Crunchy? Juicy? Flavorful? Yep, all of the above. Our Southern crispy fried chicken recipe will knock your socks off!
Watch How to Make Fried Chicken
Day Dreamin’ About Fried Chicken
Y’all remember the first time you ever had fried chicken? I mean, not the fast food kind (which I do also love) but the kind that your grandma whips up for Friday night dinner? Well, I sure remember; you don’t forget perfect fried chicken!
My parents and I had driven down to the annual family reunion in Junction Texas. I’d just eaten a Texas size beef rib from one of the grills, but being the beginning of August, it was getting really hot outside. So I went inside to cool down and find more tasty treats, and found one of my aunts working the deep fryer. I walked over to the table, and freshly fried chicken had just come out a couple minutes ago. I was right on time. She said, “Sara Jean, you better grab yourself a piece of this chicken before it’s all gone.” So I did. And then I quickly grabbed a few more…
I tell you, this was some amazing fried chicken. And so I worked a long time to recreate the flavor and crunchy texture. While a deep fryer was used at the reunion, I’ve always used a skillet to fry, but if you have a deep fryer, you can certainly stick with that method for this recipe.
After refining the recipe and process over the years, I ended up with a pretty excellent result, so I’m going to share my crispy fried chicken recipe with you today.
Sides to Serve with Fried Chicken
First let’s talk about sides, because this chicken deserves some goodness beside it on your plate. And there are so many delicious sides that go great with fried chicken. Here are some I really enjoy. Did I list your favorite?
- Collard greens
- Biscuits & gravy
- Mashed potatoes
- Cole slaw
- Corn bread or hoecakes
- Green beans
- Mac ‘n’ cheese
- Waffles!!!
Tips for Frying Chicken
- Your oil should be one with a high smoke point. We recommend canola, but peanut or vegetable oil are also fine. Avoid olive oil for deep frying!
- Don’t move the chicken around the skillet while it’s frying until you reach the time to flip, or you may lose some of the batter.
- Plan ahead so that you have enough time for the brining process, to ensure a great result.
- For spicy chicken, include 1/4 cup of tabasco or hot sauce in your brine mixture. Also increase your cayenne pepper amount in your batter to your taste preference.
- Once your chicken is breaded, get it into the fryer quickly.
- Use all your chicken parts. Got a whole raw chicken? It can all be separated and fried.
The Southern Crispy Fried Chicken Recipe
Let’s wait no further – here are the detailed instructions for making this yummy and crispy fried chicken. Let’s start off first with what you’ll need.
Ingredients
- 8 uncooked chicken parts (wings, legs, drumsticks, breast, etc.) with bone and skin
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 cups canola oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
The Night Before: Brine the Chicken
These brining steps will give your chicken its great flavor, tenderness, and juiciness.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp black pepper, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Please note that the measurement of the spices here is less than that in the ingredients list – you’re saving the rest for the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cup of buttermilk and egg together, and then whisk in the dry mixture.
- Place each chicken piece into the bowl, coating fully.
- Cover bowl (or place chicken in zip-lock bags) and refrigerate overnight. If you need to cook your chicken same-day, let it brine in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Battering and Frying the Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You’re going to end the process by finishing the cooking in the oven.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp black pepper, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Mix in a few tablespoons of buttermilk with a fork, making the mixture slightly crumbly.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the bowl or bags, making sure it is still evenly coated in the buttermilk mixture, and let the excess drip off. Thoroughly coat the chicken with the flour mixture.
- Pour the canola oil into your large skillet or wok, and heat on your stovetop at medium-high. Let the oil come to temperature. (It should reach approximately 425 degrees.)
- For each piece of chicken, gently shake to remove any excess flour, and place them into the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and fry for 6 minutes, then carefully flip and fry for 4 more minutes.
- One all pieces have been fried, transfer to a wire rack, place in a baking pan, and finish cooking in the 350-degree oven for 8 minutes.
We hope you’ll enjoy this Southern Crunch Fried Chicken recipe!
Southern Crispy Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 uncooked chicken parts (wings, legs, drumsticks, breast, etc.) with bone and skin
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 cups canola oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
The Night Before: Pre-Season the Chicken
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp black pepper, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cup of buttermilk and egg together, and then whisk in the dry mixture.
- Place each chicken piece into the bowl, coating fully.
- Cover bowl (or place chicken in zip-lock bags) and refrigerate overnight.
Battering and Frying the Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp black pepper, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Mix in a few tablespoons of buttermilk with a fork, making the mixture slightly crumbly.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the bowl or bags, making sure it is still evenly coated in the buttermilk mixture, and let the excess drip off. Thoroughly coat the chicken with the flour mixture.
- Pour the canola oil into your large skillet or wok, and heat on your stovetop at medium-high. Let oil come to temperature (should reach approx. 425 degrees).
- For each piece of chicken, gently shake to remove any excess flour, and place them into the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and fry for 6 minutes, then carefully flip and fry for 4 more minutes.
- One all pieces have been fried, transfer to a wire rack, place in a baking pan, and finish cooking in the 350-degree oven for 8 minutes.
