Some Good Southern Fried Chicken
In college, I was dating this dude from upstate. I think he loved the fact that I was a southern chick more than anything. He’d always ask me if I knew how to make this and that. Well for his birthday he asked me if I knew how to fry chicken which was his favorite food. I batted my lashes (tryna look all cute) and was like “um yeah. So easy.!” He was so excited. Yall I had never fried chicken in my life. I just assumed it couldn’t be too hard right.
To make a long story short I nearly burnt down that mans apartment trying to be KFC. The smoke alarm went off and everything! It was burnt on the outside and the inside was raw and bleeding!
I can laugh about it now but I was so embarrassed. Especially since he had all his friends over there because he had bragged about how good I could cook. This was the beginning of my search to learn how to cook chicken and for an easy & delicious southern fried chicken recipe. After much testing here is 1 of the 3 that I’m loving and a few tips on how to make some good southern fried chicken
This recipe doesn’t use an egg dip or baking powder like most southern fried chicken recipes but it’s a crowd pleaser. This chicken has a nice coating and is well-seasoned to the bone. You know you got a good fried chicken recipe when folks just sit there and suck on the bone when they’re done lol. To me, good homestyle, southern fried chicken is golden brown (not too light like that fast food stuff) has a crunchy coating that has a medium thickness & a good blend of seasonings.
The meat must be juicy, moist and well seasoned but not overpowering and it has to taste good hot and cold. This recipe fits the bill and it’s perfect for picnics!
Some Good Southern Fried Chicken
Author:
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken, cut up
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons salt
- 4 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 3 cups flour
- 2 cups shortening, for frying
- Seasoning:
- 2 Tablespoon garlic powder,
- 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika,
- 2 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning,
- 1 Tablespoon Black pepper,
- 1 Tablespoon White pepper,
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
Instructions
- Let’s prepare a brine to get the meat juicy! In a large bowl add 2 buttermilk, 2 T. of salt and 4 T of hot sauce. Stir well to combine.
- Wash your chicken and place it in the brine. Make sure that most of it, if not all, is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. If you go way past an hour the chicken will be too salty so 1 hour is perfect.
- In a bowl, combine all the seasoning spices.
- When the chicken is done brining place it on a baking sheet/tray and season it generously with half or a little under half of the seasoning blend. Be sure to season it well, getting under the skin. We are gonna put the rest of the seasoning in the flour so don’t put it all on the chicken.
- In a large bowl add 3 cups of flour and pour in the other half of the seasoning blend. Mix until combined.
- Now toss each piece of chicken in the flour mixture until it is completely coated with flour. Place on a clean baking sheet or wire rack. Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes and then re-coat it in the flour again.
- Next, add 2 cups of vegetable Crisco to a cast iron skillet. Crisco is less greasy and a cast iron skillet makes the best fried chicken hands down but you can also use a deep fryer or regular skillet
- Heat the oil to 325. Some people say 350 but 325 has always produced the juiciest, perfect chicken for me. “Slow and low” is what my grandmother says. I can’t promise a good chicken without my trusty thermometer. Test the oil to make sure it is at 325.
- When the oil is heated drop a few pieces of chicken in the oil skin side down (don’t crowd the chicken) and cover for 5 minutes.
- When five minutes are up check the chicken to see if it has browned. When golden brown flip the chicken, cover and cook that side for 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook uncovered the additional cooking time. Be sure to check your oil tempt. to make sure it is still at or a little above 325. Lower or raise the heat until it is reached. Turn your chicken occasionally to ensure even browning.
- Place done chicken on a plate of paper towels or a kitchen cloth to drain. You can check the thickness part of the meat to make sure it is cooked thoroughly. The juices will run clear.
