Southern Fried Chicken
There’s nothing like having a good Southern fried chicken recipe in your collection. One bite of this chicken’s crunchy, spicy outer layer, followed by the tender, juicy meat inside, and you’ll understand why it’s a true-blue Southern classic. Infused with spices for intense flavor and marinated in buttermilk to make it juicy, it’s the perfect main course for your next picnic!
I’ll never forget that day my son was craving fried chicken, but I did NOT want to leave the house. I dug into my archives and realized I already had everything I needed. After devouring half a chicken, the love of my life declared that it was better than anything he had eaten in a restaurant.
Besides being pure deliciousness, this Southern fried chicken recipe is a must-have at any cookout. The secret to tender, juicy chicken is marinating it in buttermilk. The seasoned breading delivers a crispy outer coating for a dish that tastes like a million bucks but costs only a few dollars.
The Secret to Perfect Southern Fried Chicken
Perfectly fried chicken is tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. A few tricks will bring that about.
- Marinating it in buttermilk adds a tang and tenderizes the meat.
- Be generous with the seasonings, both in the marinade and the breading.
- Don’t forget the baking powder to create bubbles and encourage crispiness.
- Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes after breading it so it firms up and sticks better when you fry the chicken.
- Make sure the temperature of your oil doesn’t go below 350℉ (180℃). The temperature will drop some when you add the raw chicken, so heat it to 375℉ (190℃) before you start.
- Drain the chicken on a wire rack so it’s not sitting in oil or sticking to a paper towel.
How to Make Southern Fried Chicken
Prepare the Chicken
- Season – Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and season them with salt, crushed garlic, hot sauce, and Creole seasoning. (Photos 1-2)
- Marinate – Pour enough of the buttermilk over the seasoned chicken to cover, mix well, and transfer the chicken to a gallon-sized ziplock freezer bag. Marinate it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or overnight). (Photos 3-5)
- Coating – Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, cayenne pepper, white pepper, and salt in a large bowl. (Photo 6)
- Dredge – Remove the marinated chicken from the buttermilk and let the excess buttermilk drain back into the bag. Then, coat it in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour. Using a ziplock bag for this process comes in handy. (Photo 7)
- Second Coating – Double dip the chicken in the remaining buttermilk (add fresh buttermilk as needed), then repeat with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes while heating the oil. That will help the coating to stay on better. (Photo 8-10)
Fry It
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or cast iron skillet to 375℉ (190℃). The temperature will drop once you add chicken.
- Fry – Slowly and carefully place the chicken in the hot oil using tongs. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Fry the chicken until golden brown, turning once every 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces.
- Check – Chicken is done when it is no longer pink inside and its juices run clear, or your instant-read thermometer reads 165℉ (75℃). You may do a test by piercing the chicken with a fork.
- Drain the chicken on paper towels and then transfer them quickly to a wire rack.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use chicken breast tenderloins instead of a whole chicken to make fried chicken tenders instead of regular bone-in chicken. The kids love these.
- Neutral-tasting oils with a high smoke point, like canola, vegetable, or peanut oil, are good choices for deep frying.
- This recipe works great in the air fryer. Spritz the breaded chicken with canola oil, crank up your air fryer to 400℉ (205℃), and fry away.
- While I used a whole chicken for this recipe, feel free to use thighs or leg quarters because dark meat stays juicier than the breast.
Storage and Leftover Makeovers
Store leftover fried chicken in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-5 days or the freezer for 2-3 months. Remove it from the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature, and bake it in a 400℉ (205℃) oven on a wire rack over a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes or until it’s heated through and gets its crunch back.
I make extra so we can repurpose the leftovers in a salad, cream of chicken soup, fried rice, quesadillas, and quick chicken sandwiches.
What Goes With Southern Fried Chicken
Um, just all of my favorite sides! 😆 For a classic Southern dinner, serve this chicken with collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and homemade butter biscuits.
Make sure you have some Southern drinks and desserts on hand, too. Sweet iced tea is a must. Finish off your meal with a healthy portion of apple cobbler or sweet potato pie, and don’t forget to scoop a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.
