The Originators of Quick & Easy Cooking!
Southern Unfried Chicken

- SERVES
- 4 to 6
- CHILL TIME
- 1 Hr 30 Min
- COOK TIME
- 15 Min
If you're craving a true southern staple like fried chicken but you don't want to feel guilty afterwards, then Chef Art Smith has the perfect solution Southern Unfried Fried Chicken. Packed with tons of flavor and crunch, you won't even miss the real thing!
What You'll Need
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or regular Panko bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
What to Do
- In a large bowl, combine buttermilk and hot sauce. Submerge chicken breasts in marinade and allow to soak at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours).
- While chicken is marinating, in a large resealable plastic bag, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, ground red pepper, paprika, and salt, if desired. Shake to blend.
- Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Using tongs, remove chicken from marinade and place in bag with bread crumb mixture. Shake well, until chicken is evenly coated with bread crumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet and chill uncovered in refrigerator 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat each chicken breast with cooking spray.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until no pink remains.
Notes
Don't forget to serve this yummy chicken recipe with our Southern Broccoli Tomato Salad. It makes the perfect summer combination!
Want even more chicken dinner recipes? Check out our collection of Southern Fried Chicken Recipes: 9 Easy Fried Chicken Recipes.
Nutritional InformationShow More
Servings Per Recipe: 4
- Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
- Calories 322
- Calories from Fat 60
- Total Fat 6.7g 10 %
- Saturated Fat 2.3g 11 %
- Trans Fat 0.0g 0 %
- Protein 42g 83 %
- Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
- Cholesterol 117mg 39 %
- Sodium 420mg 17 %
- Total Carbohydrates 22g 7 %
- Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2 %
- Sugars 3.3g 0 %

toniretman 5006408
Mar 27, 2016
Loved it. I thought a little too hot though, so next time I'll just add less cayenne
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smhilsol 9236826
Apr 30, 2015
Would appreciate recipes without mixing cheese and chicken/meat together.
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douglasdherbert
Oct 22, 2015
Then go to another site. Most of us are happy with the recipes and don't complain when we do not like a recipe.
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nananotel
Oct 22, 2015
Wow-that a nasty retort. I personally don't like the cheese and chicken combination either. I like either one but not together. I don't think the writer said anything adverse but was saying recipes that were not combined would be appreciated. I would also appreciate that.
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sailorgal47 1472275
Apr 10, 2015
The flavor was good but boy was it hot and spicy! The chicken was wonderfully juicy and I actually brought out the blue cheese dressing to offset the 'heat'.
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snowpetersen66
Jun 15, 2014
What can I substitute for the Louisiana Hot Sauce and ground red pepper in this recipe? Neither my daughter nor I care for the added heat either of these add to a dish. She doesn't even like me to add plain old black pepper!! I'll be watching for a reoly. Thanks ever so much!!!!
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doloreseleeson 3927811
May 06, 2018
Just omit the hot sauce but still soak in the Buttermilk.
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barbara 0462270
May 19, 2014
It would be nice to be able to see the nutritional values for the recipes. For those of us on Weight Watchers.
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Test Kitchen Team
May 20, 2014
Hi there Barbara! We're currently working on adding the nutritional content for all of our recipes. We'll be sure to let everyone know once it has been done. Thank you for your patience!
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Cajunwoman1964 9054059
May 10, 2014
Why do you have to coat each chicken breast with cooking spray before you put in the oven?
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MrSoul
May 11, 2014
Oil spritz helps it brown and get crispy. Crushed corn flakes or other cereal works as breading. Change up spices to enjoy Italian or Mexican or whatever flavor you like.
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donjuan 0753109
Apr 24, 2014
can't have wheat, celiac disease any substitute?
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Test Kitchen Team
Apr 24, 2014
Thank you for your question. This site does not have much at this time for people with Celiac's disease. You can try our other site, www.everydaydiabeticrecipes.com. I did a quick search for substitutions for breadcrumbs and there are plenty out there. Since we don't know what works for you specifically, we recommend doing the search on Google and see what substitution you would prefer. Thank you!
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edbo11
May 10, 2014
I use crushed potato chips or potato flakes. Both work quite well.
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eileen 0201363
Apr 23, 2014
I love your recipes, but your "READY IN" times are WAY off. If following the directions, this recipe will not be ready for 2 hours.
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catlady6866 2887274
Feb 27, 2015
This chicken won't be anywhere near ready in 15 to 20 minutes for 4 breasts! I would use an instant read thermometer after 20 minutes, and continue baking them until they reach 165 degrees.
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korandawnellen 1604311
Dec 03, 2013
These are BETTER with corn flake crumbs...also baked in the oven!!!!
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catlady6866 2887274
Feb 27, 2015
Duhh! They're 'supposed' to be baked in the oven! What recipe were you reading?!
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reimerosa 9915225
Nov 30, 2013
panko breadcrumbs are the best-super crunchr
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flyingbird
Nov 29, 2013
I forgot to purchase bread crumbs so subbed them out with Rice Crispy cereal. Oh, it was so good
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jb3213199
Nov 12, 2013
Can you chicken tenders?
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Test Kitchen Team
Nov 13, 2013
You can absolutely use chicken tenders. Enjoy!
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ctldy0471 1721695
Nov 12, 2013
Can I use plain flour as a substitute for the bread crumbs without affecting the outcome?
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Test Kitchen Team
Nov 12, 2013
You can use flour only if you bake the chicken right away and dont refrigerate like the recipe mentions. It won t be as crispy as they would be if you used the panko bread crumbs, but flour will work. Enjoy!
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esal01 8430938
Jun 21, 2013
First time making this....loved it. How do you get nutritional info?
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gjh
Mar 10, 2013
If it is too spicy, just leave out the hotsauce...
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rjduckworth
Nov 12, 2013
If it is too spicy, use common sense and leave some of the spice out such as leave the cayenne pepper out or use less and decrease the amount of hot sauce.
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redsetters181 6314866
Mar 08, 2013
Didn't care for this....too peppery for me. Ended up scraping off panko crust
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thehicksons 4758490
Mar 06, 2013
Is it really necessary to use buttermilk? Most people don't always have it on-hand.
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bsparklett 4343131
Mar 06, 2013
You can always put a little bit of vinegar in regular milk.....that makes buttermilk...
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JulieMRL
Mar 07, 2013
This is from Taste Of Home.com: There are a number of substitutes for buttermilk in baking. For each cup of buttermilk, you can use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand for 5 minutes. You can also use 1 cup of plain yogurt or 1-3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 cup milk.
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theirmom3
Nov 11, 2013
You can buy powdered buttermilk in the baking section then rehydrate only amount needed for each recipe.
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mkjrn 6848082
May 06, 2014
Buttermilk helps tenderize chicken so is great if you have it. I often use white vinegar in milk if I don't have buttermilk.
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xpianomover 7635591
Mar 06, 2013
Chilling the chicken allows the panko or bread crumbs to set or stick to the buttermilk before bakeing the chicken.
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mardieffenbach 4343489
Mar 06, 2013
Why do you chill the coated chicken for 30 min. before baking it?
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Test Kitchen Team
Mar 07, 2013
Great question! Allowing the chicken to chill after coating it with the Panko bread crumbs will help the coating adhere to the chicken while it cooks.Thank you!
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pieman81 6122421
Mar 06, 2013
I really like getting the crunch without frying,and with 1/2 the calories
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lajones1963
Mar 06, 2013
this sounds like an awesome recipe. I can't wait to try it out.
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