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southern fried chicken recipe

(22 ratings)
grannyginger avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Virginia (Ginger) Dean
@grannyginger
Toomsboro, GA

Naturally, fried chicken is considered Southern cuisine. Folks young and old enjoy good fried chicken... especially home-cooked. My husband says I'm the champion fried chicken cooker. Don't know about that, but everyone who has ever tried mine loves it and wants to know how I get it so crispy. Hope my explanation of how I cook fried chicken helps you develop the skills of preparing a genuine Southern tradition. If you fry more than one batch of chicken, increase your flour and oil accordingly.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

This Southern fried chicken will make you look like you're kin to Colonel. We love the buttermilk soak combined with the self-rising flour... super crunchy. By double dipping the chicken, you get a thick crust. The crispy crust holds in the juicy chicken tenderloins. This is a simple technique on how to make fried chicken. You can add your favorite seasonings to the flour or put a few dashes of hot sauce in the egg mixture to customize the flavors. These are so good and cost way less than take-out.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(22 ratings)
yield 4 to 6
prep time 30 Min
cook time 20 Min
method Deep Fry

Ingredients For southern fried chicken recipe

  • 8
    chicken breast tenderloins, boneless, skinless
  • 2 c
    buttermilk, or enough to cover chicken pieces
  • 3 - 4 c
    unbleached plain or White Lily unbleached self-rising flour
  • 1 Tbsp
    (rounded) baking powder (if using plain flour)
  • 3-4 c
    cooking oil (approximately)
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt per cup flour used (if using plain flour only)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 c
    regular milk
  • 2 lg
    eggs

How To Make southern fried chicken recipe

  • Soaking chicken in buttermilk.
    1
    I soak my chicken in buttermilk for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Overnight is okay.
  • Combining eggs and milk.
    2
    Stir eggs into milk using a fork or wire whisk.
  • Preparing 2 bowls with flour and 1 bowl with egg mixture.
    3
    Prepare 3 bowls or pans with flour in two of them and milk-egg mixture in the third pan. Have extra flour ready to add to bowls or pans as flour gets clumped up. You'll be double-dipping your chicken. Since it gets kind of messy I put waxed paper under my pans.
  • Dipping chicken in egg mixture.
    4
    As you remove chicken pieces from the buttermilk do the following. First, dip them in the egg mixture.
  • Dipping chicken in flour.
    5
    Then the first flour to batter.
  • Dipping chicken in egg mixture again.
    6
    Dip again into the egg/milk mixture.
  • Dip again in the flour.
    7
    Batter them again in the last flour dish.
  • Frying chicken.
    8
    Fry chicken in 2 to 3 inches of hot oil. Maintain a medium-high temperature. You can't fry chicken too hot, or it will burn... but if your temperature is too low your chicken will be soggy. Also, to have crispy fried chicken, never cover your pan with a lid. Turn chicken pieces carefully while frying. I turn my chicken several times while it is cooking using tongs. I usually fry 7 or 8 pieces at a time and it takes about 20 minutes per batch. (When company is coming I'll do at least 16 pieces of chicken in two batches.)
  • Fried chicken draining on paper towels.
    9
    Drain chicken on napkins or paper towels.
  • 10
    NOTES: - Fry chicken to a pretty sort of golden brown color. - Always be very careful and safe when working with hot oil. - If you are frying more than one pan full of chicken, make sure you remove the crumbs from your grease with a slotted spoon or strainer between batches. If necessary, add more oil to your second batch.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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