USA · Meat Dishes · Spicy

Fried Chicken

Name: Fried Chicken
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken; 2 cup buttermilk; 2 cup flour; 1 tbsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; for frying vegetable oil

A classic American dish that has become an icon of Southern cooking. Pieces of chicken on the bone, covered with a crispy, golden brown breading.

45 min 225 kcal 4 serves Medium🌶️Spicy🇺🇸USA★★★★★4.7· 6 reviews

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

1 wholechicken
2 cupbuttermilk
2 cupflour
1 tbsppaprika
1 tspgarlic powder
1 tsponion powder
1 tspdried thyme
1 tspdried oregano
2 tspsalt
1 tspblack pepper
½ tspcayenne pepper
for fryingvegetable oil

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“Great fried chicken starts 24 hours before it hits the oil. A buttermilk brine is the single best thing you can do — the acidity tenderizes the meat while the salt seasons it all the way to the bone. I use a simple double-dip method: buttermilk, then seasoned flour, back into buttermilk, then flour again. Those shaggy bits of double-dipped coating are what become the crunchiest, most irresistible pieces. The oil temperature matters enormously: 325°F (160°C) gives you a perfectly cooked interior without burning the crust. And please, don't skimp on the cast iron — it holds heat steady like nothing else, which is why every Southern grandmother swears by it.”

After frying, rest the chicken on a wire rack over a sheet pan, not paper towels. Paper towels trap steam on the bottom and make the crust soggy — a wire rack keeps all sides crispy.

Method

Soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk for 4-8 hours in the refrigerator.
Mix the flour with all the spices in a large bowl.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or deep fryer to 170°C.
Take the chicken out of the buttermilk, let drain off the excess. Dip each piece in the flour and spice mixture, pressing down well.
Fry the chicken pieces in batches for 12-15 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and fully cooked (internal temperature should reach 75°C). Place on a rack or paper towels to drain off excess fat. Serve hot.

FAQ

Breading falls off for several reasons. First, the chicken surface must be dry before dredging — pat pieces dry with paper towels, then dip in buttermilk, then coat in seasoned flour. Press the flour firmly onto every surface and let the coated pieces rest on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes before frying — this drying time helps the coating bond to the meat. Second, the oil must be at the correct temperature (170-175°C); if it is too cool, the coating absorbs oil and slides off before it can crisp. Third, do not move the pieces for the first 3-4 minutes — let the crust set undisturbed. Using a mix of flour and cornstarch (3:1 ratio) creates a crispier, more adhesive coating than flour alone.

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Comments (1)

Sergei Martynov✍ Author
29d ago
The pan needs to be properly hot before the chicken goes in for fried chicken. A lukewarm pan steams instead of sears. Wait until you see the faintest wisp of smoke — that's your signal.