This Gluten-Free Baked Breaded Chicken recipe results in delicious crispy on the outside, tender on the inside juicy chicken breasts. In addition to baking instructions, this recipe includes instructions for pan-fried breaded chicken using a skillet.
This easy baked breaded chicken recipe goes out to my gluten-free friends who love fried chicken or breaded chicken and are looking for a gluten-free alternative.
With a couple simple ingredient swaps, we end up with deliciously juicy tender chicken with the most amazing outer crust.
So what’s the secret? Gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free all-purpose flour take the place of the regular wheat versions to make gluten-free breading.
The great news is most grocery stores carry both gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free all-purpose flour.
From start to finish, this simple recipe only takes about 25 minutes to make, an ideal main entree for busy weeknights.
Serve breaded chicken recipes with your choice of side dishes, such as rice, roasted veggies, or a salad for a complete meal. You can step it up a notch with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce by preparing my Keto Chicken Parmesan (a gluten-free chicken parmesan recipe).
A great alternative to fried chicken, this baked version gifts you that delicious crispy outside and tender inside without all the excess oil.
While baked chicken does not turn out identically to pan-fried chicken, it is close enough for me that any craving for fried chicken is satisfied.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for breaded baked chicken. The great news is you can find all of them at any grocery store.
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Baked Breaded Chicken:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: The star of the show here, we need two large chicken breasts or four thin chicken filets.
If you buy full boneless chicken breasts, you can slice them through the middle horizontally to create two thinner filets.
If you have a meat tenderizer, you can pound the chicken breasts on a large cutting board lined with parchment paper to tenderize the meat and thin it out to about ½ inch thick.
Many grocery stores offer chicken cutlets, chicken tenders (the size of chicken fingers), or chicken filets which are already sliced thinly. I prefer going this route because it saves a great deal of time as the chicken already comes pre-sliced into even thin slices, which helps for even cooking.
Large Egg: One large chicken egg gets whisked up for dredging the chicken to ensure the breading sticks to the outside for the best results.
Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (or Regular Breadcrumbs): The crispy texture of baked breaded chicken comes from breadcrumbs. If you aren’t gluten-free, use Panko breadcrumbs. Otherwise, pick your favorite store-bought gluten-free bread crumbs.
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese: In addition to adding to the lovely texture of the breaded chicken, fresh parmesan cheese brings a light cheesy flavor which levels up the whole experience.
While this ingredient is optional, I like adding it to the breading when I’m not planning on making a sauce to go with the chicken to guarantee a flavorful experience.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (or Regular All-Purpose Flour): A few tablespoons of gluten-free all-purpose flour helps the bread crumbs stick to the raw chicken
Garlic Powder: A little garlic powder brings a subtle nuance to the outside breading to level up the flavor. If you aren’t into garlic, skip it or replace it with onion powder.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: We season the flour mixture for this gluten-free chicken tenders recipe with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Recipe Adaptations:
- To make the recipe grain-free, use 1 cup of finely ground almond flour instead of breadcrumbs and omit the gluten-free all-purpose flour. This is also a great low carb option.
- Omit the parmesan cheese for dairy-free baked chicken.
- Season the breading with various spice rubs or seasoning blends such as Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, chili powder, dried herbs such as Italian seasoning etc.
- If you’re skipping the parmesan cheese, I recommend increasing the amount of salt to ¾ teaspoon.
- Cut the chicken breasts into chicken strips to make chicken fingers, or into smaller pieces for chicken nuggets.
Now that we’re familiar with the basic ingredients for breaded chicken, let’s make it!
How to Make Breaded Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the chicken from its packaging and place it on a large cutting board. Use paper towels to pat any excess moisture off of the chicken breasts.
Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast through the center, creating four thin chicken breast filets. Skip this step if you’re using thin chicken cutlets or chicken tenders.
Crack the egg into a bowl and use a fork to whisk it vigorously until it is well-beaten.
Transfer the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese (if adding), gluten free flour, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a large plate or a shallow bowl and stir everything together until the dry ingredients are combined.
Take one of the chicken filets in your hands and dip both sides of it into the beaten egg mixture. Move the egg coated chicken to the plate with the breading mixture and dip both sides into the mixture. You can use your hands to pile more of the breading on top of the chicken to create a thicker coat.
Transfer the breaded chicken cutlet to a large baking dish such as a casserole dish or a sheet pan (baking sheet) and repeat for the remaining chicken pieces.
Bake chicken on the center rack of the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and wait until the numbers stop moving to get an accurate read.
