Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken with Coleslaw

Thankfully, I read the reviews before making this dish.  I allowed the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk for 5 hours and added a bunch of Old Bay seasoning to it.  I made my own cracker breading from saltines and then generously seasoned with garlic salt, smoked paprika, and more Old Bay while pan frying.  The breasts at my market were larger, so I adjusted the bake time accordingly.  The coleslaw was basic but good.  I'll make this again but it shouldn't fool anyone that this will come out tasting like Popeye's Fried chicken.

This was a very tasty treatment for oven-fried chicken. I followed the recipe except for following other reviewers' suggestions on adding more flavor. I seasoned the chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) with Old Bay seasoning and added a few generous dashes of Tabasco to the buttermilk. Marinating the chicken for about 8 hours really imparted a nice buttermilk-y tang. I also used panko rather than the cracker meal as I didn't want to buy something that I would seldom use. I happened to have some Italian-seasoned panko so I used that, adding garlic salt and a pinch of a garlic/Italian herb mix. That provided a delightful amount of flavor to the cooked chicken. I also air-chilled the breaded chicken (on a rack over a cookie sheet) for a few hours, which always helps the breading coating to stick. Finally, my chicken was done in 20 minutes rather than the 30 minutes suggested for bone-in chicken. I served the chicken with the cole-slaw suggested (not nearly enough dressing for the amount of slaw in the package) and "Whipped Celery Potatoes" from this site. It was a wonderful homey, not-too-complicated meal which the whole family enjoyed.

This is a great recipe. I use a bit more salt than the recipe indicates.

Followed the recipe exactly. It was OK. Didn't have time to marinate like some suggested b/c it was a week night. May try again following others' suggestions. Did not try the cole slaw.

I made this dish for my family and guest. They loved it. Instead of making the coleslaw, I made mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. I increased the flour and cracker meal to 1 cup each and butter to 4 Tbsp, because the 4 chicken breast I had were big pieces. To coat the chicken, I placed the cracker crumbs and flour in a gallon zip-lock bag. This meal was quick, easy and healthy. I plan on making this again and again.

At the suggestion of another reviewer, I added a tsp or so of Old Bay seasoning to the buttermilk and let the chicken marinate for a few hours. It was incredibly tender and delicious.

OUTSTANDING!! My 11 year old son made this with supervision and he said it was better than KFC. In fact, my husband is making again tonight. Great flavor, nice crunch. We used boneless, skinless breasts.

This is a great basic technique. Loved the crispiness from the cracker meal. Based on previous reviews, however, I extended the buttermilk marinade to overnight and added dry mustard, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and dried thyme. The flavor was very good. This chicken was amazingly moist as well.

Maybe good for someone without much cooking experience, but I didn't learn anything or get any new ideas from this recipe. I laced the buttermilk with Tabsco, garlic salt, and lemon pepper. And I added Old Bay and some dried oregano to the flour-cracker mix; otherwise, there would have been no seasoning. The slaw is okay, but nothing near the wonderful slaw with lime juice and jalapeno elsewhere on this site. The butter is a nice touch, and I did keep the chicken in buttermilk 4 hours, which helped to tenderize it. So--it's okay, but not really anything new.

I don't know what I did wrong, but the crust all came off when I turned it over. It looked so good. I'm really disappointed.

Unfortunately, my search for the perfect oven-fried chicken recipe continues. I added additional seasoning as some other reviewers suggested and the chicken was flavorful, but not the crispy I was expecting and it was dry. On a positive note; the cole slaw was good.

This was fabulous!! I only made the chicken and was so impressed with how crispy it was, it reminded me alot of kfc. My only complaint would be the seasoning, I added s&p, garlic powder, paprika and onion powder and it still wasn't enough.

Loved this--reminded me of deep fried chicken! The "skin" tasted amazing!

This recipe is definitely a keeper! It's so nice to have a recipe for healthier "fried" chicken. I like to use panko, instead of cracker meal. No one that has had it has missed the skin a bit.

this is he best fried chicken ive pulled off to date- texturally speaking. had a perfect crunch, and remained moist. i added a bunch of seasoning though. hot sauce and garlic to buttermilk marinade, and thyme and paprika to breading. really ended up tasting great.

The buttermilk was too moist, which made the chicken taste wet. It was disgusting.

Made only the coleslaw and it was great- just what I was looking for! I didn't have fat-free mayo, so I used light mayo. Didn't have celery seed so I subbed celery salt (and omitted the other salt). I let it sit for a few hours and the flavors were great! I'll use this recipe again.

This recipe is exceptional. I have never used buttermilk or saltine crackers to make fried chicken, but I believe it's what makes this recipe so good. I used boneless skinless thighs and it turned out very moist. I baked it for 20 minutes. The coleslaw was very good also. I added a little more dressing. Not too sweet, which is the way I like it. I would suggest making the coleslaw the day before. I had the leftover today for lunch and it was even better. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

This chicken is super flavorful and yummy! Will definitely make it again! And it's easy, which is always a plus!

