Fried Chicken Recipe

By
Kevin D. Weeks.
Kevin D. Weeks.
Kevin D. Weeks is a personal chef, cooking instructor, and food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/28/21
Southern Fried Chicken recipe
Credit: Iain Bagwell
Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Yield: 2 chicken breasts

Try making some of this delicious fried chicken for yourself. You can always pan-fried it instead of deep-frying if you want. This can easily be doubled or tripled for dinner on the first go around and the next day's picnic fare.

Ingredients

  • 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, or thighs

For the Marinade:

  • 2 cups cultured buttermilk

  • 1 tablespoon hot paprika

  • 1 tablespoon salt

For the Coating:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons hot paprika

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps to Make It

  1. Thoroughly mix marinade ingredients in a zippered plastic bag, add chicken, and refrigerate 12 - 24 hours, turning occasionally to ensure coverage.

    Tip

    • If you're in a hurry, you can skip the delay and simply dip the chicken in the marinade and then proceed to step 3 but chances are it's not going to be as juicy.

  2. Mix coating ingredients in a zippered plastic bag and shake well. Empty into a deep bowl or square baking dish.

  3. Remove chicken from marinade, shake off excess marinade, then dredge in coating.

  4.  Set chicken aside on a plate and allow to rest for 30 minutes in a refrigerator.

  5. Heat 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a medium, straight-sided, lidded skillet over medium-high heat.

  6. Once oil is hot, re-dredge chicken in coating, shake off excess and add to skillet (skin-side down).

  7. Cook for four minutes or until a light golden brown.

  8. Turn chicken over, reduce temperature to low, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes more. Ideally, cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 F for breasts or 155 F for thighs.

  9. Remove cover, increase heat to medium-high, and turn over again. Cook another 5 minutes until coating is crisp and mahogany brown.

  10. Drain on a plate on paper towels or drying racks above tinfoil lined baking sheets.

Tips

  • Stick with either breasts or thighs that are the same size to assure equal cooking times.
  • If doubling recipe, cook in two batches to avoid over-crowding or use a large to very large skillet.
  • Although cast iron is widely lauded as the skillet of choice for pan-fried chicken, we find stainless steel or aluminum work better. Cast iron is slow to heat and slow to cool and you really want a quicker response when you turn the burner down and up.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
427 Calories
7g Fat
39g Carbs
49g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 427
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 10%
Saturated Fat 3g 14%
Cholesterol 112mg 37%
Sodium 5846mg 254%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 49g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 326mg 25%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 849mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)