This oven-baked Cornflake Chicken is crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside and perfectly seasoned. It’s quick and easy, family-friendly and much healthier than fried chicken while tasting just like the comfort food classic.
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Easy Cornflake Baked Chicken
This Cornflake Chicken recipe has been a family favorite for years. I grew up watching my Grandma make this delicious cornflake crusted chicken, and I love it because it’s so easy to throw together and made with ingredients I usually have on hand. My entire family loves it because it has the crunch of fried chicken, even though it’s actually oven-baked!
Cornflake Chicken Video Tutorial
You can easily make Cornflake Chicken using chicken tenders, or even cut up tenders, thighs or chicken breasts and roll your smaller pieces to make baked chicken nuggets. Serve your homemade nuggets with BBQ sauce, ketchup or our homemade Southwest Ranch Dressing for dipping.
What to Serve with Cornflake Breaded Chicken
There are so many yummy sides to serve with your Cornflake Chicken. Truly just about anything will taste great! Here are a few of our family favorites:
- Herb-Roasted Potatoes
- Ranch Roasted Potatoes
- Garlic Herb Cheesy Potatoes
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
You can also try using Cornflake Chicken to make Chicken Parmesan and serve it over a bed of spaghetti. Or, slice it up and serve in this Easy Chicken Salad with Pesto Ranch Dressing.
Ingredients in Cornflake Chicken
- Cornflakes - make sure to use plain Cornflakes rather than Frosted Flakes, or something else with added sugar. If you are lucky, you might also be able to find already crushed Cornflakes at the grocery store.
- Onion Powder and Garlic Powder - these add a sweeter onion and garlic flavor in convenient powder form.
- Paprika - any kind will work great.
- Salt and Pepper
- Butter - this should be melted for dipping.
- Chicken Thighs - these tend to stay a little more tender than chicken breasts, but you can easily use chicken breasts, drumsticks or chicken tenders for this recipe if you’d like.
How to Make Cornflake Chicken
- Crush the cornflakes. Place cornflakes in a large ziplock bag and use a rolling pin or glass to crush them into smaller pieces. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper then reseal the bag and shake to combine. Pour the seasoned, crushed cornflakes into a shallow bowl and set to the side.
- Dip the chicken thighs. Pour the melted butter into another shallow bowl or dish. Dip each chicken thigh into the melted butter, making sure that both sides are covered. Then, roll the buttered chicken thigh in the cornflake mixture, pressing the cornflakes onto the entire piece of chicken. Place the crusted chicken into a 9" x 13" baking dish or baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Bake. Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken has reached 165 degrees and is no longer pink inside.
- Cool and serve. Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the chicken to cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Do not roll your chicken in Cornflakes until you are ready to bake. Otherwise, your “fried” chicken will be a bit soggy.
- You can easily adapt this recipe to make chicken nuggets by cutting your thighs, tenders or breasts into smaller pieces.
- Make sure you use thawed (not frozen) chicken for this recipe.
- We use chicken thighs because they tend to stay more tender and juicy than chicken breasts, but you can easily use chicken breasts, chicken drumsticks or chicken tenders for this recipe.
Can I Use the Air Fryer to Make Cornflake Chicken?
Yes! Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees while you follow the same directions for dipping and coating your Cornflake Chicken. Then place your chicken into the air fryer basket, making sure to keep a bit of space in between, then cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees using a meat thermometer.
The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken, and how much you cook at once. Repeat until all pieces of chicken have been cooked.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: store leftover baked Cornflake Chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: warm in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until heated through.
Cornflake Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cornflakes crushed
- 1 ½ tsp Onion Powder
- 1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 ½ tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Cup Butter melted
- 2 lbs Chicken Thighs (4-6 oz for each person)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place cornflakes in a large ziplock bag and use a rolling pin or glass to crush them into smaller pieces. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper then reseal the bag and shake to combine.
- Pour the seasoned, crushed cornflakes into a shallow bowl and set to the side.
- Pour the melted butter into another shallow bowl or dish. Dip each chicken thigh into the melted butter, making sure that both sides are covered. Then, roll the buttered chicken thigh in the cornflake mixture, pressing the cornflakes onto the entire piece of chicken.
- Place the crusted chicken into a 9" x 13" baking dish or baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken has reached 165 degrees and is no longer pink inside.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the chicken to cool for a couple minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are some more of our favorite baked chicken recipes:
- Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
- Simple Oven-Baked Chicken Breast
- Oven-Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Green Chili Hasselback Chicken
- Simple Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
- More Main Dish Recipes
- More Chicken Recipes
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This Cornflake Chicken recipe has been a family favorite for years. It's oven-baked, bone-in, crispy, tender, family-friendly, and a much healthier version than fried chicken.
Dini
These were seriously fantastic! I love how crispy they were on the outside, a great alternative for deep fried. The seasoning was very flavorful too. Thank you so much for sharing!
Liz
My husband loves baked chicken and I've been looking for a recipe like this! This is perfect!
Getrude Banda
Guyz this is very nice and so delicious, I will at home