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 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 slightly when you add the raw chicken, so heat it to 375℉ (190℃) before you start.
- Add a few slices of onion to the oil to check the temperature and infuse it with more flavor.
- 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
- Season the chicken with salt, crushed garlic, hot sauce, and Creole seasoning. Add the buttermilk and coat the chicken well. (Photos 1-3)
- Marinate it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or overnight). (Photo 4)
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, cayenne pepper, white pepper, and salt in a large bowl. (Photo 5)
- Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, after letting the excess marinade drip off. Then double-coat it by dipping with the remaining buttermilk (add fresh buttermilk as needed) and flour mixture, shaking off the excess. (Photos 6-7)
- Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes while heating the oil. That will help the coating to stay on better. (Photo 8)
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or cast-iron skillet to 375℉ (190℃). The temperature will drop once you add chicken. Adding a few slices of onion will add flavor and is a great way to test the oil’s temperature. (Photo 9)
- Fry the chicken, working in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, until golden brown, turning once every 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces. An instant-read thermometer will read 165℉ (75℃). (Photos 10-11)
- Drain the chicken on a rack and let it rest for about 10 minutes before digging in. (Photo 12)
Recipe Tips
- Use chicken breast tenderloins instead of a whole chicken to make fried chicken tenders instead of regular bone-in chicken. The kids love these, and they cook faster.
- 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
The Chicken
- 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)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (optional)
Chicken Breading
- 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 (add optional cornstarch), transfer it to a large bowl or gallon-sized ziplock freezer bag, and marinate it covered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, cayenne pepper, white pepper, and salt in another large bowl.
- Remove the marinated chicken from the buttermilk and let the excess buttermilk drain back into the bowl.
- Then, dredge it in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour. You could use a ziplock bag for this process, too.
- Optional step: 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. Optionally, fry a few pieces of onion in the oil to test the temperature and infuse more flavor.
- 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 could do a test by piercing the chicken with a fork.
- Drain the chicken on a rack over a baking sheet, dab with paper towels to remove excess oil if necessary.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Tips & Notes:
- Sometimes I add cornstarch to the marinade, and sometimes I don’t. Try it both ways, and see which one you like best.
- If you want thicker, crispier breading, double-dip it in the buttermilk and flour. If you prefer a thinner breading, just drain off excess marinade and coat it well in the breading once.
- A neutral-tasting, high smoke point oil, like canola, vegetable, or peanut oil, works well. Olive oil does not.
- Avoid overcrowding the pan because it will lower the oil’s temperature too quickly, resulting in greasy chicken.
- A cast-iron pan or deep fryer holds the temperature better and heats evenly.
- Rather than using enough oil to submerge the entire chicken, put enough to submerge 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.
- If anything fried sits on a paper towel too long, it may stick to it. Instead, drain your chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet, and it will stay crispy and dry.
- Please note that the nutritional data is a rough estimate and can vary greatly depending on the ingredients used.
This sounds so good, want to try this
yeah, it must be good once you try. I will be waiting to hear about your experience:)
Oh my word. This has such a wonderful kick in the ingredients. Can’t wait to try it. I’m from the South myself but I just cook the old fashion way. Buttermilk, flour, salt & pepper. Then fry. But this is another great level for delicious! Keep em’ coming.
Thank you
Whoa! Great way to have amazing recipe:) Thank you so much for your words!
This was great. I used boneless chicken breast cut into nuggets. Seasoning made the chicken super tasty. Even my picky eater had multiple pieces
Wao!!! great to hear about your picky eater. Try some other recipes and turn your picky eater into a food lover 🙂
Ok can’t lie, I didn’t make it yet..I gave 5 stars anyway because I know it’s a winner winner; chicken dinner!
I grew up in Atlanta and this is fried chicken like I remember. Perfect fried chicken. Until I was grown I didn’t know people fried chicken in any thing but a cast iron pan. thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Tarr,
You are welcome, dear. Stay tuned for more amazing recipes!
Made your recipe for a lunch gathering today. It was excellent! My 11 year old said “woah, great chicken! But like like really great chicken!” Big hit! I added ginger and cinnamon – gave it a nice zing. Thank you so much!!
