Secretly Baked Bisquick Fried Chicken Recipe

There are fewer things better than fresh, homemade fried chicken — but conversely, there are fewer things worse than fussing with hot oil and then having to clean it up. This clever recipe ensures all the goodness of fried chicken minus the actual frying part, as the chicken is secretly baked and coated in an irresistible Bisquick-buttermilk marinade that results in juiciness on the inside and perfectly crispy skin on the outside. "I love making this because it feels like fried chicken without the effort or mess," recipe developer Erin Johnson describes.

Johnson is also a big fan of how much cleanup is eliminated with this recipe — all you'll need to worry about is washing one bowl and a baking sheet. "The worst part of frying chicken is the cleanup, and with this recipe, cleanup is a breeze," Johnson says. "It's also hands-off once you put it in the oven, making it easy to multitask while the chicken cooks." Something you might do while the chicken bakes is prepare the sides, and Johnson notes, "I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, but any sides you'd serve with fried chicken work perfectly."

You'll need a whole chicken for this recipe, and you'll want to separate it into eight pieces. You'll also need some Bisquick, as the name of the recipe suggests, along with some buttermilk, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and smoked paprika for the marinade. Finally, you'll need melted butter to spoon over the chicken before it goes into the oven. 

Place the chicken in a large bowl, pour over the buttermilk, and add the cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon each of the black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a large shallow bowl or pie pan, combine the Bisquick, salt, smoked paprika, and remaining ½ teaspoon each of black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the Bisquick mixture, ensuring they are well coated on all sides.

Place the chicken pieces onto a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Spoon approximately ½ tablespoon melted butter over each piece of chicken.

Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Serve hot with the side dishes of your choice.

The beauty of making fried chicken at home is that there's a whole world of customizations — something that isn't available when you order from a restaurant. For starters, you can use whatever pieces of chicken you like best. "I like to use a variety of chicken for this, but you can use whichever pieces are your favorite," Johnson says. So, if you're a fan of dark meat, you might want to stick with just drums and thighs.

Another easy switch-up comes in the form of seasonings. While you don't want to use anything too outlandish, there is plenty of room to tweak the savory flavor profile and perhaps lean into some spicy flavors as well. "The seasonings here are absolutely up to you!" Johnson assures. "Regular paprika can be substituted for the smoked, and I sometimes use Old Bay for a different flavor punch."

One thing that you absolutely don't want to switch out or omit, however, is the buttermilk. As Johnson explains, "The buttermilk marinade adds flavor, tenderizes the chicken, and helps keep it moist."

There's no denying that fried chicken — er, baked chicken — is best eaten hot and fresh, but that ideal situation doesn't always work out. If you're making this recipe, which yields eight pieces of chicken, for a family of four, then you might not have to worry about leftovers. For those solo diners, however, fear not — you can still have this chicken fresh and enjoy leftovers, too.

"Leftover chicken keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days but is best eaten the next day," Johnson advises, adding, "I prefer to reheat in the air fryer or oven to maintain some of the crispness." And if the idea of eating fried chicken again doesn't sound very appealing the next day, there's even wiggle room to repurpose the meat to your liking. "You could also opt to shred the chicken and use it in your favorite recipes," Johnson suggests. Leftovers chicken pot pie, anyone?