Down Home Southern Fried Chicken Recipes

BEST SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and milk. In another bowl, combine flour and seasonings. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, then in flour mixture. , In a large skillet; brown chicken in oil on both sides. Cover and cook the chicken over low heat for 45 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove chicken from the skillet; keep warm. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in skillet. , For gravy, stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until browned. Combine milk and water; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add browning sauce if desired. Serve with chicken. Garnish with oregano if desired.

DOWN HOME CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the cut up chicken into a large resealable bag or a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken, seal or cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the buttermilk. In a bowl, stir together the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, flour and sugar; pour onto a plate.
• Heat the shortening and bacon drippings in a large skillet or electric skillet to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and place it into the hot fat. Fry on one side for 10 minutes, then turn and fry 10 minutes on the reverse side. If softer skin is desired, cover the skillet for the last 10 minutes. Remove and drain on brown paper grocery bags. (The smaller pieces will be finished first. The chicken is done when the juices run clear.)

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roll in flour.
• Add 1/2 to 3/4 inch oil to a large, heavy skillet. Heat to approximately 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place chicken pieces in hot oil. Cover, and fry until golden, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

NEELY FAMILY SPICY FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a casserole dish. In a nonreactive bowl, mix buttermilk, hot sauce and cayenne. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours.
• Preheat a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Into a large paper bag, measure the flour, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper. Shake off excess buttermilk mixture and place the chicken, a few pieces at a time, into the bake and shake to dredge.
• Place the chicken into the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes for white meat and 13 to 15 for dark meat. Remove from the fryer onto a paper towel lined sheet tray and season with salt and pepper.

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.

GOOD OLE' DOWN HOME IN GEORGIA SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place cut up chicken in a large bowl. Season with garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat. Add buttermilk, again tossing to coat. Set aside (you can cover and refrigerate overnight).
• Place lard and bacon grease into a large deep cast-iron skillet or dutch oven (you only need about an inch of melted oil). Set on stovetop over medium-high heat and get oil temperature to 350°F.
• Place flour into a plastic grocery bag. Shake excess buttermilk from a piece of chicken and place into bag of flour. Coat chicken with flour. (A simple method is to hold sides of bag and steadily and gently roll back and forth like cleaning a bowling ball.).
• Dip an edge of the floured piece into the lard; if it sizzles, it's ready. Begin to flour remaining pieces and carefully place them into the pan/dutch oven.
• Repeat until the pan is full or all pieces are used. (A whole chicken generally requires two batches and you may need to add just a small amount more of lard for second batch). Cover pot with lid and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
• Turn chicken over, cover and simmer again for 5-7 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking until cooked through, or internal temperature of chicken reaches 175°F.
• Transfer cooked pieces to a plate lined with paper towels or a baking rack with a towel underneath to catch the drippings. If desired, immediately give a light sprinkling of salt.

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Season the chicken thoroughly with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose seasoning.
• Whisk the buttermilk kosher salt, and hot sauce in a cup. Pour the mixture over the seasoned chicken. Stir to coat well then cover with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 8-24 hours. Remove the chicken parts from the buttermilk to drain.
• Add the flour and remaining all-purpose seasoning to a shallow dish or bag and toss. Coat the pieces in the flour and let it rest while the oil heats slowly.
• Fill a dutch oven or cast-iron skillet with about 1 quart of canola oil. Heat the oil to 325-350 degrees over medium heat. Fry the chicken in batches of 4-5 pieces being sure to not overcrowded the pan. Cover the pot with a lid to cook for 8-9 minutes before flipping for another 5-6 minutes.
• Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees before removing and draining on a wire rack or paper towels over a baking sheet.