Aww this made me smile! Hello to your 11-year old, Nick! Glad you both enjoyed it. Thank you!! 🙂
Another thing that works great to make sure the coating sticks to the chicken is to place in the freezer 12-14 minutes before frying. Go from freezer to the hot oil . This may add 1 or 2 minutes to the frying time.
This recipe is perfect family loved the chicken
This recipe really is family-friendly, Angela. Enjoy! 🙂
I love this recipe! And learnt how to make buttermilk as well. Can I use smoke chicken for this recipe or only raw chicken?
Hi Maimunat! For this recipe, it would be better to use raw chicken to make sure the ‘southern’ flavor will come out, rather than using smoked chicken which already has a distinct taste on its own. I hope you’ll enjoy this! 🙂
Tried this recipe tonight and it was amazing. family loved the spices and the chicken came out so moist, thank you!!
This is great recipe, I’ve used rice flour as I’m gluten free and it has the perfect crunch. I also fry the chicken on each side and then bake the chicken, I have a large family and it’s a little easier when cooking 4kg of chicken portions!!
Again great recipe, thanks for sharing.
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
This hits all the notes. Wonderfully seasoned. I will be passing this on to my Momma for her to try!
This chicken was delicious. It was moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. My 4 y.o. daughter who does not eat chicken skin, actually asked for more after tasting a piece. The spice mix was perfect. I have to admit though, that I finished it in the oven. I believe in following recipe I am trying for the 1st time to a “T”; but I let my oil overheat, so the outside browned too quickly while the inside was still undercooked. I popped it in the oven at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes to let it finish cooking. Thanks Imma, I have never been let down by one of your recipes.
Yay! Am So Thrilled! Love when the kids give a stamp of approval. They are the hardest to please.
The flavor and crust were excellent! I noticed that the directions seemed to be more for skillet frying rather than an electric deep frier frying so we dropped the temp’ to 338° since our temp stays consistent. I did not have a whole chicken so I used the boneless/skinless thighs we had on hand. Not legit’ for southern fried chicken, I know, but still turned out really good. Followed the recipe exactly except for sub’ing Rice Flour for Corn Starch. Corn starch would likely have added some extra flavor that would be nice, however I am allergic to corn so that was a no-can-do. I will definitely be making this again. Really good 🙂
After more than 60 years of cooking, i had never been satisfied with my attempts at frying chicken. Your recipe was a game-changer! I have confidently served it to many friends, and always get rave reviews. Most importantly, I love it. Thanks for sharing!
Tried this recipe last night. I did’t double coat the chicken, the single coating was just perfect. I also made my own creole seasoing which I also added to the coating mixture. Overall the chicken was amazing. All my family and friends loved it. 10/10
Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear it worked out well.
Excellent recipe and tips.
I did it last night aa American dinner theme. I had adjusted seasoning as I don’t have some items otherwise followed almost everything. I cooked them in a deep fat fryer but using less oil as suggested. And the chicken came out perfect as the the temperature of the oil was controlled the whole way through. The big pieces took 15 mins the breast took 10 mins.
Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback . Glad to hear it worked out for you.
Hello Hugo ten Dam! I am sorry your Fried Chicken did not turn out okay. Next time, season to taste. Do let me know how it turns out with a single coat.
This chicken was amazing! For my first time it was great!!!!
Was I supposed to remove the skin? My chicken kinda separated the crusty batter and skin from the chicken. What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Awesome!! I am so glad this was a hit with you, Amanda! This recipe called for skin-on chicken, but feel free to take off the skin if you prefer.
Dear Imma
I write from Portugal and in my search I found your page. I am looking for a company that provides the specific flour to make the southern fried chicken. We want to open a Take-Away and sell the chicken but we want to use the right flour. Do you know any company that produces this flour ?! Appreciate your attention.
Best Regards
Eugénia Conceição
H Eugenia,Have you checked out white lily flour ? You might have to experiment with different flours to come up with the one that yields the perfect crisp. I find that cornstarch and all-purpose flour gives it a nice crisp.
Wishing you all the best,