Southern Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken is the ultimate comfort food! There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into the crispy, flavorful skin and then into the wonderful moist, juicy meat inside. We’ve all been stuck in quarantine for weeks now and I was beginning to feel a little down. I knew some fried chicken and biscuits would do just the trick..and it sure did! My goal was to create a fried chicken recipe that doesn’t just taste like salty fried flour, I wanted some real flavor penetration. There are quite a bit of spices in the marinade but trust me, it is so worth it! Soaking the chicken in the marinade overnight is also super beneficial as the acid in the buttermilk really makes for a tender and juicy chicken. Use bone in chicken pieces or boneless skinless chicken thighs, your choice, however skin on chicken does tend to get even crispier. Enjoy and stay safe out there!

Serves about 4-6 people

Ingredients-

Roughly 3 1/2 Lbs of Chicken- Your Choice of Bone in Chicken Pieces (thighs, drumsticks, breasts etc) or Boneless Chicken Thighs (about 2-2.5 lbs) (as shown here) Using chicken with the skin on makes for a crispier chicken.

Buttermilk Marinade-

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder

• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ teaspoon dried sage

• ½ teaspoon onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 2 cups of Buttermilk (low fat or whole is fine- i typically use the low fat)

• 2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce (Franks Red Hot preferred)

Dredge Ingredients-

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 Teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Canola or peanut oil for frying

Steps-

1. In a medium size bowl whisk together all the “Buttermilk Marinade” ingredients. Add the chicken pieces and fully coat it in the mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge overnight as it only gets more flavorful and tender with time. If you don’t have 24 hours marinade at least 6-8 hours.

2. When you are ready to cook mix together all the dredge ingredients in a medium bowl with a sheet pan next to it lined with parchment paper. Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk marinade with tongs and coat each piece with the flour dredge mixture generously, using the marinade as the glue. Place the coated pieces on the sheet pan and allow to sit on the counter for 30 minutes (the flour should become paste like on the outside of the chicken). While you’re waiting heat your oil.

3. Heat a large dutch oven half full with canola oil. Heat it to 365F and fry the chicken in batches. You dont want to crowd the pot as it will cause the oil temperature to drop and the chicken may not get crispy. Cook the chicken pieces for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through (165F internal temperature with a meat thermometer). Transfer the chicken pieces to a wire rack with a pan underneath to allow any excess oil to drip off. Sprinkle the chicken with more salt when it comes out of the fryer.

4. My favorite way to serve it is with a drizzle of honey on top and a side of warm biscuits, crispy coleslaw salad and maybe even some mac and cheese! Enjoy!!