Notes
Tips to Making Good Fried Chicken[br][br]Cooking the Chicken[br](This is where some beginners go wrong. Take your time.) Average Cooking Time for 325 degrees:[br]White Meat- 16-20 minutes[br]Dark Meat- 20-30 minutes* Keep the oil at 325-350. It shouldn’t be above or below those numbers. This will result in a greasy or burnt coating[br]* Don’t crowd the chicken. Too much chicken lowers the heat and they cook unevenly. Chicken needs room to breathe.[br]* Cook light meats together and dark meats together since they basically cook at the time rate.[br]*Listen to the oil. A chicken that is cooking on 325 will cause the oil to be very loud when you put it in. It will slowly get quieter as the chicken cooks and when you turn the chicken over it will get louder again. This is the tried and true technique that most southern cooks use. It really does work but I’m not that fluent in my fried chicken language yet….I’m getting there though.[br]* Use a cast iron pot or deep fryer. It really does make all the difference in the coating.[br]*Use Crisco oil or peanut oil. The taste is blander and therefore you won’t taste it on the chicken.* The trick to even cooking is to cover in the beginning to start the cooking process on the inside of the chicken, but remove the lid and cook uncovered during the last part of the cooking time to get the outside crispy and golden brown.[br]* Keep cooked chicken warm in a 200-degree oven while you fry the rest of the chicken.
Tips to Making Good Fried Chicken
* Keep the oil at 325- 350. It shouldn’t be above or below those numbers. This will result in a greasy or burnt coating
* Don’t crowd the chicken. Too much chicken lowers the heat and they cook unevenly. Chicken needs room to breathe.
* Cook light meats together and dark meats together since they basically cook at the time rate.
*Listen to the oil. A chicken that is cooking on 325 will cause the oil to be very loud when you put it in. It will slowly get quieter as the chicken cooks and when you turn the chicken over it will get louder again. This is the tried and true technique that most southern cooks use. It really does work but I’m not that fluent in my fried chicken language yet….I’m getting there though.
* Use a cast iron pot or deep fryer. It really does make all the difference in the coating.*Use Crisco oil or peanut oil. The taste is blander and therefore you won’t taste it on the chicken
* The trick to even cooking is to cover in the beginning to start the cooking process on the inside of the chicken, but remove the lid and cook uncovered during the last part of the cooking time to get the outside crispy and golden brown.
* Keep cooked chicken warm in a 200-degree oven while you fry the rest of the chicken.
This is the only one of your recipes that “at first” I did not care for. It is very flavorful and extremely tasted. But The amount of salt was just too overwhelming for me and I could not eat it. I’ve tried is since but reduce the total salt used to one Tablespoon (used in the brine); as result I also had to reduce the amount of hot sauce. That aside; the recipe is great. It taste wonderful.
I love our recipes because the introduce me to seasonings I had never heard of before. Or ones that I would have never thought of using. For example white pepper. Wow! Powerful ingredient.
Thank you.
Mmm Mmm Mmm!!! girl I followed every step exactly, and this chicken was the BOMB…The brine was a crucial step. It works magic..This recipe was excellent, and my family LOVED it, and just couldn’t get enough.
what can you use instead of crisco. i know fried chicken isn’t a healthy meal but crisco is probably the most unhealthy cooking oil. I want to cook this for my family but cant bring myself to serve them anything with crisco in it. I apologize if i sound rude not trying to be just really really want to try this recipe. could you use natural bacon grease or coconut oil instead. i guess i just prefer more natural ingredients.
peanut oil works well
Hi,
First let me say that I’m loving your website. I just stumbled upon it today. I’ve got to try your fried chicken recipe. My fried chicken recipe is very good but I don’talways have the ingreients that I need on hand. Your recipe’s not only full of seasonings but I always have these ingredients on hand. Before I make this I was hoping you’d be so kind as to answer a couple of ?’s. Should I wash/rinse AND dry the chicken before submerging into the brine? After the one hour brine, should I rinse the brine mixture off the chicken then dry it? Lastly, is that Crisco vegetable shortening in Step 7? Thanx for taking the time to answer my ?’s. I’ll be waiting for your response. Peace.
your food is great I’ve accomplished nearly every dish on your website, and every last one is to die for!!!! one question do you bake? If so, what’s up with that peach cobbler recipe….
Can I brine if I plan on grilling chicken or only for frying?