you want a crazy delicious chicken recipe, then it has to be this recipe for The Best Southern Fried Chicken. Crispy, flavorful and absolutely divine!
THE BEST SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN
I'm from the south and we all know that Fried Chicken is a staple here. Something that you are born to love and born to eat! This recipe for The Best Southern Fried Chicken is one of my favorite recipes and one that took me a few years to get just right. This recipe produces a crunchy exterior with moist chicken on the inside. The absolute perfect chicken in my opinion. Really good fried chicken takes time so don't rush this one.
The Best Southern Fried Chicken laid out on a parchment paper lined metal tray.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can I substitute the buttermilk?
No. This is non-negotiable here. If you're are going to go through the trouble of making fried chicken, you will be missing out on so much flavor. It has to be real buttermilk too. Not the stuff that you make with milk and vinegar. And overnight soak is optimal for maximum juiciness.
Why add cornstarch?
The mixture of the cornstarch and flour helps give it that extra crunchy exterior.
Can I use chicken breasts?
This recipe works with any cut of chicken. The key is just making sure the chicken is cooked to 165F degrees internal temperature.
Does it have to be peanut oil?
Peanut oil has a neutral flavor that won't compromise the flavor of the chicken. Canola oil would be my second choice.
I always see southern cooks use a cast iron skillet for frying. How come you don't?
I deep fry my chicken in a deep fryer but you can also do this in a deep, heavy bottomed pot. I just find that you often get darker burn-like spots with a cast iron pan if you aren't super careful.
How do I make this taste more like KFC chicken?
Well, you'll need to use their famous 11 herbs and spices. Just substitute the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in this recipe for the following seasonings: (you will skip the step of seasoning the individual chicken and pieces and stir these seasonings in with the flour/cornstarch mixture)
2 teaspoons salt
½ tablespoon dried thyme
½ tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1 tablespoon pepper (use white pepper if you have it)
What should I serve with this chicken?
The possibilities are endless. Some of our favorites are: POTATO SALAD, COLE SLAW, BUTTER DIP BISCUITS and MACARONI & CHEESE.
fried chicken pieces shown on a paper towel with a small bowl of sea salt to the side.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
whole chicken (cut up)
salt
garlic powder
onion powder
buttermilk
hot sauce
flour
cornstarch
black pepper
peanut oil
Ingredients needed to make The Best Southern Fried Chicken: chicken, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, buttermilk, hot sauce, flour, cornstarch, black pepper.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN:
Place the cut up chicken in a large bowl. Add the salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, toss to coat the chicken in the spices.
cut up chicken in a white bowl.
Add the buttermilk and hot sauce to the bowl, stir until everything is combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but it’s best if you can let it sit overnight.
chicken pieces soaking in hot sauce and buttermilk in a white bowl.
In a medium-sized bowl add the flour, cornstarch, salt and black pepper.
Flour, cornstarch and black pepper in a white bowl with a whisk set off to the side.
Whisk this mixture together until completely combined.
Whisk mixing up flour mixture in a bowl.
Taking the chicken pieces one at a time, let the excess buttermilk drip off. Coat in the flour mixture, make sure the chicken is well coated. Shake off any excess. Set the chicken aside and let it sit for a few minutes until the coating starts to look a little pasty.
Chicken pieces being coated in flour mixture in white bowl with a fork.
Fill up your deep fryer (deep cast iron skillet or dutch oven) with peanut oil (or frying oil of your choice) and preheat to 350°F. Carefully add the piece of chicken to the deep fryer. Fry until golden brown, turning every few minutes. You will need to fry in batches so you do not overcrowd the fryer.
Chicken in frying oil.
Chicken is done when golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Depending on the size of the chicken, dark meat takes about 12-14 minutes and white meat takes 8-10 minutes.
Chicken on paper towels with salt and hand holding up piece of Souther Fried Chicken.
