Food and Recipes Meat Chicken 12 Breaded Chicken Recipes That Will Satisfy Any Crunchy Craving By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Sanchez Chicken is a household favorite for weeknight suppers. Endlessly versatile, healthy, and affordable, chicken is the hero of the dinner table. If your usual chicken recipes are feeling monotonous, try one of our favorite breaded chicken recipes. Though "breaded" might translate to "unhealthy" or "fried" on a restaurant menu, we have some healthy breaded chicken recipes that are so much lighter than their takeout counterparts. Our Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken Tenders offer a way of cooking crunchy "fried" chicken without all the extra fat (and mess). We're sure the kids wouldn't mind sitting down to dinner to find our Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans. Looking to freshen up your ho-hum lunch at work? Our Oven-Fried Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and Breaded Chicken Salad with Grapes, Honey, Almonds, and Broccoli are full of texture and flavor you'll want to put on repeat. See? Breaded chicken recipes go way beyond heavy fried chicken entrées. We have delicious breaded chicken recipes for every member of the family. 01 of 12 Oven-Fried Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Oven-Fried Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing We added a Southern ingredient to the breading on this "fried" chicken for even more flavor and crunch—pecans! 02 of 12 Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Greg DuPree Recipe: Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Roasted veggies are a healthy side for this lightened-up fried chicken that kids and adults will enjoy. 03 of 12 Pam Lolley's Crispy Chicken with Rice and Pan Gravy Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Pam Lolley's Crispy Chicken with Rice and Pan Gravy Loyal Southern Living readers know that Pam Lolley's name is a sure sign that a recipe will be delicious. 04 of 12 Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken Tenders Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken Tenders We love testing out new recipes in our Air Fryers, and this chicken tenders recipe comes with a homemade dipping sauce that you'll want to keep in the fridge all the time. 05 of 12 Breaded Chicken Salad with Grapes, Honey, Almonds, and Broccoli Hector Sanchez Recipe: Breaded Chicken Salad with Grapes, Honey, Almonds, and Broccoli Who says salad is boring? Not this recipe! Full of flavor and texture from crispy chicken, crunchy broccoli, sweet grapes, and a tangy homemade vinaigrette, this salad will brighten up your workday lunch routine. 06 of 12 Buffalo Chicken Bites Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Bites Be sure to read the recipe before making these chicken bites—they'll need a little time to marinate before cooking. 07 of 12 Chicken Fingers Coated With Cheesy Snack Crackers Sheri Castle Recipe: Chicken Fingers Coated With Cheesy Snack Crackers Breaded with the cheese crackers the kids already love, these baked chicken tenders are going to be their favorite meal. 08 of 12 Pecan-Crusted Chicken and Tortellini with Herbed Butter Sauce Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Pecan-Crusted Chicken and Tortellini with Herbed Butter Sauce Instead of breadcrumbs, this flavorful chicken is coated in chopped pecans for a nutty twist on fried chicken. 09 of 12 Hot Sauce Fried Chicken with Pickled Okra Slaw Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Hot Sauce Fried Chicken with Pickled Okra Slaw A quick coleslaw adds just the right amount of tang to a savory, spicy fried chicken main dish. 10 of 12 Pan-Fried Chicken-and-Ham Parmesan Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen Recipe: Pan-Fried Chicken-and-Ham Parmesan This 30-minute supper is pretty enough for guests but easy enough for busy weeknights. 11 of 12 Chicken Fried Chicken Southern Living Recipe: Chicken Fried Chicken Chicken fried steak is great and all, but why not try the method with the namesake? This skillet dinner will be a go-to in your family. 12 of 12 Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Fried Chicken Recipe: Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Fried Chicken Pimiento cheese AND fried chicken? We're in Southern comfort food heaven with this recipe. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit