This super simple Crispy Oven Baked Cornflake Chicken is done in just over 30 minutes with only 6 ingredients. Sliced chicken breast pieces are coated in a crushed cornflake and parmesan breading and baked to crispy perfection in the oven.
This Crispy Cornflake Baked Chicken is a family favorite. The chicken pieces are breaded and baked in the oven so it's very hands-off. This makes it perfect for a family weeknight dinner. It is a regular in our dinner meal rotation.
Because the chicken is coated in crispy cornflakes, the chicken gets shockingly crispy in the oven. It has a serious crispiness factor!
You can also get chicken really crispy, by pan-frying it in olive oil and panko bread crumbs, like in this recipe for Pesto Bruschetta Chicken or Crispy Hot Honey Chicken.
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🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Super Crispy: Crushed cornflake breading creates an ultra crispy crunchy breaded chicken.
Oven Baked: It is baked in the oven (no frying) and it's hands off, meaning you can focus on something else in the meantime (playing with kids, making a salad, watching TV, etc.)
Family Friendly: Everyone loves crispy chicken. They’re almost like super crispy chicken nuggets (but bigger and better). Drizzle them in honey and you have a crispy sweet crowd-pleasing dinner.
📝 Ingredients:
Below are the ingredients needed to make Crispy Oven Baked Cornflake Chicken. Pay special attention to the type of cornflakes used in the recipe.
- Organic Cornflakes: I highly recommend choosing organic cornflakes. I’ve tried this recipe with Kellog's cornflakes, but it has a funny aftertaste when used as breading. I prefer the Whole Foods brand organic cornflakes because they don’t have any aftertaste. I find that choosing the right cornflakes makes a big difference.
- Parmesan Cheese: Buy a wedge of parmesan cheese, if possible, and grate it yourself. It adds a subtle savoriness.
- Salt: Just a tiny amount, ¼ tsp.
- Chicken Breasts: Choose organic chicken breasts, if possible.
- Parsley: The parsley is optional. It's used to sprinkle on top of the chicken as a garnish, which makes a difference in presentation. The parsley makes the chicken pieces look more appetizing (contrast of color, bright fresh look). However, it doesn’t have much impact on the overall taste of the chicken.
- Honey: Optional for drizzling or dipping. Choose any brand/kind that you like.
See the recipe card further below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍴 How to Make Crispy Oven Baked Cornflake Chicken
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to bake Crispy Oven Baked Cornflake Chicken.
It's a straightforward preparation: make the breading with crushed cornflakes and grated parmesan cheese, dip the chicken pieces in the egg, then the breading, then place the pieces on a baking sheet, and bake.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 1: Prep the eggs: add the eggs to a medium mixing bowl and combine with a fork or whisk.
Step 2: Make the breading: Add the cornflakes to a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times until you get large crumbs (you do not want small crumbs or a fine powder - think larger than panko.) Add it to a wide flat-bottomed dish. Add the parmesan and salt and combine.
Tip: If you do not have a blender or food processor add the cornflakes to a large gallon-sized bag and break them up with a rolling pin or other fun smashing tool.
Step 3: Slice Chicken & Dip in Egg Mixture: Slice the chicken along the shorter side against the grain in 1-inch slices to create short strips that loosely resemble chicken fingers or large chicken nuggets. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture allowing the excess to drip off.
Step 4. Coat in Breading: Coat the chicken in the cornflake breading pressing the breading firmly into the chicken with your fingers on both sides.
Expert Tip: If there is any excess egg yolk and bread crumb mixture, don't let it go to waste! Grab an already-breaded chicken piece and dip it back in the egg yolk mixture, then again in the breading, pressing firmly. This will create an extra thick crispy layer of breading.
Step 5: Bake the Chicken: Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet. Make sure there is space around the chicken pieces so that they become crispy. If they are too close they are more likely to steam and not get crispy. Bake at 375°F for 22-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Cooking Tip: Chicken breast pieces can dry out if they are baked too long in the oven, so keep an eye on them towards the end of the baking time. Look for some of the breading to become extra crispy and dark brown (but not all of the breading). That is one indication that the chicken may be done.
To Serve: Sprinkle the crispy baked chicken with minced parsley and either drizzle it with honey or serve it with a side of honey for dipping.
Cooking Tip: The amount of time that it takes to bake the chicken will depend on the size of the chicken breast and the size of the slices of chicken. Once the chicken comes out of the oven, choose the largest piece and cut into it to make sure that it is fully cooked.
🍽️ How to Serve, Store, and Reheat.
Sides for Serving: We often serve this with a simple salad as an easy way to incorporate a lot of veggies with whatever we have on hand. If you're looking for a few other sides to serve with this dish, here are a few ideas:
- Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
- Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Pretzel Slider Buns
To Store: Store the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
To Reheat: Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes. Or you can microwave the chicken for 1 minute at 50% power, then place it under a broiler for 1-2 minutes.
Crispy Oven Baked Cornflake Chicken FAQs
I have tried this exact recipe substituting cornflakes for panko and it does not work. It does not get crispy. It's pretty soggy.
Make sure that there is room around each piece of chicken on the baking sheet to ensure that air can circulate and you don't get a steaming effect. This will help the chicken stay crispy.
The same goes for serving. If possible, serve the chicken in a single layer on a serving tray or on the baking sheet itself. This will prevent the chicken pieces from steaming each other after taking them out of the oven.
This crispy cornflake chicken goes well with a number of dishes such as Green Beans with Toasted Almonds, a salad, or Buttermilk Biscuits.
If You're Interested in More Dinner Recipes, You May Love These:
If you tried these Crispy Oven Baked Cornflake Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Crispy Oven Baked Cornflake Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 cups organic cornflakes
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large chicken breasts
- parsley, minced for serving
- honey for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the cornflakes to a blender or food processer and pulse until they turns into large crumbs. Don’t overdo it. You don’t want fine crumbs or a powder. A couple of seconds will do the trick. Dump the cornflake breading into a wide flat bottom dish. Add the grated parmesan cheese and salt and stir to combine.
- Crack the eggs and place them in a medium-sized bowl, scramble with a fork or whisk.
- Slice the chicken across the grain into 1-inch strips. Dip the chicken first into the egg mixture allowing the excess to drip off. Then dip it into the dish with the cornflake breading, coating both sides. Use your fingers to firmly press the cornflake breading into the chicken on both sides.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken leaving space between the chicken pieces on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 375°F for 22-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the breading is crispy.
- Sprinkle with minced parsley and drizzle with honey, or serve the honey on the side for dipping.
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