Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken is super quick to make, and this copycat shake and bake breading makes the chicken flavorful and crispy.
Our sister site, COOKtheSTORY, recently published a recipe for Homemade Shake and Bake mix. Once we read what was actually in Shake ‘n Bake, we wondered why anyone even bothered to buy it pre-made from the store in the first place.
Try it with your favorite cut of chicken for all the crunch of fried chicken you love, but with less oil and mess.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Ingredients Are In Shake ‘n Bake?
Shake n Bake is simply a mixture of breadcrumbs, herbs, and seasonings that most of us always have in the pantry. I use onion powder, dried parsley, dried basil, paprika, garlic powder, and of course, salt. Other mixes include dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper so feel free to customize to your taste.
There’s also some oil mixed right into the Shake ‘n Bake mixture. If you’re making your mixture ahead of time, skip adding the oil until you’re ready to use it. So, mix up the breadcrumbs, herbs, and seasonings without the oil, and then store it in an airtight container. Just before using some, add the oil and mix it in. Then add in whatever protein you’re planning to bread.
Why is there oil in there? The oil helps the homemade Shake ‘n Bake act like the store-bought version. The oil coats each and every speck of the breadcrumb mixture, which helps it to crisp up when it hits the heat.
The breading is really fast to throw it together in a bowl, whisk together, and then add to meat, like chicken or pork chops.
What Cut Should I Use For Shake and Bake Chicken?
You can use this recipe for any cut – chicken thighs, drumsticks, even wings. It even works great for homemade chicken nuggets or chicken tenders. You’ll just need to adjust the cook time accordingly. Make sure to use your instant read thermometer and get the chicken pieces to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Our absolute favorite cut of chicken for using Shake and Bake is boneless skinless chicken breasts. It gets really crispy and the breading locks in the moisture. The seasonings in the Shake and Bake mix also pair perfectly with poultry.
How Long To Cook Shake ‘N Bake Chicken
For boneless skinless chicken breasts and boneless skinless chicken thighs, you’ll cook the chicken at 425°F until it’s crispy on the outside and has reached 165°F internally, which will take 25-30 minutes.
For bone-in drumsticks, bone-in thighs, bone-in breasts, and bone-in wings you need to leave them in a bit longer to reach the desired temperature. It will take 37-45 minutes. If the coating start to brown too much before the chicken is cooked through, tent it loosely with aluminum foil.
Leftover Chicken
On the off-chance you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I would avoid the microwave in reheating them though. Keep them crispy by using the oven or air fryer until heated through.
We guarantee you’ll add this non-boring chicken recipe to your meal rotation on a regular basis. Now let’s get cooking!
More Chicken Breast Recipes
If you love this recipe and want more delicious ways to cook chicken breasts, make sure to bookmark these recipes.
- Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Perfect Baked Chicken Breasts
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Chinese Garlic Chicken Recipe
- Greek Chicken Salad
- Easy Garlic Butter Chicken
Podcast Episode About Making Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken
Listen to our editor, Christine Pittman, explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Copycat Shake and Bake Chicken Recipe
Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken is super quick to make, and this copycat shake and bake breading makes the chicken flavorful and crispy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup unseasoned, plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 3 Tbps. cooking oil*
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease it lightly with cooking oil.
- In a large bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, onion powder, dried parsley, dried basil, salt, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Add the oil and stir until all of the crumbs, herbs, and spices are well coated. Transfer to a plastic bag, if desired.**
- If the chicken breasts are large, with your knife blade parallel to your cutting board, slice them in half to yield 2 thinner cutlets of chicken per breast. Alternatively, you can pound them out to a thinner, more even thickness.
- Add the chicken to the breadcrumb mixture and toss to coat on all sides completely.
- Shake any excess coating off of the chicken and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until coating is browned and crisp and the chicken has reached 165°F internally, 25-30 minutes.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*If you’re mixing up the homemade shake ‘n bake mixture to use at a later date, don’t add the oil. Mix up the breadcrumbs and seasonings and then put them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Just before using the mixture is when you’ll add the oil.
**You can add your chicken directly to the bowl and coat it there instead of using a bag to shake it up. Just mix it up in there, or top the bowl with an inverted bowl and shake that.
This post originally appeared in April 2019 and was revised and republished in January 2023.
Store bought shake and bake says cook at 375 for 15 minutes. Why is this recipe cooked for twice the time at a higher heat? I cook chicken breasts all the time.
Barry, store-bought shake and bake seems to have their own special breadcrumbs that brown extra well, and also they use lard and/or shortening in the mixture. This recipe is for the average home cook and so it uses regular breadcrumbs that you can get at the store, and the kind of oil that someone making a homemade (and possibly healthier) version would want. For this reason, the coating needs a higher temperature and a bit longer to brown than the store-bought version. Having said that, I’m not sure the standard chicken breast cooks to a safe temperature in 15 minutes at 375F. Standard recommendations are for 20-25 minutes, and these days chicken breasts are even bigger and take longer.
My recommendation is to cook your boneless skinless chicken breasts coated with this homemade mixture at 425F and monitor them with a probe thermometer for internal temperature. When they get to minimum 160F and are well-browned, take them out, letting them rest to get up to minimum 165F.
I used Panko, otherwise made as directed. Hubby (who doesn’t like Shake N’ Bake) LOVED your version. Tonight will be the 3rd time I’m making it in 4 or 5 weeks! Thanks a bunch!
Wow, I love to hear that, Carrie! So glad it’s made it into the regular rotation.
Have to admit I was skeptical- however so glad I gave it a try! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs- it was very easy and good!
I’m glad you gave it a try too, Lisa! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment.
So much better than the bought Shake N Bake!!! Moister and tastier!!! So much healthier too! Glad I found this one! Never going back to the store bought stuff!
I’m glad you think so, Cecily! Thank you for taking the time to rate and review.
5 stars! Easy using pantry staples. I used chicken thighs. Really good and tasted just like Shake and Bake! Thanks for this recipe.
You’re welcome, Linda! Thank you for coming back to comment and let me know.
Delicious!!!!
Thank you, Angel!
Super easy and delicious! Family loved it. This will be going into the regular rotation!
I love to hear that! Thank you, Cyn!
I HAVE DINE THIS BEFORE AND FOUND THAT THE HOME-MADE WAS WAY BETTER. I ALSO DID NOT WASH THE CHICKEN BUT LEFT IT WAS IT WAS STILL MORST. I DID USE AN EGG DIPPED IT IN THE BREAD CRUMPS COATING BOTH SIDEDS THEN BAKED IN OVEN.TASTE WAS GREAT
Glad you enjoyed, George!
Perfect! Could you use this recipe to par-bake chicken nuggets and freeze for later…?
Brittany, I’m not sure par-baking would be ideal. I’d say, bake them fully, cool them, and then freeze them to be reheated later. I think it will work well for quick dinners and snacks that you can reheat in the oven, air fryer, or even the microwave. Enjoy!
Will make again! Great for weeknight family meal!
Thanks so much, Sharon! I’m glad your family enjoyed.
Worked out great
That’s wonderful, Mary! Thank you!