If you want all of the flavor fried chicken has to offer without all of the grease, Cornflake Chicken is your comfort food solution. Without a doubt, this oven-fried chicken recipe is as close to the real thing as you're going to get.
One bite into this magical batter is proof. It's made up of crispy, crunchy, crushed Cornflakes seasoned with a flavorful Southern spice blend. Quite possibly the best part, is that crust? This one actually stays put. Yes, please.
This versatile dinner recipe works on just about all cuts of chicken -- legs, thighs, wings, and even boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Regardless of which cut you choose, you are guaranteed succulent delicious, juicy chicken!
Get ready to set this recipe on repeat! It's bound to be a new family weeknight Dinner favorite.
You'll also love our easy Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders and our yummy Bacon Wrapped Chicken! Be sure to bookmark the recipes for next time!
HOW TO MAKE OVEN-FRIED CORNFLAKE CHICKEN
- Make the Cornflake Coating
- Set Up a Dredging Station
- Dredge the Chicken
- Bake
For another crazy-good Chicken Recipe, check out our smoked chicken legs.
1. MAKE THE CORNFLAKE COATING
A food processor will make seriously quick and easy work of preparing the Cornflake coating! You'll simply add the Cornflakes to the bowl of the food processor, along with the spices. Then, mix until they are broken up.
Add the oil through the feed tube, and pulse until it coats the mixture. No food processor? See below!
NO FOOD PROCESSOR? No problem. If you don't have one, you can prep the Cornflake coating by adding them to a large, zip-top bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
Then, you'll pour the Cornflakes into a medium-sized bowl and add the spices, and stir to combine. Evenly pour the oil over the mixture and use a fork to stir and mix, until well combined.
2. SET UP THE DREDGING STATION
To set up a dredging station, you'll need three shallow dishes. Add flour to the first dish, eggs and yellow mustard to the second, and your Cornflake Coating to the third. Whisk the eggs and yellow mustard until well-combined.
3. DREDGE THE CHICKEN
Take each piece of chicken and coat it evenly in the flour, taking care to knock off any excess flour. Then, dip it in the egg mixture -- don't leave any bare spots! Lastly, give each piece a thorough dip/roll into the Cornflake Coating.
4. BAKE
Transfer the Cornflake Chicken to a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes, until it is completely cooked through. You're looking for an internal temperature of 165°F. When the chicken is cooked through, it will be white, with no more pink showing.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR CORNFLAKE CHICKEN
- Chicken | Bone-in, skin-on dark meat pieces or boneless breasts (or a combo of the two)
- Cornflakes Cereal
- Spices | Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder
- Oil | Avocado or canola oil
- Flour
- Eggs
- Yellow Mustard
THE CHICKEN
You can buy a fryer chicken and cut it up yourself, or (a much easier route) work with pre-cut pieces of chicken for this recipe. If you are using a fryer, make sure you remove the bone from the breast.
If you are not using a whole bird, your best bet is to purchase bone-in, skin-on legs or thighs. Wing portions and boneless breast halves would also work for this recipe. Again, avoid bone-in breasts (especially those larger in size) as they will take much longer to cook than the rest of the meat.
CORNFLAKE CEREAL
Cornflakes make a great coating for oven-fried chicken thanks to their extra crunchy nature and hint of sweetness, which balances nicely with the savory spice blend.
SUBS FOR CORNFLAKES
Cornflakes should be your top choice for this recipe, but if you can't find them, you could sub in Melba Toasts or Panko breadcrumbs.
SEASONING
The seasoning for this Oven-Fried Cornflake Chicken is an extra savory, Southern-style spice blend of Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. This mix is part of the exterior coating and lends big flavor to every single bite!
OIL
Unfortunately, Oven-Fried Chicken cannot be oilless. It is a necessary browning agent and enables the exterior of the chicken to become extra golden and extra crispy. You can use avocado, canola, or even vegetable oil. Whichever you have on hand is fine. Really, as long as it is a flavorless oil, you're good to go!
FLOUR
You will also need all-purpose flour for making Oven-Fried Cornflake Chicken. The flour is the first stop in the dredging station and it is an important one as it helps to lock in moisture!
EGGS AND MUSTARD
From the flour, the chicken goes into the egg and mustard mixture. You will need three large eggs and just over a tablespoon of yellow mustard. This mixture serves as a sort of glue for the Cornflake coating and keeps the breading from falling off -- a major fried chicken offense!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CORNFLAKE CHICKEN
You can serve just about any side dish you'd like with Oven-Fried Cornflake Chicken. Below are a few of our Southern faves!
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5 MORE CHICKEN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Fried Chicken Strips
- Baked Buffalo Wings
- Fried Chicken Nuggets
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders
Cornflake Chicken (Oven-Fried Chicken)
Ingredients
- 7 cups Cornflakes cereal
- 2 ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅓ cup avocado or canola oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- 8 pieces (about 4-5 pounds) bone-in chicken legs, wings, and/or thighs (see notes for chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready a rimmed sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.
- Add the cereal and all of the spices to the bowl of food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until the cornflakes turn to crumbs. Drizzle in the oil through the feed tube and pulse just until evenly distributed. See notes if you do not have a food processor.
- To set up your dredging station, set out 3 shallow dishes. Add 1 cup of flour to the first dish. Add the eggs and mustard to the second dish and whisk until the eggs are completely broken up. Lastly, add the Cornflake mixture to the third bowl.
- Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then, dip both sides in the egg mixture, followed by a thorough coating of the Cornflake crumbs.
- Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 45-50 minutes (until the internal temperature of the chicken registers a safe 165°F). Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve, and enjoy!
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Lauren Kleiman says
Oh my word this is as good as fried chicken. The best oven baked chicken I’ve ver had.
Tammy Trevathan says
Y’all, I’m a fried chicken connoisseur. This recipe is amazing! I made it for the first time yesterday for dinner, my family and I will never use another recipe! I’m so thankful that I was introduced to this recipe, and the chef has so many wonderful recipes! I’ve made her chow mein, which is also to die for!! Thanks so much!!
Kelly Anthony says
What a compliment! Thank you, Tammy! Coincidentally, we are making this for dinner tonight! It's on our family's regular dinnertime rotation now 🙂 We really love it too! Again, thank you so much!
MARCELLE MITCHELL says
This is absolutely delicious. My Husband said it was his favorite!
Vicki kish says
I have a box of cornflakes that are already crushed. Can I use those? How much oil and crushed flakes would I use. I’m excited to make this recipe
Kelly Anthony says
You can! And the oil stays the same 🙂
Brit says
One of my go to's. I've used it for drumsticks, tenders and stuffed jalapeno and cream cheese chicken breasts. Always comes out great and satisfying when I don't have the motivation to stand there and fry up some chicken in busy week nights. Thanks for the great recipe.