How long to bake breaded chicken depends on the thickness of the chicken filets and their temperature going into the oven. For this reason, I recommend using a meat thermometer to check for doneness for the best results.
Serve baked breaded chicken with your favorite side dishes such as rice pilaf, roasted vegetables, or salad for a balanced meal. If you love honey mustard sauce, see my recipe below for homemade honey mustard dressing.
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I’ve found the best way to reheat breaded chicken is in the air fryer or in the oven, but the microwave works too.
I like using leftover breaded chicken in my Crispy Chicken Salad.
If you prefer pan-fried chicken over baked chicken recipes, see below for the skillet instructions.
Skillet Instructions:
Follow the instructions above for breading the raw chicken breasts in the breadcrumb mixture.
Heat 3 tablespoons of avocado oil (or a quality high-temperature cooking oil) in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Allow the skillet to heat up for a few minutes until it is sizzling hot.
Carefully place the chicken filets in the hot oil and allow them to cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Continue cooking and flipping every 2 minutes until the chicken is golden brown on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
Note: I don’t recommend using olive oil for pan frying chicken because it burns at a relatively low temperature. This will cause the oil to smoke and become toxic.
Serve this gluten free breaded chicken recipe with your favorite dipping sauce or sides.
Air Fryer Instructions:
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray the inside of the air fryer basket liberally with cooking spray.
Place the breaded chicken fillets in the basket of the air fryer and air fry for 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and air fry for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165.
How long to cook breaded chicken in air fryer depends on the thickness of the breaded chicken cutlets as well as their temperature going into the air fryer.
Looking for serving suggestions to enjoy alongside your breaded chicken recipes? Here are my favorites.
What to Serve with Breaded Chicken:
Rice: Chicken and rice go together like peas and carrots! My favorites for pairing with breaded chicken are Homemade Rice Pilaf or my Lemon Garlic Rosemary Rice.
Roasted Vegetables: I find roasted vegetables to be the perfect side dish for serving with just about any main dish. My favorite are these Garlic Herb Roasted Vegetables.
Broccoli Salad: Serve any chicken main dish with The Best Broccoli Salad or Apple Broccoli Salad with Walnuts. I find this to be especially lovely in the warm months of the year.
Potatoes: If you’re like me and you love potatoes with your chicken, whip up The Best Potato Salad, or my Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan.
Green Salad: My go-to green salad for serving as a side dish is my Blueberry Avocado Sunflower Seed Chopped Salad because it includes big bursts of vibrant fresh flavors and textures.
The next time you’re craving chicken for dinner, whip up this quick, easy, and palate-pleasing tender breaded chicken breast recipe!
If you’re a chicken lover, also try out these chicken main dishes.
More Chicken Main Dishes:
- Asian Baked Chicken Breasts
- Greek Chicken Breasts
- Baked Korean BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
- Baked Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken
Crispy chicken for life!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut into four thin filets*
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs** or regular breadcrumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional
- 3 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour*** or regular flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Honey Mustard Sauce:
- 1/3 cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a large casserole dish or baking sheet with cooking oil.
- Remove the chicken from its packaging and place it on a large cutting board. Use paper towels to pat any excess moisture off of the chicken breasts. Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast through the center, creating four thin chicken breast filets. Skip this step if you’re using thin chicken cutlets or chicken tenders.
- Crack the egg into a bowl and use a fork to whisk it vigorously until it is well-beaten.
- Transfer the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese (if adding), gluten free flour, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a large plate or a shallow bowl and stir everything together until the dry ingredients are combined.
- Take one of the chicken filets in your hands and dip both sides of it into the beaten egg mixture. Move the egg coated chicken to the plate with the breading mixture and dip both sides into the mixture. You can use your hands to pile more of the breading on top of the chicken to create a thicker coat. Transfer the breaded chicken cutlet to the prepared baking dish and repeat for the remaining chicken pieces.
- Bake chicken on the center rack of the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and wait until the numbers stop moving to get an accurate read. (See blog post above for skillet or air fryer instructions for alternate methods of cooking.)
- Serve baked breaded chicken with your favorite side dishes such as rice pilaf, roasted vegetables, or salad for a balanced meal. If you love honey mustard chicken, blend the ingredients for the honey mustard sauce in a small blender (such as a Magic Bullet) until combined and use as a drizzle or dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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Connie
Wednesday 17th of April 2024
Do you grease or oil the baking sheet?
Julia
Wednesday 17th of April 2024
Hi Connie! I either line the baking sheet with parchment paper, or I spray it with cooking oil. If I use a casserole dish, I spray with cooking oil :) I appreciate you asking - I have added this instruction to the recipe! Happy cooking!