Italian Fried Chicken (BFC) 🍗

A close-up of Italian Fried Chicken—breaded, golden-brown fried chicken pieces on a wire rack, with a piece being held up by red-tipped tongs.

Summary

Instead of worrying about the perfect way to deep fry chicken; why not make Italian Fried Chicken? The simplest yet most delicious way to make bone in skin on chicken legs and thighs and you simply bread it and bake it in the oven to a golden CRISPY perfection! AND the chicken is incredibly juicy inside! You won’t believe the result when you follow this recipe! And my seasoning blend is SO flavorful and fresh! When my kids were little and asked for Kentucky fried chicken or KFC; I always said “Forget KFC! We’re having BFC! Baked Fried Chicken!! So that’s why I call it BFC! LOL

Three bottles of La Española olive oil are displayed on a woven mat: air fryer special (left), extra virgin olive oil (center), and classic olive oil (right)—perfect for making delicious Italian Fried Chicken. Each features colorful labels with vintage-style illustrations. — I used La Española Classic Olive Oil for frying, La Española Extra Virgin Olive Oil to finish my salad, and the Air Fryer Spray to help get that perfectly golden, crispy finish. Quality ingredients really do make all the difference.

A hand pouring olive oil from a bottle onto a salad with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, black olives, artichoke hearts, and red onion in a wooden bowl alongside crispy Italian Fried Chicken. — La Espanola Centennial Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the recipe….

A wooden bowl filled with salad—lettuce, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts, and crumbled cheese—sits with a wooden spoon inside. Bottles of olive oil and canola oil hint at Italian Fried Chicken nearby. — This how I made my salad in my Italian baked friend chicken recipe!

Lettuce with a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper to taste, topped with chickpeas, black olives, red onion, cherry tomatoes, marinated artichoke, feta, and plenty of La Espanola Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

A hand pours olive oil on a salad in a wooden bowl. Around it are bottles of olive oil, balsamic glaze, and cooking spray, plus plates of sliced bread and crispy Italian Fried Chicken drumsticks.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Italian Fried Chicken

No deep frying and guess work! No worrying if you fried the chicken long enough! AND it’s a much healthier option than fried chicken! The prep work is minimal and you don’t have to marinate to tenderize the chicken! The process does the work for you. And furthermore, the crunch, flavor, and tender chicken will have you waving goodbye to your deep fryer!

👚 Items from Video (Click Image)

A woman in black holds a tray of Italian Fried Chicken in a kitchen. Collage features oil and vinegar bottles, a gold bottle cap, black top, and two wire rack baking sheets. Text reads: Italian Baked Fried Chicken Video.

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store the chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3- 5 days!

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🤔 Common Questions

Does it taste just like fried chicken?

Yes it does! It’s delicious and even better with more flavor.

Is the chicken juicy?

Yes the chicken is juicy and tender, perfectly cooked!

Melissa Jo

Italian BFC (Baked Fried Chicken)

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Instead of worrying about the perfect way to deep fry chicken; why not make Italian Fried Chicken? The simplest yet most delicious way to make bone in skin on chicken legs and thighs and you simply bread it and bake it in the oven to a golden CRISPY perfection! AND the chicken is incredibly juicy inside! You won't believe the result when you follow this recipe! And my seasoning blend is SO flavorful and fresh! When my kids were little and asked for Kentucky fried chicken or KFC; I always said "Forget KFC! We're having BFC! Baked Fried Chicken!! So that's why I call it BFC! LOL

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

2 lbs bone in-skin on chicken thighs
2 lbs chicken drumsticks
1/4 cup + about 4 tbsp of La Espanola classic olive oil divided
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Cento seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp + 1 tsp sea salt divided
2 tsp + 1 tsp cracked black pepper divided
1 tbsp zesty garlic onion seasoning

Method

To a bowl add in chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, 1/4 cup olive oil, egg, parsley, and mix together until combined. Then shake over red pepper flakes, paprika, dried rosemary, zesty garlic onion seasoning, and 2 tsp cracked black pepper and sea salt. Toss everything together.
In a separate bowl/plate add in plain breadcrumbs, seasoned bread crumbs, and 1 tsp of each:cracked black pepper & sea salt. Take each piece of chicken, bury it in the breadcrumb mixture, shake off the excess, and place it on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet.
Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over top of the chicken and bake in the oven at 425°F for 1 hour. Once its been 40 minutes flip each chicken, drizzle 2 more tbsp of olive oil over the chicken, and bake for the remaining 20 minutes or so.