I didn't make the cole slaw in this recipe so I can not comment on that. But, I made the chicken and we really liked the crunch and the flavor of the coating. I did add a little seasoned salt, cayenne pepper and garlic powder to the coating mixture and I made sure to season my chicken before coating. This was such a big hit that I use this coating for other chicken dishes as well.

The cole slaw was excellent! Just the way I like it!

Excellent chicken with a nice crunchy coating but moist on the inside. Reminded me of my grandmother's chicken, but without the high fat content! This will definitely be my "go to" chicken recipe from now on!

Adding a few dashes of ground red pepper to the flour mixture greatly improved the flavor. Also, I added the salt and pepper to the flour mixture. I also used boneless chicken breasts and adjusted cooking time. This is a definite keeper.

I was pleasantly surprised once I "doctored" the cole slaw & tweaked the seasonings to be more akin to my native West TN roots. I used whole wheat artisan crackers for the cracker meal, a whole wheat flour, and coarse yellow corn meal to make a crispier coating & seasoned that mix too.I browned it in EVOO because the butter scorched even on low heat.

We really like tyhe chicken, good, simple yet tasty. The cole slaw however ... let me say I have tried many cole slaw recipes and I have only liked two, both are "homemade", and I guess I will just stick to them.

Very good. I made this for lunch and invited a friend and he liked it too. The only thing is make sure you use pam or bake it in a glass dish because my chicken stuck to the foil. Other than that everything was perfect. I plan to make this again.

I'm not a big fan of coleslaw because I don't like all the mayo, but I really enjoyed this simple to make recipe. As far as the chicken, it was ok but nothing to really write home about. I like the general recipe but the end result was a little bland. Next time, I might add some spice or chipolte flavor. I'll continue to play with it.

Good recipe. I followed the directions exactly and the chicken was tasty and moist. I have to say, the coleslaw recipe was the true winner! My family is not really coleslaw lovers and this was gone in seconds! I will definitely add this to my favorties!

This isn't a completely fair review since I didn't make the chicken, but I had to say that this coleslaw recipe is the best I have ever tasted. It's so light and fresh (and low calorie) . . . so unlike most mayo-laden coleslaw. I make it all the time!

This has potential. I made it almost exactly as written, using crushed saltines I had in the pantry and adding a touch of paprika. The coating was tasty and the chicken was nicely moist and had a hint of the buttermilk flavor. Next time I will try using boneless chicken breasts or thighs as I think we'll enjoy that a bit more. But definitely worth a repeat effort.

I have been trying for years to find a oven-fried chicken recipe that my kids would eat. I finally succeeded with this. It was also quick and easy and could be easily done on a week night. I didn't use breasts but thighs as that is my children's favorite. I also added some seasoning salt to the breading. This will be something that I will be making again.

I have been craving KFC for a long time but cringe at how many calories. The chicken was really moist and flavorable. The only thing I did differently is I marinaded the skinned chicken for a couple hours before dredging in your flour mixture. Plus....I added a couple more spices to the flour mixture to spice it up a little. Awesome recipe!!

I would give this more stars but I will definitely not make again. It was BORING. I even added a chicken spice blend to the marinade, seasoned the crumb mixture...We definitely like cornflake crust better. I have a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that is wonderful...I'll be sticking with that one.

my whole family liked this meal. i melted the butter in an oven pan and "fried" the chicken for the first 4 minutes in the oven before turning. yum!

I made this chicken tonight, and my family loved it! I used crushed corn flakes instead of the cracker meal, and the outside was nice and crunchy! Inside was very moist. We also liked the coleslaw-it was so much lighter than standard, but with great flavors! My family declared both recipes "keepers"!

Very solid recipe. We're not really a coleslaw house so I made it w/the CL Creamy Parm Orzo (sans basil) and steamed broccoli. Also, as others have done, I used panko b/c that's what I have in the pantry. Crust was very tasty and a nice departure. Cook time was spot on for the large bone-in breasts I used. Will definitely make again and maybe will try some drumsticks/thighs next time!

Love it! This recipe will be made often in our house! I used panko instead of crackers and very tasty. I doubled the dressing mixture for the cole slaw. It turned out too dry with one serving. YUM!

I didn't make the coleslaw, but the chicken was good. Crust was nice and golden with lots of flavor. Quick and easy, will definitely add to rotation of chicken dishes. Definitely a good, solid recipe.

