Classic Fried Chicken Recipes

CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season the chicken generously with salt and black pepper; place on a baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Mix the buttermilk, hot sauce, bay leaf, garlic and thyme in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, making sure the pieces are submerged. Seal and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, paprika, onion powder, cayenne, 3 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper in a separate resealable bag.
• Fill a deep 12-inch cast-iron skillet halfway with equal parts peanut oil and shortening. Heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
• Remove about half of the chicken pieces from the buttermilk mixture, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to the bag of seasoned flour; seal and shake to thoroughly coat. Remove from the bag, shake off any excess flour and transfer to a rack.
• Carefully lower the coated chicken into the oil. The temperature will drop to 300 degrees F to 325 degrees F; adjust the heat to maintain this temperature so the crust doesn't burn before the meat is cooked. Fry, undisturbed, 2 to 3 minutes to set the crust, then carefully lift with tongs to check the browning; continue to fry, turning as needed, until golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 14 more minutes for smaller pieces and 14 to 16 more minutes for larger ones. (A thermometer should register 160 degrees F in the breasts and 170 degrees F in the thighs and drumsticks.)
• Remove the chicken to a clean rack to drain, sprinkle with salt and let rest a few minutes. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Serve hot or at room temperature.

CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a wide, shallow dish or pie plate, whisk together flour, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Transfer 1 1/4 cups flour mixture to an airtight container; set aside. In a large glass bowl, whisk together buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, then submerge in buttermilk mixture. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours (or up to overnight).
• Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels. In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat oil to 350 degrees over medium (a small cube of bread should brown in less than 1 minute). Transfer reserved flour mixture to a wide, shallow dish. In batches, lift chicken from buttermilk, letting excess drip off, and dredge in flour mixture.
• Fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 16 to 20 minutes per batch, flipping once (adjust heat if browning too quickly). With tongs, transfer chicken to rack to drain, 5 minutes, then serve.

CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, 1 hour to infuse the flavor.
• Whisk 3 cups buttermilk, the hot sauce and mustard in a large bowl. Stir in the garlic and onion slices, then the chicken. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl. Drizzle in the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk and whisk to form small shaggy clumps.
• One piece at a time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk, letting any excess drip off, and coat in the flour mixture, pressing with your hands to coat well. Transfer to a rack set on a baking sheet.
• Fill a large cast-iron skillet with 1 inch vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Carefully add 4 to 5 pieces chicken to the hot oil. The oil temperature will drop; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a temperature of 325 degrees F. Fry the chicken, without turning, until the crust starts browning, about 2 minutes. Flip the chicken and fry, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp all over and a thermometer inserted into the breasts registers 160 degrees F and the thighs 170 degrees F, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove with tongs to a clean rack set on a baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with salt. Let the oil temperature return to 350 degrees F before frying the remaining chicken.
• After all the chicken is cooked, fry the onions, if desired: Drain the onions, separate the rings, then coat with the flour mixture. Fry, turning once, until crisp and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
• We used a big spoonful of baking powder in the coating for this Nashville-style chicken. It draws out moisture, so the skin gets extra crisp before it?s dipped in fiery cayenne-spiced butter.

CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix the buttermilk, sugar, salt, and hot sauce until combined. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Remove the chicken from the buttermilk marinade and pat completely dry. Place the chicken on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before frying.
• For the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and chile de arbol until combined. Slowly whisk in the water and whisk until smooth. Let the batter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large Dutch oven. Transfer half the chicken into the batter. Remove the chicken, 1 piece at a time, from the batter (allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl) and carefully transfer to the oil. Fry the chicken, adjusting the burner as necessary to maintain the oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees F, until deep golden brown and just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Drain the chicken on paper towels and then transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and season with a little fine sea salt. Bring the oil back to 350 degrees F and repeat with the remaining chicken.

