Fuss-Free Southern Fried Chicken
This Fuss-Free Southern Fried Chicken is made in the oven, so you can skip the mess and avoid hovering over the stove without sacrificing that classic fried taste. I use a ranch dressing and buttermilk coating that keeps the chicken ultra-tender on the inside while delivering a perfectly crunchy exterior. Simple, delicious, and great with a side of homemade mashed potatoes!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Fuss-Free Southern Fried Chicken
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: bone-in skin-on chicken pieces such as breasts, legs, or leg quarters, oil for frying, all-purpose flour*, ranch dressing mix*, buttermilk*
- Why You'll Love It: With a ranch dressing and buttermilk coating that delivers tender chicken underneath a crunchy skin, this easy and fuss-free southern fried chicken recipe is finger-licking good!
Crispy Oven-Baked Fried Chicken
Few dishes from Southern cuisine are as universally beloved as fried chicken. Every Southerner has their own recipe in their back pocket, and mine is a little different. It’s oven-fried, but not how most folks expect it!
You see, the chicken is baked to resemble being fried… that’s where the “fuss-free” comes in. Yep, this fried chicken recipe is going to blow your mind, because today we’re frying the chicken in oil, but in your oven.
The beauty of this is that once you bread your chicken in a delicious mix of ranch dressing and buttermilk, it’s pretty much hands-off from there! So rather than watching over a frying pan, you’re free to set the table, make some side dishes, or drink a nice glass of Southern sweet tea.
It comes out tender and moist on the inside, wrapped in the crunchiest, tastiest skin imaginable. Pair it with some oven-baked mac and cheese, and you have a winning Southern supper!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oil (use a high smoke point oil)
- Flour (self-rising flour also works fine)
- Ranch dressing mix (or salt and pepper, or any seasoning you like!)
- Buttermilk (any kind of milk will do)
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken (can be chicken breast or chicken legs)
Tips Before You Get Started
- Want extra heat? Mix two tablespoons of hot sauce with the buttermilk.
- Make sure your oil is hot enough before you start frying! I can’t stress this enough. When the oil is at the right temperature, it sears the breading the moment the chicken hits the pan, giving you that perfect crispy coating. If the oil isn’t hot enough, your chicken will just soak up all that oil and end up greasy instead of crunchy.
- If you can’t fit all your chicken in the baking dish at once, just do it in two batches. Giving each piece enough room helps the coating stay crispy and lets the heat circulate evenly. If you overcrowd the pan, you’ll trap steam and end up with a soggy coating after all that hard work!
How to Make Fuss-Free Southern Fried Chicken
1. Heat the Oil
To start, add about ½ inch of oil to the bottom of your skillet and put it in the oven. Turn the oven to 450°F so the oil heats as the oven heats up.
2. Dredge Your Chicken
While we wait for the oil to get hot, place your flour in a shallow dish and season it with the ranch dressing mix or your seasoning of choice. Mix that up well.
Next, pour some buttermilk into another dish.
Place the chicken in the buttermilk first, coating each piece. Then dip it in the breading mixture, rolling it around until fully coated.
Then dip it again in the milk, and then in the seasoned flour mixture once more. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken.
Tip: This double-dipping method creates an extra-thick, crispier coating that locks in moisture and flavor, making your fried chicken even more delicious.
3. Fry in the Oven
Take your hot, hot, hot skillet with the hot, hot, hot oil out of the oven (with good protection for yourself!) and carefully add your chicken pieces.
They will begin to bubble and sizzle as soon as they go in. Try not to let them touch, but do what you gotta do!
Place this in the oven and “fry chicken” for 40 minutes. This is when you can go do whatever you’d rather be doing 😉
4. Flip the Chicken
After 40 minutes, carefully remove the skillet from the oven, turn all the pieces over, and put it back in for 15 minutes.
5. Drain & Serve
When done, remove from the oven and place each piece on a paper towel-lined plate to drain for a few minutes.
Enjoy this fuss-free Southern fried chicken recipe, folks!
Storage
Store chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, reheat either in the oven or air fryer.
Southern Fried Chicken FAQs
Honestly, anything you love! I switch it up every single time depending on what I’m feeling. This time around I went with ranch dressing mix, but my go-to combo is garlic powder, paprika (or cayenne pepper), parsley, salt, and pepper. If you want to keep it simple, poultry seasoning or seasoned salt work great too.
Many recipes tell you to brine your chicken before you fry it. I don’t for several reasons.