I thought this recipe was "just okay". I read the reviews and looked through the recipe several times before trying it. I decided to let the buttermilk do a little more work in the flavor, so I put the chicken in a large plastic bag and marinated it in the buttermilk for about two hours. Other than that, I followed the recipe to the letter. The texture of the topping was nice -- like a very traditional, homemade fried chicken. The taste of the topping was spectacular! Unfortunately, I didn't find that the salty, peppery, zesty taste made its way down into the chicken very far. It was definitely a wise choice to soak the chicken in buttermilk as it tenderized the meat and infused it with a light buttermilk flavor, but the meat was rather bland in comparison to the topping though pleasantly juicy. I'd repeat this recipe, but I'd have to make considerable changes to the method to make the chicken more flavorful. This was not my favorite Cooking Light baked chicken recipe.

The second time I made this it was delicious. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, and the time in the oven was about 17 minute. The first time I made it, it was dry. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and baked it closer to the 30+ minutes listed in the recipe for bone-in chicken. After the second time around, we stood over the pan while we were cleaning up supper and nibbled all the little crunchies that were left. Oh, yum.

This chicken came out moist but the crust quickly softened as the chicken cooled enough for the kids to eat it. It also really lacked any flavor for us. Though I generally love slaw, I found the recipe to be a little too sweet - but that might be due to the fact I grabbed a napa slaw rather than regular coleslaw for the dish. Overall, this recipe is okay, but I won't be making it again.

This chicken is great! seasoning is wonderful nice and crispy yet moist.

This recipe is fantastic! I've been yearning for fried chicken like my mom used to make, and this was the perfect cure. It was very easy, very tasty, tender and not at all greasy or heavy. I used boneless breasts, and also used panko crumbs because I couldn't find cracker meal and didn't want to buy a whole box of saltines. I also cooked it in a cast iron skillet. I've made it twice now and will definitely make it again. I didn't make the slaw, though, so can't comment on it.

This chicken is totally delicious. It's me and my husband's new favorite chicken. I thought the coleslaw was a little bland, (the reason for four start rating, otherwise it would be a 5) but my husband loved it and he doesn't like coleslaw, so i'll be making it again.

This chicken was great! We used boneless and it cooked a lot faster. It had good flavor and felt like eating fried chicken. The slaw was really yummy, too. It's definitely a keeper.

Let chicken soak in buttermilk 24 hours and used crushed saltines. The chicken was really juicy and delicious. My husband and I will definitely make it again. (Didn't make the coleslaw)

I loved this recipe!!! I love KFC; in fact, I constantly talk about KFC and fried chicken. And, this recipe was a wonderful replacement. In fact, I liked it more than KFC because the chicken did not taste overly salted and, it did not sit in my stomach like a brick. I followed the instructions exactly. However, I added a pinch of marjoram and a pinch of cayenne pepper. I also served it with mashed potatoes.

chicken is tender,excellent.........Coleslaw is one of my new favorites.

Made this with quite a few changes: used thighs instead of breasts; browned both sides of the chicken before putting in oven, used breadcrumbs and panko with the flour instead of cracker meal and added a little paprika. Chicken turned out wonderful! On the coleslaw, cut the sugar down to 1/2 teaspoon and added black pepper. Also was yummy! Will definitely make again.

Really tasty fried chicken. I used a whole fryer cut up. I also doctored the recipe some: add 1-2 tsp hot sauce to the buttermilk & put 2-3 tsp Old Bay seasoning along with the salt & pepper in the coating mix (I doubled the flour/cracker mix-there's nothing worse than running out of coating in the middle). I used enough olive oil in the skillet to heavily coat & then added the butter. I had no trouble with sticking & everything was tender & juicy. Will be making this often!!

My whole family loved this recipe. It's like the delicious fattening KFC chicken, but actually better tasting and of course a whole lot healthier. I made it with boneless breast of chicken, and cooked for 30 min. Coleslaw was a bit bland though.

I have tried many variations of oven-fried chicken and none ever even came close to real fried chicken. I thought this recipe was really good for what it is. I noticed a previous reviewer said to fry it, but the point is to make a healthy alternative to frying. I added some different spices/seasoning to the flour/cornmeal mixture. The crust was flavorful.

I made this last night, exactly as the recipe instructs. A few thoughts: 1. Add some seasoning to the flour. Cajun seasoning, paprika, Greek seasoning, garlic powder - any of these would be good. 2. Add some tabasco to the buttermilk. It won't be hot - it will just give it flavor. 3. Instead of butter, use a little vegetable oil - don't transfer to the oven and fry these babies up. I realize it's Cooking Light - but dang, it you're going for fried chicken, have friend chicken! :) :) 4. If you transfer it to the oven, put the chicken in baking dish with cooking spray. If you leave it in an oven proof frying pan like I did, parts of the batter on the bottom of the chicken will burn. OK but next time I'm frying. Don't judge me. I'll have a salad for lunch the next day.

We made this recipe and it was very bland. The chicken was moist enough, but there wasn't much flavor at all.