fried. You can make truly crispy oven baked wings, but it only works really well with wings using a very unique technique discovered by America’s Test Kitchen. (Have you tried my Truly Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings and Truly Crispy Baked Wings with Honey Garlic Sauce?)
But to make chicken with the proper thick, craggy crust that you get with KFC and Southern Fried Chicken, you need to…well, fry it. In oil. Lots of it. There needs to be enough oil so the chicken floats in it, not just a thin layer in a skillet.
So I have conceded defeat.
BUT! There’s a silver lining to every cloud! Just because an exact KFC copycat can’t be made in the oven, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make something similar!
And that’s what I have here for you today. This chicken really does taste like KFC! It’s a mash up of two genius recipes I discovered by 2 very talented bloggers.
1. The “11 Secret Herbs & Spices” from the Homemade KFC recipe by Jo from Every Nook and Cranny. I tried a whole bunch of spice mixes and I think hers is the closest!
2. The coating mixture from Carlsbad Cravings‘ Best Baked “Fried” Chicken. I think Jen’s nailed the coating ratios of flour, panko and cornmeal (polenta / yellow corn). It’s the crunchiest I have tried!
So I made a mash up of these 2 recipes with a few tweaks of my own. You know me. I have “my way” of doing things.:-)
I hope you love it! I am seriously obsessed with this and was VERY happy making it over and over and over again to get it “right” before I shared it with you! – Nagi x
PS I served these with my “go to” Honey Mustard dipping sauce. Recipe also below!
PPS One more look at how crunchy they are? YES!
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KFC Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
KFC Spice Mix
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp celery salt (Note 1)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 2 tbsp paprika (not smoked, use sweet or plain)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or ground pure chili (optional - for KFC "Zinger" flavour!)
Chicken
- 1.2 - 1.4 lb / 600 - 700 g chicken tenderloin (10 - 12 pieces) (Note 2)
- 1 cup buttermilk OR 1/3 cup plain yoghurt + 2/3 cup milk (Note 3)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup cornmeal (Note 4)
- 2 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- Oil spray
Instructions
- Combine the Spice Mix in a bowl.
- Place 1 tbsp of Spice Mix in a ziplock bag with the chicken and buttermilk. Set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 but ideally overnight.
To Cook
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
- Place the butter and oil on a large rimmed baking tray. Place in the oven for a few minutes until the butter is just melted. Remove and tip the tray to spread the oil and butter all over.
- Combine the remaining Spice Mix, flour, panko and cornmeal in a bowl and mix. Place half in a large ziplock bag.
- Drain the chicken of excess marinade using a colander.
- Transfer half the chicken into the ziplock bag, seal in air so it is puffed like a balloon, then shake to coat the chicken in the seasoning. Press through the bag so the coating is firmly stuck onto the chicken. Place the chicken onto the baking tray.
- Place the remaining coating into the ziplock bag and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Spray the top with oil and place in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn, spray and bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Don't bake more than 25 minutes, otherwise the chicken will dry out!
- Serve with your favourite dipping sauce. I used Honey Mustard Sauce (Note 7).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Hello!
Just saw your site for this KFC recipe. I haven’t make them yet but I’m so thrilled that there’s copycat recipe for this ‘cuz I so love KFC! Like you, I eat them 2-3 times a year. Now, with this recipe, it’d definitely be almost guilt-free food with much less calories and fat and more than 2-3 times a year, too. Yay! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe for KFC-addicts like me!
Look forward to making them very soon…this week, for sure! :^D
Amy
Hope you do Amy! It really is delish!!
This was absolutely fantastic, even with omitting butter, buttermilk, celery salt and basil (dairy allergy and missing a few ingredients. I sprayed Pam directly on tenders so they looked “wet” which gave them a texture very similar to kfc original recipe. Will def make again!
Fantastic! So glad to hear you enjoyed it Amber, thanks for letting me know! N x
Hello do you need to brown/toast the panko breadcrumbs like you did in the other recipes ? Thank you
Hi Penny! Nope, not for this one 🙂 The coating for this is a bit different. Hope you love!
