Southern Fried Chicken
Buttermilk-soaked chicken coated in seasoned flour and fried until the crust shatters and the meat inside is impossibly juicy — the recipe people drive across town for
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🛒 Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut up (8 pieces) chicken pieces
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- enough for frying vegetable oil
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1Soak chicken pieces in buttermilk seasoned with 1 tsp salt and hot sauce for at least 2 hours (overnight is better)
- 2Mix flour with paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper in a shallow dish
- 3Lift each piece from buttermilk letting excess drip off; dredge in seasoned flour, pressing to adhere
- 4Heat 3/4 inch of oil in a cast-iron skillet to 325°F
- 5Fry chicken in batches without crowding: dark pieces 15–18 minutes, white pieces 12–14 minutes, turning halfway
- 6Chicken is done when deep golden brown and internal temperature is 165°F
- 7Drain on a wire rack (not paper towels) to keep the crust crispy
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