Want to know the secret to super crispy fried chicken? It’s all about what you bread your chicken with. Give this Cornflake Fried Chicken a try, as a fun alternative to traditional fried chicken.
Yes! We’re really coating chicken in Corn Flakes Cereal and it’s better than you can even imagine! Soon, this will become an easy dinner recipe on rotation for your meal planner!
Who doesn’t love crispy chicken? No one will be complaining about boring, bland chicken breasts when you whip these up. I also love this texture for crispy chicken sandwiches, and you can even cut them down to make cute chicken sliders for game day.
I know not everyone is a fan of frying, whether it’s the mess of it or consuming the fat. These are shallow fried which I find easier to control messes! You can always choose to bake your chicken with a coating and still achieve a crispy coating.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crispy and crunchy: Get restaurant-quality chicken without the cost of going out to eat.
- Super flavorful: We’re adding lots of seasoning to the cornflakes to achieve the perfect taste. It’s still neutral enough to go with any cuisine.
- Frozen chicken: Do yourself a favor and make extra to freeze! You’ll have dinner in a flash the next time you need it.
Ingredients Needed
I’ve highlighted a couple of ingredients below with some relevant notes. Aside from this, the ingredients needed are pretty basic.
- Chicken – You can either slice up your own chicken breasts or use the pre packaged chicken tenders. I prefer to cut mine to make them the size I like.
- Cornflakes – Be sure and get plain cornflakes, not frosted flakes! These are the base of our breading and we will be seasoning it like mad.
- Flour – Flour helps to coat the chicken so the egg and breading stick to each piece.
- Seasonings – Feel free to adjust these to your liking. For example, if you have regular paprika rather than smoked, use that instead.
Substitutions
Sometimes substitutions are necessary because of ingredients that are unavailable or needed for dietary restrictions. Here are some suggestions that can help:
- Flour – use a 1-to-1 gluten-free substitute if you’d like. Keep in mind though that not all brands of corn flakes are gluten-free, so read the labels if you need that!
- Cereal – try crushing up Cheerios, or any plain Chex variety.
- Egg wash – use a Dijon mustard or hot honey before adding the breading.
Variations
- Bake – feel free to make this cornflakes chicken in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F and arrange the chicken on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F.
- Deep Fry – Fill a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed saucepan with about 3 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F (I highly suggest you use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the oil). Carefully lower the chicken pieces into the oil (do not crowd the oil) and fry for 5 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack to allow the oil to drain off.
Equipment
Especially if deep frying, I highly recommend a candy thermometer. This tells you if your oil is the correct temperature. If it’s too hot, your breading will burn before the chicken cooks through. If too cool, the chicken will soak up the oil rather than fry in it. You’ll also want an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the cooked chicken.
If you have a cooling rack that fits in a half sheet pan, that is the perfect way to let the chicken drain and cool.
How to Make Cornflake Chicken
Prepare everything in stations so you are ready to bread and fry! It’s so much easier to have everything in place instead of needing to grab something when your fingers are coated in egg and flour.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
STEP 1. Prepare breading. Crush the cereal and add seasonings. Stir to combine (Image 1). Set out bowls of flour and egg.
STEP 2. Coat the chicken wedge each piece of chicken through flour then egg, (Images 2 & 3) and finally into the breading. Gently press the breading into the chicken so it doesn’t fall off (Image 4).
STEP 3. Heat oil in a skillet. Heat your oil so that the chicken immediately sizzles when added. Flip once the first side is browned.
Tip: Wear an apron when frying! I also find I have to wipe down the floor in front of the stove when I am done as oil tends to splatter everywhere even if you are shallow frying.
STEP 4. Drain and cool. Let the chicken rest on a wire rack over paper towels for any excess oil to drain.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Crush the cereal. When crushing the cornflakes, make sure to leave some larger pieces. This isn’t supposed to be a fine flour coating, but have nice crispy pieces.
- Dredge easily. Use one hand to dip the chicken into the flour, then the other to move to the eggs. This keeps your hands from getting a thick coating.
Recipe FAQs
You can. Bread the chicken and arrange it in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place it in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up (this is called flash freezing). Once the chicken is firm, transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to enjoy, arrange the chicken on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F.
Honestly either one will work fine. I like cutting my own chicken breasts because it allows me to control the size of my chicken strips (this is great to ensure even cooking time) but chicken tenders will work just fine.
What to Serve with Cornflake Chicken
I definitely recommend having your favorite dips on hand! Pretzel cheese dip is also great on chicken, and a spicy jalapeño ranch would pair nicely. Roast up your favorite veggies as a quick side dish.
Storage
- Refrigerator. Allow the chicken to cool to room temperature before sealing it in an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator. You can keep it there for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Once the chicken has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag (make sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible) and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the chicken to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat. Allow the chicken to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or so while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the chicken on a wire rack set above a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until heated through. I don’t recommend reheating in a microwave, the corn flakes. While still tasty, the cornflakes lose their crispiness and have a soggy dry texture when reheated in the microwave.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Cornflake Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 cups cornflakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder optional
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- ½ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- Chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Make the breading. Lightly crush the cornflakes and mix them with the smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, mustard powder, and chili powder.
- Prepare to bread the chicken. Whisk together the eggs and the water in one bowl and put the flour in another.
- Bread the chicken. One piece at a time, dredge the chicken in flour before coating it in the egg wash and then in the corn flakes mixture. Set them aside in a single layer until all of the chicken strips are breaded. A cooking sheet with parchment paper works well for this.
- Fry the chicken. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Fry the breaded chicken pieces for 4 minutes on either side or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees F. You may have to fry the strips in batches so that they are not overlapping. Transfer the chicken to a wire cooling rack.
- Rest. Let the cornflake chicken rest for about 5 minutes. This will allow the corn flakes to get nice a crisp!
- Serve. Serve warm garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes
- You may also use chicken tenders if you don’t want to cut your own chicken breasts.
- Feel free to “deep fry” as well if you like! I just always like using less oil total so go the shallow fry route.
- Nutrition facts are calculated with 1 tablespoon frying oil absorbed per serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Natasha says
This is my kids favorite fried chicken recipe. The cornflakes is an awesome idea to make them crunchy! Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
Jessica says
So glad that you liked this cornflake chicken, and that your kids did too! Thank you!
Abby says
Turned out perfectly crunchy! Loved the flavor the cornflakes added to the chicken. So yummy
Kristyn says
Cornflakes make everything so crispy & crunchy!! This chicken has delicious flavor & great any night of the week & it’s very family-friendly!!