Awesome recipe, I didn’t have time to get the cornmeal and didn’t marinate just dipped in buttermilk. The chicken was amazing and was close to tasting like the KFC recipe, will definitely be making again. Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Ben, thank you for letting me know! N x
Tasty but followed precisely and not at all crispy. Maybe it’s my oven?
I added more salt to my spice mixture, which has a really nice flavor. As another reviewer experienced, my coating wasn’t crunchy at all; rather, it was soggy. The tenders were done in the time recommended, so I feel my oven temp is correct. I wondered if I maybe used too much butter/oil on the sheet pan (I did halve the amount of chicken). Next time I may fry in olive oil in my electric skillet. All in all, this is a recipe I like and will try again.
Hi Steff! That’s odd, with the panko and cornmeal it should definitely come out crunchy. Is your oven weak? That might be the reason?
Greetings from London! Really tasty chicken. I didn’t have time to marinate the chicken today so just dipped in egg as suggested. It was delicious and still moist (maybe because I used chicken thighs) but will definitely marinate with buttermilk next time as I’m sure that would make it even more yummy! My really, really picky 4-year old loved the chicken so no higher seal of approval than that :). Just wanted to let you know that I love your site – it’s given me lots of inspiration! Thanks for all the delicious recipes!
Hi Doreen, all the way from Sydney!! I am so glad you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know!! Oooh yes this would be even more delicious with thighs and YES to marinating in buttermilk 🙂 With thicker chicken pieces it definitely helps to infuse it with more flavour! N x
Great recipe and easy to follow! I used the yogurt/milk marinade for about 3 hours and the chicken was so nice and moist.
So glad Diane! Thank you for trying my recipe and for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it! N x
I made these a couple of weeks ago and my boyfriend devoured almost 2/3 of them. He called it “Crack Chicken” and after he was finished, he asked if I had more…almost like an addict 😀
BA HA HA! I love it – CRACK CHICKEN!!!
I have made your KFC zinger chicken recipe and it is totally yum
Tonight I made a different twist on the zinger coating.
Buy some veal schnitzel portions (I use the Woolworths heart smart veal steak) and tenderize it with a meat mallet. Marinate and coat the veal the same way as the chicken and oven bake for 20 minutes. Serve cooked schnitzel with lime wedges, a baked potato and broccolini. Much better and tastier than your regular schnitzel.
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback Peter! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 PS Schnitzel version will be incredible! N x
We are making our 2nd batch tomorrow! My first batch was awesome but they didn’t really crisp up….I think that was my error because I did not fully thaw them prior to baking…I am assuming the excess moisture is the cause. I also saw that you recommended 430 degrees for my oven. They were very good the first time though, I can only imagine how good they will be the 2nd time around! Thank you for the recipe (and the great notes to go with it!)
Hi Sabryna! Yes, cooking partially frozen tenders would have affected the crispiness because as you rightly pointed out, they become watery when they defrosted in the oven 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the flavour though!!!
Enjoyed you website can’t wait to try your recipes.
Thanks so much Roberta!! 🙂
Long time stalker, first time poster…Lol…just wondering if this would work with wings or other chicken on the bone, and if you could deep fry it instead? Would the crumb still work well? Was thinking of something like this for a party we have coming up. 🙂
Hi Sherrilee! I find that this doesn’t work as well with wings or other chicken on the bone because the shape of them isn’t as flat so the coating doesn’t stick as well. Sorry!! I do have a handful of crumbed wing recipes in my Chicken Wings cookbook though!
Would the crumb stick to deep fry?
Hi Sherrilee! This isn’t a recipe for deep frying, it’s for baking. The crumbs will fall off 🙂
I ended up using chicken ribs, drained the buttermilk, dredged in flour, dipped in egg, then into the crumb and deep fried. Worked a treat and the crumbs stayed on for frying. Thank you for your help and time. If you haven’t tried chicken ribs, I highly recommend them ! Thank you again 🙂
I cooked per the directions…
Not a dark/crisp coating like the pictures you posted. I had to put them under the broiler to get any color/crisp on them towards the end because I could tell it wasn’t going to happen with just the oven.
Everyone loved the flavor though.