1. I don’t want to.
2. Typically, I don’t usually plan my meals far enough in advance.
3. I don’t have time. When I’m ready to cook supper, I’m ready right then, and I generally don’t lollygag around in the kitchen hours beforehand lookin’ for something to do.
4. I can’t stand the thought of wasting buttermilk (what a lot of folks brine it in).
Granny didn’t do it.
5. See #1.
Having said this, if you prefer to brine your chicken, I think that is awesome, and I salute you. Do it your way. Soak the chicken pieces in a buttermilk marinade in the fridge for at least six hours (or overnight) to make the flour stick better.
You can serve your fried chicken with a variety of different sides. Options include mashed potatoes, creamed corn, mac and cheese, coleslaw, cornbread, parmesan oven fries, buttermilk biscuits, green beans, or potato salad.
Nothing makes me happier than hearing that a recipe was a hit at the dinner table! If you tried this one, leave a star rating and a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Fuss-Free Southern Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces such as breasts, legs, or leg quarters
- Oil for frying
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1-2 packages ranch dressing mix*
- 1-2 cups buttermilk*
Instructions
- Pour oil to a depth of ¼-½ inch into a deep cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Place in the oven and preheat to 450°F. It is very important that your skillet be in your oven while it preheats!Oil for frying
- In a shallow dish, stir together flour and seasonings (either ranch dressing mix, salt and pepper, or seasonings of your choice).2 cups all-purpose flour*, 1-2 packages ranch dressing mix*
- In another shallow baking dish, pour about ¼-inch of milk.1-2 cups buttermilk*
- Dip each chicken piece in the milk to coat all sides, then into the flour mixture, then into the milk again, and then into the flour mixture again. Place on a platter when done.3-4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
- Five minutes after the oven is preheated, remove your skillet and carefully (using tongs) place each piece of chicken in the skillet, positioning them so that they don't touch.
- Return to the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, use tongs to flip each piece of chicken over, and return to the oven for 15 minutes more.
- Remove chicken and place on a paper towel-lined platter. Enjoy hot or cold.
I have the same question as D. Marion. I buy boneless, skinless chicken so I do not have so much waste.
Christy I was raised that you only use solid greases like lard, bacon, butter or Crisco, to cook with in cast iron, never oils like vegetable or corn because they ruin the seasoning of the cast iron.
Christy, what oil do use use for this recipe?
I’ve found this to be very true. Most vegetable oils have added ingredients that ruin the seasoning. I found out the hard way in my youth before it was common knowledge. I now use Crisco for my cast ironware and never have any problems.
can you not use boneless skinless chicken? seems like everytime i use bone in chicken i find a lot of blood in it near the bone part after cooking…gross!
Then you need to cook it longer, that’s all. 🙂 <3
I just want to make sure that you don’t have to cover the skillet because I think I am going to make it Sunday night and would not want to start a grease fire. Not a good way to end or start the week! Other than that it is just the oven fried chicken I am looking for.
I was the thinking the same thing. Don’t wanna burn down the house!
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is excellent blog. An excellent read. I will definitely be back.
Thank you for sharing this method. I used boneless, skinless breasts (cutting back the time). It was moist & not at all greasy. We really liked it!
I am so glad to hear you liked it Barbe!!!
How long did you bake your boneless chicken? I want to give it a try.
Thanks…
THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! Soooooo much for this recipe and your step by step direction. I found this recipe a couple of days ago and knew Mother-in-law was coming over for dinner this weekend. I thought instead of my usually staying up all night to REALLY clean the house. Then go into the kitchen at 6 or 7 a.m to fry chicken. To never coming out of there in till the dinner, and dishes was done. I just go ahead and try this recipe…..I mean what is the worst that can happen?? I went to bed with worries of the house not being clean, and the chicken being burnt. But I had 40 EXTRA MINUTES and another 15 MINUTES. YEA!!!!!! Almost an hour that I NEVER had when I fried it on the stove. Almost AN HOUR!!!!! I had so much time on my hand not only did I clean the house. I was frying chicken in the oven AND making pinto beans, cheesy grits, cornbread, collard greens with ham bone, and cake for dessert. I have NEVER EVER made a HUGE dinner and have my home looking sparkling clean at the same time. My Mother-in-law eyes was filled with shocked and complete surprises. Specially, when she bite into the chicken. She even took a plate home with her, tonight….a first for her. I will NEVER EVER make fried chicken on the stove ever again. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. You have made my life so much easier. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, I am so glad to hear that this recipe helped make your dinner a success!! I am so glad it turned out great for you AND was Mother-In-Law approved!!