My Southern Fried Chicken is almost as good as grandma's fried chicken. You are gonna love it. But, let's face it, no one cooks like grandma.
Southern Fried Chicken
Maybe it's a legend, or perhaps it's a fact that throughout the South in days gone by, families came home from church on Sunday to sit down to a dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, sliced tomatoes, biscuits, and peach cobbler for dessert. Families and extended families gathered like the Reagans on Blue Bloods for fellowship and food. Sadly, those times are past in our family, but good home-cooked fried chicken is still a treat for Sunday dinner or any other day when there is time to make it.
My grandmother could make some terrific fried chicken. I think one of her secrets was using bacon grease. Our family were farmers, and we always had cows, pigs, chickens, and a gigantic garden, and we always had good food.
Saving bacon grease from frying bacon was normal. We even had a "bacon grease" can. We used the grease to fry everything! It makes the flavor of cornbread so much better!
Did you know that July 6 is National Southern Fried Chicken Day? It's also my birthday! What a good day for this meal.
What to Serve With Chicken
This recipe makes three large pieces or six small ones, enough for six people. Serve with Mashed Potatoes, "Cooked All Day" Green Beans, and Slaw.
What You Need
Make your cooking easy with a FryDaddy (affiliate link). But you can use a deep frying pan. Whatever you buy, always buy the best you can afford and it will last a lifetime.
Perfect Southern Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken legs with skin on
- 1 chicken breast with skin on
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning or your favorite seasoning
- Enough canola oil to fill the skillet 1-inch deep
Instructions
-
Rinse the chicken pieces in cold water and pat dry.
-
Place the chicken in a bowl and cover them with buttermilk.
-
Allow the chicken to soak in the buttermilk in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.
-
In a brown paper bag large enough to hold one piece of chicken at a time, add the flour and spices. Shake to blend them.
-
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan until a drop of water dances on the surface. (Be careful not to put in more than a drop of water or it might splash and burn you.)
-
Take one piece of chicken at a time from the bowl of buttermilk and place it in the paper bag.
-
Shake the chicken in the bag to coat it with the flour mixture; then add it to the skillet.
-
After frying all the chicken pieces for about 10 minutes, turn them over to brown the other side.
-
Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to allow the chicken to fry for 10 to 12 minutes.
-
Uncover the skillet and let the chicken fry for another 10 to 12 minutes.
-
Turn the chicken once again to brown the other side.
-
The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 185°F.
-
If the chicken is getting too brown but not yet done, which can happen with large pieces, place it on a rack in a baking pan in the oven to continue cooking.
-
Serve with your favorite side dishes.
Crispy Southern Fried Chicken
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 2 chicken legs with skin on
- 1 chicken breast with skin on
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt use sea salt for corn-free
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Penseys Cajun seasoning or a little cayenne pepper
- Enough canola oil to fill the skillet 1-inch deep maybe a cup of oil
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken pieces in cold water and pat dry. (Jacques Pepin says you can skip this step, but I do it.)
- Place the chicken in a bowl large enough to hold the pieces, and cover them with buttermilk.
- Cover the bowl and allow the chicken to soak in the buttermilk in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.
- In a brown paper bag large enough to hold one piece of chicken at a time, add the flour and spices. Shake to blend them.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet until a drop of water dances on the surface. (Be careful not to put in more than a drop of water or it might splash and burn you.)
- Take one piece of chicken at a time from the bowl of buttermilk and place it in the paper bag.
- Shake the chicken in the bag to coat it with the flour mixture; then add it to the skillet.
- When all the chicken pieces have been frying for about 10 minutes, turn them over to brown the other side.
- Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to allow the chicken to fry for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Uncover the skillet and let the chicken fry for another 10 to 12 minutes.
- Turn the chicken once again to brown the other side.
- The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 185°F.
- If the chicken is getting too brown but is not yet done, which can happen with large pieces, place the pieces on a rack in a baking pan in the oven to continue cooking.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes.
Nutrition (may vary depending on ingredients and amounts used)
I've learned some things over time with this recipe. Soaking in the buttermilk is very important. It makes the chicken unbelievably moist and tender. Also, make sure the grease is good and hot before adding the chicken pieces. Third, always cover the pan with the lid after the chicken is browned on both sides so it gets completely done!
More Recipes To Try