More Classic Southern Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in September 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Southern Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Seasoning
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces
- 1½-2 teaspoons (8-12g) salt (adjust to preference)
- ½-1 tablespoon (7-15g) hot sauce
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2-3 teaspoons (8-12g) Creole seasoning
- 4 cups (950ml) buttermilk (for both marinating and coating)
Chicken Coating
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (128g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- 1 tablespoon (8-9g) paprika
- 2 tablespoons (30g) garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons (20g) onion powder
- 1-1½ tablespoons (5-8g) dried herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) cayenne pepper (adjust to preference)
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) white pepper
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt (adjust to taste)
- frying oil
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and season them with salt, crushed garlic, hot sauce, and Creole seasoning.
- Pour some of the buttermilk over the seasoned chicken, transfer the chicken to a gallon-sized ziplock freezer bag, and marinate it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, cayenne pepper, white pepper, and salt in a large bowl.
- Remove the marinated chicken from the buttermilk and let the excess buttermilk drain back into the bag. Then, dredge it in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour. You could use a ziplock bag for this process, too.
- Double dip the chicken in the remaining buttermilk (add fresh buttermilk as needed), then repeat with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes while heating the oil. That will help the coating to stay on better.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or cast iron skillet to 375℉ (190℃). The temperature will drop once you add chicken.
- Slowly and carefully place the chicken in the hot oil using tongs. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet.
- Fry the chicken until golden brown, turning once every 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces. Chicken is done when it is no longer pink inside and its juices run clear, or your instant-read thermometer reads 165℉ (75℃). You may do a test by piercing the chicken with a fork.
- Drain the chicken on paper towels and then transfer them quickly to a wire rack.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Tips & Notes:
- Olive oil is not suitable for frying because it has a low smoke point and will burn. Neutral-tasting, high smoke point oils like canola, vegetable, or peanut oil work much better.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan with chicken because it will lower the oil’s temperature too quickly and slow the cooking time.
- A cast-iron pan or deep fryer holds the temperature better and heats evenly, resulting in perfectly cooked chicken.
- Rather than having enough oil to submerge your chicken, put enough to cover ¾ of it. The weight of the chicken will cause it to sit just above the oil’s surface, creating a crispy crust without burning.
- Don’t let anything fried sit on a paper towel too long because it may stick to the paper towel. Instead, drain your chicken using a wire rack over a baking sheet, and they’ll stay crispy and dry all at once easily.
- Please note that the nutritional data is a rough estimate and can vary greatly depending on the ingredients used.
Not too hard, took some time but it was worth it, tastes good
Hi J. Glad it worked out for you.
I loved the taste, but the second batch I decided not to double dip because it was way too much crust for me.
Great! Thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts with us.
This chicken was so good my son said it didn’t need any condiments!! My family raved and said it was possibly the best fried chicken they’ve ever had.
I made the recipe as written, the only difference was I had to use (all purpose) gluten free flour due to allergies.
I also made it in chicken tender form because I had boneless skinless chicken breasts— but otherwise followed the recipe instructions exactly.
Hi Cristina,
It’s fantastic to hear that your Southern fried chicken turned out so well, especially with the gluten-free adaptation! Using all-purpose gluten-free flour and still achieving such rave reviews is a testament to your cooking skills. The fact that it was enjoyed so much by your family, especially without any condiments, really speaks volumes about the flavor and quality of your preparation. Turning the recipe into chicken tender form is a great idea, especially when using boneless skinless chicken breasts. It sounds like you’ve found a wonderful way to make this classic dish suit your family’s needs while keeping it delicious. Keep up the great cooking!
So sorry that happened. Try lowering the oil temperature to 300℉. So many variations can affect cooking time. Altitude, humidity, etc.
The recipe is great. I find that if I put my spices in the liquid the buttermilk .rather than the flour it comes out so much better. The spices just seem to pop more.
Glad you liked it! 🙂