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I don’t know about you, but when I think of comfort food, fried chicken is right at the top of the list. I like to say that Homemade Fried Chicken is my love language! So you know I had to share my easy buttermilk fried chicken recipe with you.
Perfectly seasoned flour coats buttermilk soaked chicken for that “old fashioned just like grandma made” homemade fried chicken we all love to eat. Yes, you CAN make it just like grandma!
Which Cut of Chicken Should I Use for Fried Chicken?
It’s really a personal preference. What do you like? What does your family like? What’s in your freezer?? What’s on sale at the store? You can use ANY of the options below and they will work.
The recipe will coat ROUGHLY 4-6 pounds of bone-in chicken. Less for boneless breasts!
- You can cut up a whole 4-6 pound chicken and use its pieces for this recipe. This will give you 8-10 pieces of chicken plus the back can be saved back for making chicken broth. I say 8-10 because I usually cut the breast in half and cook it for a shorter amount of time because they can be so larged that they easily dry out before cooking completely.
- Or if you prefer to use thigh, wing, and drumstick cuts you can just buy packs of those too. Dark meat makes the juiciest pieces of fried chicken. And if you do all the same cuts they cook up at the same time.
- You can opt for JUST chicken breast but it can be dry if you over cook it. So make sure you cut it into strips or nuggets so it cooks quicker and you avoid over cooking the outer parts while trying to cook the interior.
I Don’t Have Cornstarch. What Else Can I Use to Make Fried Chicken?
Cornstarch is not necessary for this recipe but it helps your fried chicken crunch better. It’s added to the flour mixture coating to help it get a more crispy outer coating.
When cornstarch is paired with
If you don’t have cornstarch, but still want that crispy crunchy coating, you can add in some baking powder instead.
Tips & Tricks for the best fried chicken
Ready to get started? Here are a few additional tips and tricks to help you
nail the recipe:
● Make sure the oil is hot before you add the chicken in. Choose an oil that
has a high smoking point, vegetable oil and sunflower oil are excellent choices.
● Allow your chicken to drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes after you get it out from the hot oil. This will help keep your chicken stay crispy.
● Sprinkle a bit of salt over the chicken on the wire rack. This will help draw out the moisture and make it extra crispy.
● Let the chicken marinate in the buttermilk overnight if you can. This will help the chicken get more tender, and packed with all the delicious flavor from the seasonings.
Need some side dish ideas?
Here’s a couple of recipes ideas you can whip together to with your buttermilk fried chicken.
Old Fashioned Pea and Bacon Salad
Easy Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 TBSP Adobo Seasoning
- 1 TBSP Seasoning Salt (like Lawry's)
- 1 tsp garlic granules or powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4-6 pounds bone in pieces of chicken
- cooking oil, vegetable or sunflower oil
Instructions
- add all seasonings to a bowl and stir
- set half of the seasonings aside
- mix the other HALF of the seasoning with the buttermilk in a large bowl big enough to soak the chicken
- wash and pat the chicken dry
- cut the breast pieces in half if you want them to cook without getting dried out
- place it in the bowl of buttermilk cover and refrigerate for a MINIMUM of one hour, 3-4 is better, overnight is amazing!
- To Cook Chicken:
- mix the flour and corn starch together and then stir the remaining seasonings
- Place a heavy-duty deep frying pan over medium heat to medium-high heat on the stove
- pour in enough oil into the skillet to be about an inch deep and put in a thermometer to monitor the temperature
- let it heat while you prep the chicken, keep an eye on the temperature you want the oil to be about 350˚
- drain the chicken and let it sit to drip for a minute
- when the oil is hot roll the biggest bone-on pieces of chicken such as the thighs in the flour mix
- carefully place them in the hot oil
- let them cook 1-2 minutes then roll the smaller pieces in the flour and add them to the pan
- cook for 8-10 minutes on the first side then flip and cook for the same time on the other side
- poke the pieces with a fork and see if the juices run clear when they do the chicken is done
- remove to a cooling rack or paper towels and let them drain for 5 minutes before serving
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