When the chicken is done frying, place it on a paper towel lined sheet tray and immediately sprinkle a little flaked salt on top. Continue with the rest of the chicken pieces.
Hand holding a leg piece of Southern Fried Chicken
HOW TO STORE:
Chicken needs to be stored in the refrigerator. To do this, you will want to let the fried chicken cool completely before preparing to store, this will help the coating stay crisp.
Place the cooked chicken in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator where it will stay good for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the oven, microwave or an air fryer. The oven and the air fryer will help keep the skin crispy while re-heating.
If you want to freeze the fried chicken then you will want to store in an airtight container and place in the freezer where it will stay good for up to 6 months.
To reheat Fried Chicken from frozen you will want to let it thaw in the refrigerator and then bake it in the oven (at 400F degrees) or use an air fryer until heated through.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
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THE BEST NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN
AIR FRYER CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
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Close up of The Best Southern Fried Chicken on metal tray thumbnail image
THE BEST SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN
If you want a crazy delicious chicken recipe, then it has to be this recipe for The Best Southern Fried Chicken. Crispy, flavorful and absolutely divine!
5 from 8 votes
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Course: Main CourseCuisine: AmericanKeyword: Fried Chicken, Southern Fried Chicken, Southern Fried Chicken Recipe, The Best Southern Fried Chicken Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 14 minutesChilling: 8 hoursTotal Time: 8 hours 24 minutes Servings: 4 Calories: 727kcal Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut up (or 8 pieces of your favorite cuts of chicken)
4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons paprika optional
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons black pepper
peanut oil for frying
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Instructions
Place the chicken in a large bowl. Sprinkle on top of the chicken: 2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and onion powder then toss to coat the chicken in the spices.
Add the buttermilk and hot sauce to bowl, stir until everything is combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but it’s best if you can let it sit overnight.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, 2 teaspoon salt, paprika and black pepper. Set aside.
Fill up a deep fryer (deep cast iron skillet or dutch oven) with peanut oil (or neutral frying oil of your choice) and preheat to 350°F.
Taking the chicken pieces one at a time, let the excess buttermilk drip off. Coat in the flour mixture, make sure the chicken is well coated. Shake off any excess. Set the chicken aside and let it sit for a few minutes until the coating starts to look a little pasty.
Carefully add the piece of chicken to the deep fryer and continue with the next piece. Don't add more than three or four pieces at at time. You will need to fry in batches so you do not overcrowd the fryer. Fry until golden brown, turning every few minutes.
Chicken is done when golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Depending on the size of the chicken, dark meat can take about 12-14 minutes and white meat takes 8-10 minutes (these are estimates - use a meat thermometer for accurate doneness)
When the chicken is done frying, place it on a paper towel lined sheet tray and immediately sprinkle a little flaked salt on top. Continue with the rest of the chicken pieces.
Video
Notes
You can let this soak for a minimum of 2 hours but the key to the best flavor is letting it soak overnight.
The mixture of the cornstarch and flour helps give it that extra crunchy exterior. Don’t like it crunchy? Just leave out the cornstarch.
If you want a bigger kick of flavor to the crust, add more garlic & onion powder to the flour coating mixture. Also, Kentucky Kernel seasoned flour (in the box) is a delicious substitute!
We love sprinkling extra salt after the chicken has been fried, it gives it extra flavor, this is optional.
We used a whole cut up chicken, you can buy it that way or break down your own.
Peanut oil is the best for frying this recipe but canola or vegetable work as well.
I deep fry my chicken in a deep fryer but you can also do this in a large cast iron pan as well.
Buttermilk is absolutely necessary for this to turn out moist. If you cannot find buttermilk you can make your own by mixing 1 cup of regular milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then stir.
KFC COPYCAT SEASONING:
Substitute the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper in this recipe for the following seasonings: (skip seasoning the individual chicken pieces and then you will stir these seasonings in with the flour mixture)
2 teaspoons salt
½ tablespoon dried thyme
½ tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
