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Home Most Popular

KFC Baked Oven Fried Chicken Tenders

By:Nagi
Published:16 Sep '15Updated:13 Dec '18
231 Comments
Recipe v

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!

Oven Fried Chicken Tenders - tastes just like KFC, with a crunchy coating, 11 Secret Herbs & Spices and a fraction of the calories! recipetineats.com

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!!)

KFC Copycat Oven "Fried" Chicken Tenders | Made this for dinner the other night, this really does taste like KFC!!!!

Oven Fried Chicken Tenders - tastes just like KFC, with a crunchy coating, 11 Secret Herbs & Spices and a fraction of the calories! recipetineats.com

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!

Oven Fried Chicken Tenders - tastes just like KFC, with a crunchy coating, 11 Secret Herbs & Spices and a fraction of the calories! recipetineats.com

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!

Oven Fried Chicken Tenders - tastes just like KFC, with a crunchy coating, 11 Secret Herbs & Spices and a fraction of the calories! recipetineats.com

PPS One more look at how crunchy they are? YES!

Oven Fried Chicken Tenders - tastes just like KFC, with a crunchy coating, 11 Secret Herbs & Spices and a fraction of the calories! recipetineats.com

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Oven Fried Chicken Tenders - tastes just like KFC, with a crunchy coating, 11 Secret Herbs & Spices and a fraction of the calories! recipetineats.com

KFC Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken Tenders

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Dinner
4.75 from 55 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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  • 644
Crunchy and perfectly seasoned, it really does taste like KFC! It is a mash up of my own recipe, the "11 Secret Herbs and Spices" from the Homemade KFC recipe by Every Nook & Cranny, and the coating recipe from this Best Baked "Fried" Chicken by Carlsbad Cravings.. Marinating makes the chicken extra juicy but if you don't have time to marinate, this is still worth making! (See Note 3) PS I know it looks like a lot of salt but it's not overly salty, it's KFC level salty. Reduce salt and/or celery salt if desired.

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:

1. Celery salt is common in America but not so well known in Australia. But you can find it in the herb section of Coles and Woolworths! It is also easy to make your own - just bake celery leaves until just dried (not burnt), crumble and combine equal amounts of the celery leaf dust and salt in a jar.
If you can't find celery salt, just substitute with 3/4 tbsp ordinary salt.
2. You can substitute with chicken breast cut into chicken tenderloin size strips. It will also work with small boneless thigh fillets - around 100g/3.5 oz each - or any other cut of chicken that will cook in 20 to 25 minutes.
3. If you don't have time to marinate, use 1 to 2 eggs instead (just enough to coat all the chicken). Add 1 tbsp of the Spice Mix, dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, then drain and follow the recipe directions.
4. Cornmeal are small, fine yellow grains and is also known as yellow corn. It's also sold as "polenta" at supermarkets though that is not technically correct because polenta is actually a dish that cornmeal is used to make! The cornmeal adds extra crunch to the coating but if you can't find it, then it's ok to skip it, it's still quite crunchy.
5. I find that using a bit of oil (instead of all butter) stops the butter from browning and burning which can sometimes happen, depending on the strength of your oven.
6. This does not have the wrinkly, thick, craggy coating like deep fried KFC and southern fried chicken. To achieve that, you need to deep fry or bake in loads of oil! But the crust of this is pretty close! It's crunchy and really does taste just like KFC!
7. Honey Mustard Dipping sauce - whisk together equal amounts of Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and honey, plus salt and pepper to taste.
KFC Oven Baked Chicken Tenderloins Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 229gCalories: 465cal (23%)Carbohydrates: 25.4g (8%)Protein: 53.4g (107%)Fat: 16.5g (25%)Saturated Fat: 4.2g (26%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 12.3gCholesterol: 145mg (48%)Sodium: 563mg (24%)Fiber: 2.7g (11%)Sugar: 2.7g (3%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 

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231 Comments

  1. Sumara says

    October 24, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    1 star
    I made this before and it’s was amazing but I tried again and today it’s mushy. Don’t know what I did wrong. Also you don’t need that much breading I doubled the recipe and yet I had to throw majority of it away. The only different thing is I elevated the chicken on cookie tray.

    Reply
  2. Natalie says

    July 9, 2022 at 8:29 pm

    1 star
    Pretty bland. Maybe I will fry them next time.

    Reply
  3. Finn Brown says

    April 14, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    What would you suggest as a suitable mustard powder substitute in this recipe?

    Reply
  4. Louisa says

    April 7, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    Hi Nagi. When I compare the recipes for KFC Oven Baked Tenders and the Fried Chicken, I notice that the proportions in the spice mixes are quite different, eg 1.5 tsp of paprika compared to 2 tbls. Some spices are higher in one and lower in the other recipe and vice versa. Just wondering which is closer to KFC. Thank you

    Reply
  5. Holly says

    February 20, 2022 at 11:04 am

    5 stars
    These were tasty.

    Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  6. MR.K says

    January 31, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    5 stars
    Been making these for ages (pre kids). Made it again recently for my 3 year old – in a wrap (who btw, has never tried KFC) and asked him what he thought, he said: “it tastes just like a twister”. 😂 Go figure.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 1, 2022 at 10:12 am

      Are you sure he’s NEVER tried KFC?? 😂 N x

      Reply
  7. Bron says

    January 28, 2022 at 1:31 pm

    5 stars
    I made this for my partner who loves fast food but never gets to it because it’s gross and unhealthy and just no. So I thought I’d treat him and I made the full feast of these chicken tenders, the potato and gravy, some fries with chicken salt and corn on the cob. It was so delicious! These tenders were unbelievable and I loved the potato and gravy too.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 28, 2022 at 3:10 pm

      Sometimes you just gotta get that fix Bron!! N x 🍗

      Reply
  8. Jess says

    January 22, 2022 at 4:16 pm

    2 stars
    Have tried this twice and just can’t seem to get crunch chicken. The flavour is spot on but something in my cooking is not working the way it should.

    Reply
  9. Danielle Toso says

    January 2, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, I made this on Christmas Day last year and it was a hit! I was wondering if you could use this recipe with chicken drumsticks instead of tenderloins? My partner loves KFC chicken drumsticks so I wonder if it’s possible to. What would be the cooking time and temp? Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Clare Casey says

    October 21, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    Hey Nagi have you tried using deb mash potato mix as a crumb coating? Mix it as a ratio of your crumb mix and try not to get it wet or you’ll end up with potato mud. It fries up really crunchy like potato crisps. Yum

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 22, 2021 at 9:34 am

      No I haven’t, Clare…thanks for the tip! N x

      Reply
  11. Nag says

    October 2, 2021 at 3:07 pm

    5 stars
    Hands down an amazing meal. Served with your KFC gravy and baked hot chips covered in chicken salt. About to share this recipe with the family xx

    Reply
  12. Sue says

    September 7, 2021 at 1:39 pm

    MasterFoods make Celery Salt

    Reply
  13. Barbara says

    September 1, 2021 at 1:51 am

    5 stars
    My husband never cooks and made your chicken recipe with my daughters help. We had your chicken gravy to accompany it and both tasted amazing. We are having it again tonight – my turn to cook. The bar is raised high by my hubby!!!!

    Reply
  14. Crystal says

    August 27, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    Make this tonight, served with kfc mash and gravy. Big winner with the SO. Out of the 3 Nagi recipes I’ve made this week this was rated #1. Chicken was cooked perfectly, and crisped up a bit once out of the oven

    Reply
  15. Crystal says

    August 24, 2021 at 9:00 pm

    5 stars
    I’m going to make this on the weekend (wish me luck, I am the worst chicken cooker) but wondered if I could use the air fryer? And second question, could you shallow fry so it’s a more crispy like your other recipe and what would be the cooking time?

    Reply
  16. Jay says

    August 14, 2021 at 4:27 pm

    Hey I’m planning on making this tomorrow with 2kgs of chicken breast. 6 Tbs of plain paprika seems like an awful lot. Has this recipe changed at all?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 16, 2021 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Jay, no the recipe hasn’t changed, but if you have 2kg of chicken tenderloins you’ll need a fair bit of spice mix! N x

      Reply
  17. Christopher Smith says

    August 8, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    Did this dish last night absolutely awesome. It is now in my having this again recipe book. 10 out of 10

    Reply
  18. Wattsy says

    August 7, 2021 at 11:58 pm

    My family has always loved this recipe and tonight I made a vegetarian version for my wife using cauliflower florets with egg to bind the crumbed seasoning. Yummo. Our oven is mediocre at best and we’ve struggled to get decent crunch on chicken tenders. However the cauliflower was crunchy crunchy goodness! Yummo.

    Reply
  19. Nicoke lawrynoe says

    June 29, 2021 at 5:31 pm

    Hi Nagi, I tried this recipe but it was mostly a fail for me… the best thing was the seasoning. After the buttermilk dredging I didn’t get a good coat on the chicken with the flour seasoning. It came out soggy but I think it’s because I used olive oil sand then a margarine/butter spread. I will have to try again. 🙁

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 30, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      Hi Nicole, sorry you had issues here – did you use olive oil for frying? How did you use the margarine? N x

      Reply
    • Sue says

      September 7, 2021 at 4:14 pm

      If your oil isn’t hot enough it will come out soggy.

      Reply
  20. Kaitlyn Rogers says

    June 7, 2021 at 7:47 pm

    I made this so many times before, it’s truly amazing, but I have guests coming over tomorrow and I’m out of garlic powder, dried basil, and ground ginger. Are there substitutes for these ingredients? And can I prepare this spice mix and store for later use? Also, if possible, please add a dozer photo to this post, it makes my day really.

    Reply
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