Sweet Tea Oven Fried Chicken

Satisfy a fried chicken craving by making Sweet Tea Oven Fried Chicken! This twist on a Southern fried classic uses a sweet tea brine to infuse flavor and lock in juiciness before the chicken breasts go into a spicy buttermilk bath. Coat in panko breadcrumbs before baking for the crunchiest, juiciest "fried" chicken you've ever tasted! Perfect for an end-of-summer party, this slightly spicy Sweet Tea Oven Fried Chicken is SO tasty!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Brining Time 1

Total Time 1 1 5

Servings large servings

Calories 1298kcal

Ingredients

Sweet Tea Brine + Chicken

4 cup Gold Peak Sweet Tea at room temperature
¼ cup kosher salt
4 garlic cloves crushed
1 lemon halved and juiced
4 lbs. skin-on bone-in chicken breasts

Breading

½ cup all-purpose flour
A pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Make + Brine the Chicken

In an extra large sealable plastic bag, combine the sweet tea, salt, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon halves. Stir until combined.
Gently place the chicken breasts into the brining mixture.
Seal up the plastic bag, place in a large baking sheet (or baking dish), and transfer to the refrigerator.
Brine for 24 hours.

Prepare + Bake the Chicken

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place a cooling rack on top of a large baking sheet. Spray with nonstick baking spray, then set aside. (The chicken will be ON TOP of the cooling rack.)
In a large glass bowl, measure out the all-purpose flour. Set aside.
In another large glass bowl, measure out the panko breadcrumbs. Set aside.
In a wide glass bowl with tall sides, measure the buttermilk. Season with the smoked paprika, kosher salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, then stir to combine using a fork. Set aside.
Remove the brined chicken from the refrigerator and remove the chicken breasts from the brine. (At this point, you can discard the brine!)
Pat the chicken dry using a paper towel.
Place the chicken in the flour bowl and toss to coat.
Once the chicken has been coated, use tongs to transfer it to the buttermilk mixture.
Coat the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, then transfer to the panko breadcrumbs using another set of tongs.
When the chicken is covered in panko, transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat and coat all the chicken in the breading mixture.
Pro tip: Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the biggest piece of chicken. This will make it so you can check the internal temperature of the bird that is going to cook the longest.
Once the chicken is all prepared, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 425°F.
Lower the oven’s heat to 375°F, and bake for an addition 35-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the largest chicken breast reads 165°F.
Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven, and cover with aluminum foil.
Let the chicken sit for 20 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite Southern summertime sides and sweet tea!

Notes

Please do not cut the brining time short. This makes the chicken so flavorful and juicy!

Please note that the total time includes 24 hours of brining time. This is not active time.

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, though you will need more than one bag for the brining liquid. So if you want to double the recipe? Make another batch of brine in another bag and add another 4 lbs. of meat.

If you love dark meat, add in some chicken thighs and drumsticks, too! If you do this, keep in mind that those will be cooked through at a different time as the chicken breasts, depending on the size of each piece of meat. To ensure everything is cooked through, use an oven safe meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of each cut of meat.

Nutrition