Fried chicken is a popular dish made with chicken pieces that are coated in flour and spices and then deep-fried until they are crispy and golden brown. I like to eat it cold. It is a beloved comfort food in many parts of the world. I have seen it seasoned in various creative recipes. This recipe is a basic fried chicken with a twist! It has an exceptional crispy crust. Like most good recipes, it happened by accident. I ran out of bread crumbs while making this recipe. There was no time to go to the market. All I had were saltine crackers! So, I whipped out my food processor and made bread crumbs out of them. It was the best fried chicken ever!
Recommended Kitchen Tools
Tips To Make The Best Fried Chicken
- Use a stick thermometer to ensure your oil is at the right temperature. To start, heat the oil to 375 degrees. The oil temperature will fall as you add the chicken, which should help you keep the temperature at 350 degrees.
- Don’t overcrowd your chicken. This ensures even browning and crispness.
- Never let the oil temperature get lower than 325 degrees. Chicken will be greasy if the temperature is too low.
- To get a thicker crust, repeat the dip and breading step.
- Chicken should be taken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. This ensures even cooking.
Ingredients ( Amazon)
Diamond Kosher Salt. The least saltiest of all salts. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt, cut recipe amount in half
Buttermilk or Milk ( substitute with non dairy)
Ghee or clarified butter( optional)
Southern Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb chicken cut up
Bread Crumb Mix
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup ground saltine crackers
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 ½ teas paprika
- ½ teas garlic powder
- 1 teas onion powder
Wet Ingredients
- 2 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk (substitute non dairy or milk)
Oil For Frying
- Neutral oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch pan
- 4 Tbsp Ghee / clarified butter (optional)
Instructions
- Put the dry ingredients into a wide, shallow bowl. Whisk together. This is your bread crumb mix.
- In a separate shallow bowl, add wet ingredients and whisk. This is your dipping mix.
- Wash and pat fry chicken. Take one chicken piece at a time and put it in the dipping mix. Then, put it in the breadcrumb mix. Roll it around until completely covered, then set it on a baking sheet with a rack.
- Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the fry pan about 1/2 inch deep. Add ghee and heat to 375 degrees (use a stick thermometer).
- Gently, so the oil does not splash, add the breaded chicken to the fry pan. Do not crowd the chicken.
- Immediately check the oil temperature. It should be around 350 degrees. If not, adjust the heat so the oil temperature is at 350 degrees. Do not let the temperature fall below 325.
- Cook until golden brown, then turn chicken pieces over to brown on the other side.
- Chicken is done when it is golden brown and has an interior temperature of 165 degrees.
- Place cooked chicken on clean baking rack until ready to serve
Notes
- Make sure your oil is at the right temperature. Oil temperature should not go under 325 degrees.
- If you like a thicker crust, dip in egg mix and breading mix twice.
- Be sure to heat oil to 375 degrees. The oil temperature falls as you put in the chicken. Try to maintain a temperature of 350 degrees. Chicken will get greasy if the temperature is too low.
- Use an electric fry pan if you have one. They are great at keeping a consistent temperature.
