Oven Baked Ranch Chicken

Side shot of the best oven fried chicken served on a blue and white plate

A crispy oven-fried Ranch chicken recipe for busy weeknights! This crispy Ranch chicken takes minutes of prep and only a handful of simple ingredients.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword crispy oven fried chicken, oven baked fried chicken, Oven Fried Chicken, ranch baked chicken, ranch chicken

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 931kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

Breadcrumb Mixture:

1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup Corn Flakes cereal crumbs (about 3 cups of cereal measured before crushing)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Freshly-ground black pepper
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

Ranch Chicken Coating

1 cup ranch salad dressing
3-4 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed (I use thighs or a combination of drumsticks and thighs)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place a rack on top of a large rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil. Spray rack with cooking spray and set aside.
Pour salad dressing into a medium bowl.
1 cup ranch salad dressing
In a large, shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, Corn Flakes crumbs, sugar, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Drizzle with oil and mash with a fork until the oil is thoroughly incorporated (the crumbs will almost look like wet sand).
1 cup dry bread crumbs, 1 cup Corn Flakes cereal crumbs, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
Pat the chicken dry; season with kosher salt and pepper.
2 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons Freshly-ground black pepper, 3-4 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed
Coat chicken pieces in Ranch salad dressing. I like a thin layer of the dressing, so I use a brush to coat the chicken. If it's easier, you can also just dip the chicken directly in the Ranch, then shake off any excess. Coat chicken with Corn Flakes mixture, pressing gently to help adhere.
1 cup ranch salad dressing
Arrange chicken on prepared wire rack. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. Check the chicken after the first 20 minutes – if the breading starts to get too dark, tent loosely with foil for the remainder of the cooking time. If you're using bone-in chicken breasts, you will need to bake them for longer.

Notes

Remove the skin before breading the chicken. Bone-in meat stays extra juicy and flavorful in the oven, but I find that the recipe works best if you pull off the skin before adding the bread crumb coating. I've tested it both ways (and you can certainly leave the skin intact if you prefer), but the breading adheres to the meat best when the skin is removed.
I prefer the chicken thighs and drumsticks because they cook faster than the chicken breasts, so the coating doesn't burn and the meat stays nice and juicy. If you would rather use bone-in chicken breast, you'll need to increase the baking time slightly.
The oil in the breading is a key to this extra crispy oven fried chicken recipe since the fat helps the breading turn brown and crunchy in the oven. Don't skip the oil, or the end result won't be nearly as good.
Tent the chicken loosely with foil if it starts to get too brown before the meat is cooked through. I check it after the first 20 minutes and add the foil cover, if necessary.

Nutrition