I’m glad the flavour was enjoyed!! Do you have a fan forced or convectional oven?? I have a fan forced oven – if you have a convectional one, it will need to be turned up slightly. 🙂
Sorry, misread your reply. You said conventional instead of convection. I will try the recipe again in “convection” mode. Thanks for getting back to me.
Mike
Yes, I have a convection oven, but did not use that option when I cooked the chicken. When you say ‘turn it up”, do you mean the temp? If so, how much?
Hi Mike! Turn it up to 220C/430F 🙂
Alright, I prepared the chicken yesterday and we just finished eating. I don’t know whether I envy you for your culinary skills or if I’m just in awe. You’re seriously my culinary goddess ! It is that amazing.
No no, I am not any kind of rock star in the kitchen!! I’m just an ordinary cook – it’s just that I like taking pretty photos of my food and writing up the recipes for my site!! Thank you for your kind words, I am super glad you enjoyed these!! 🙂
Hi there Nagi
We decided at around 3:30 this afternoon that this was going to be our dinner tonight – so we only had about 3 hrs to marinate the chicken. Boy, it was good!
We all loved it, we added the cayenne pepper to give the Zinger Flavour. It was so delicious, we don’t usually have KFC bra use of the oil content however this version was a real hot!
I found that some of the crust did fall off whilst I was turning the pieces over (I used thighs and sliced them into 3’s) maybe I should think about of flouring and egging before if I’m using fillets?
Nevertheless they were a real hit, and will plan ahead next time to give them a 24hr marinade.
Hi Vanessa! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!! Re: crust sliding off, I think you’ll find that if you use breast or tenderloins which have a smoother more even surface than thigh fillets, it will stay on better 🙂 If you use flour and egg, I’d probably use a different crust – something thicker that comes out even crunchier to make it worth the extra effort of using the egg and flour!! N x
Hi, Nagi 🙂 I was already marinating chicken in buttermilk to make my first fried chicken!! Then, I found your website yesterday!!! Your website changed my life yesterday!!!!!!!! Skipped a recipe that I found and I made your KFC chicken last night instead!! We all LOVED it!!! It REALLY tastes like KFC!!! Thank you so so much for the magic spices!!!!
One question, though… It didn’t turn out crispy. Did I pour too much oil in the sheet? Too much spray on the chicken?? Even though it wasn’t crispy, nobody complained! But as my all 3 kids are already asking for it, I know I will make them again very soon. Any suggestion? n Thank you 😀
Hi Doremi! I love hearing that you enjoy my blog, thank you so much for your kind words!! Regarding coming out crispy, the main thing I can think is your oven – is it a strong one?? I use a fan forced oven. If yours is a bit weak or a convectional one, increase the temp a bit. It should definitely come out lovely and crispy!! 🙂
Thanks!! I know my oven is 5F lower than what it says, so I usually add 5F more–with this recipe, the temp. was 405F but I will go up more and try next one 🙂 Love oven bake than deep frying!!! Thanks, again!!
Hi Nagi! I was wondering if “ground chili” is the same as “chili powder”? And if it’s not, where do I buy it? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! Thank you for the question 🙂 It is pure ground chili or cayenne pepper, not chili powder. Chili powder in America has more things in it other than chili – seasonings. This is just to add a hit of spice so if you don’t have ground chili, then cayenne pepper is a perfect substitute. I’ve updated the recipe, so thank you again for the question!
Nagi,
What can I say, another winner.Made these twice now and I have had to make a third batch to take to the office.
Kevin
Kevin! Thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful message! I am so glad you love them! 🙂
Ohhhh my word… Nagi, these look phenomenally GOOD!! I have some chicken in my freezer, and I think I’ll be making these with it 🙂
Thanks Amanda, you’re so kind! 🙂
OMG – I don’t know how I missed these!! But I will definitely be making them because 1) I also have a guilty KFC pleasure and 2) my toddler ONLY eats chicken… as in chicken fingers/nuggets – over and over again! So I need to keep it interesting. Pinned! 🙂
Crumbed chicken was MADE for kids!! (And really, I’m just a big kid myself!)