CLASSIC SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 200 F and place a rack in a large baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, combine the milk and eggs. Whisk to blend well.
• In a large heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons salt, and pepper. Seal and shake to combine.
• Dip the chicken pieces in the milk and egg mixture and let excess drip off into the bowl. Set already dipped pieces aside on a plate until you have three or four.
• Add the dipped chicken pieces to the bag of seasoned flour.
• Seal the bag and shake well to coat the chicken pieces thoroughly.
• Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
• Heat the oil in a deep, heavy skillet to 350 F. While it's heating up, set aside a large serving plate lined with paper towels.
• Fry the chicken, a few pieces at a time, for about 10 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Be careful not to put too many chicken pieces in at once-even if they can comfortably fit-since this will dramatically drop the temperature of the oil, affecting the crispness of the final product. Note that chicken breasts will take a little less time than dark meat pieces.
• With a slotted spoon, move the done chicken pieces onto the paper towel-lined platter to drain. Sprinkle immediately with salt.
• Transfer the drained and seasoned chicken to the prepared pan with a rack. Keep warm in the preheated oven while frying subsequent batches. Depending on the size of your pan, this recipe will require about 3 to 4 batches.

MOM'S OLD FASHIONED FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a brown paper bag. One by one, coat the chicken parts with mixture.
• In a large skillet, fry the chicken in 1 inch of hot oil until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and drain the oil.
• Put the chicken back into the pan and cover the pieces with cooking sherry. Cover the pan and reduce to simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Serve.

CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the batter In a large bowl, mix buttermilk with 2 tsp. sea salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add chix and toss to coat. Cover and refrig for at least 4 hours Make the Broth for the Gravy (optional) Heat the oil in a large (4qt) saucepan over med-high heat. Add the chicken parts and onion and cook, stirring often, until the chix parts lose their raw color, about 5 min. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken parts release juices, about 20 min. Add 1 qt water and 1/2 tsp. salt. Increase the heat to med high, bring to boil,reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer until the broth is flavorful, about 20 min. Strain the broth into a 1-qt glass cup. (You will need 1-1/2 cups for the gravy; reserve remaining broth for another use.) Set aside. Fry the chicken When you're ready to fry the chix, put the flour, paprika, 2 tsp. sea salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a brown paper bag, and shake to combine. Working in 2 batches, drop the chicken pieces into the flour mixture, fold the top of the bag closed, and shake to coat completely. Arrange the coated chicken on a large wire rack set over a large rimmed baking sheet. Discard the remaining flour mixture. Pour enough oil into a deep heavy-duty 12" skillet to reach a depth of 1/2". Heat the oil over med-high heat until a thermometer clipped to the side of the skillet w/o touching the bottom registers 350°F.

CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine buttermilk, hot pepper sauce, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a 2-gallon self-sealing plastic bag; add chicken pieces, turning to coat.
• Seal the bag, pressing out the excess air.
• Place bag in a bowl and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours to marinate, turning bag over once.
• Combine flour, baking powder, pepper, paprika, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt in a shallow dish until well mixed.
• Remove chicken, a few pieces at a time, from the buttermilk mixture shaking off excess.
• Add chicken to the flour mixture, turning to coat well.
• Place chicken on a wire rack, set over waxed paper without pieces touching.
• Repeat with remaining chicken, using a 2nd rack if necessary; let stand 15 minutes to set coating; discard buttermilk mixture.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Line 2 large cookie sheets with paper towels.
• Place 1/2 inch oil in two large frying pans (electric frying pans are great for frying chicken); heat over med heat until hot.
• Place chicken pieces into hot oil being careful not to crowd or let pieces touch.
• Cover skillets and cook until chicken is light golden brown on the bottoms, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Turn pieces over and cook, covered, 8 to 10 minutes longer for white meat, 13 to 15 minutes for dark meat, turning every 4 to 5 minutes or until well browned on all sides and juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced with a knife tip.
• Transfer chicken to the paper towel lined cookie sheets in the oven to keep warm.
• Repeat with remaining chicken.

FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine first four ingredients. With paper towels, pat chicken dry; add to bag, a few pieces at a time. Seal bag and shake to coat. , In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 in. of oil; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear, turning occasionally. Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels.,

CLASSIC SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine chicken, buttermilk, hot sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large, non-reactive bowl. Stir until chicken is well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Combine flour, 2 teaspoons salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl; whisk until well combined.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Working with one piece at a time, remove from the marinade and allow excess to drip off. Coat evenly in the flour mixture, and set on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.
• Pour oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Add a few chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook, turning once or twice, until golden brown on the outside, no longer pink at the bone, and the juices run clear, 10 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Maintain the oil temperature around 320 degrees F (160 degrees C) during cooking. Remove chicken to a clean wire rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Return oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and repeat to fry remaining chicken.
• Serve immediately.