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Perfect Fried Chicken

By: Jennifer Anderson

Here are a few tips for getting juicy fried chicken with a crispy crust every time.

Fried Chicken Recipes

Classic Fried Chicken Side Dishes

Fried chicken is the all-American meal. And there are about as many "secret recipes" for fried chicken as there are dedicated home cooks who make it. If you're a first-time fryer, or you're just looking to refine your technique, we've got some pointers to help get you started.

Before You Fry

Frying chicken can be as simple or complicated an undertaking as you like.

Some cooks swear by soaking the chicken overnight in buttermilk--which flavors, moisturizes, and tenderizes the meat--before coating it in seasoned flour, while others insist that a coating of breadcrumbs or beer batter is the only way to fry. The best way to discover your favorite method is to experiment with different seasonings and techniques until you hit on the perfect preparation.

If you want to brine your chicken before coating and frying, see our Brining article for tips. Chicken pieces should be brined for only about an hour or so, not overnight.

Batter Up

Set up a "dredging station" to minimize mess and make clean-up easy. Work from right to left (or whatever is comfortable for you), with seasoned flour, egg batter, and bread crumbs/panko/coating mixture in shallow bowls or baking dishes. Have one "wet hand" and one "dry hand:" dip chicken piece in flour, coat with egg mixture, and use your "wet" hand to transfer chicken to the coating bowl.

Once all the pieces are coated, let them rest and give the coating a chance to adhere. (Do this step in the refrigerator if you won't be frying the chicken within half an hour.)

Pan-Fried Chicken

There is a world of difference between fried chicken that is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, and that which is soggy and soaked through with grease.

The most important factors contributing to perfect fried chicken are the temperature of the oil and the actual step of frying. Vegetable shortening, lard, and peanut oil are all popular frying mediums, as they have a high smoke point.

To get truly golden-brown and crispy chicken, you'll need a cast iron skillet. Cast iron simply cannot be beat for even heat distribution and temperature maintenance.
The fat should be about one inch deep; it should come halfway up the food.
Get the fat good and hot before adding the chicken: at least 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Carefully lower chicken pieces into the oil skin-side down. Start with the edge of the piece close to you, and lay it in the oil, working away from yourself to avoid spatters. Use tongs for extra protection.
Fry in batches: overcrowding the pan will lower the temperature of the oil dramatically, causing more oil to be absorbed and resulting in soggy, greasy chicken.
When the chicken pieces are deep golden brown, remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to catch any drips. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the chicken to make sure it is fully cooked before proceeding with the next batch. The USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service recommends cooking chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.

"Smoke point" explained

Deep-Fat Fryers

It takes a lot of oil to deep-fry, and it's best to start with fresh oil every time. If you fry frequently, however, you may wish to strain your cooled cooking oil through a coffee filter. Impurities in the oil will lower the smoke point, it's more prone to rancidity, and old oil can impart off flavors to your food. We don't recommend using the same oil more than once.

Follow the steps outlined above for pan frying. For complete how-to instructions, see our Deep Frying article.

Deep Frying, Step by Step

Comments

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Beverly Jane

Jul. 9, 2009 9:54 pm

I am still trying to get my flour mixture/spiced exactly right. I do like to brine it first, rinse, then dip in buttermilk, then in my flour mixture. I do use cast iron but find that the chicken gets way too brown before it is evenly cooked though. Any hints as to what I am doing wrong? Appreciate any comments. Bev

Craig

Jul. 16, 2009 2:12 pm

Beverly, Try lowering the temperature of your oil a bit. It will take a bit longer to cook but the heat will get to penatrate the meat. When I encounter this problem, I typically lower the temp about 25 degrees. Another thing you can try is to use a smaller chicken. The larger the piece of meat, the longer it will take to cook. Good Luck! I'd love to hear if these suggestions helped you!

Bev

Aug. 6, 2009 9:37 am

Thanks for the tip from Graig. I too use buttermilk when frying my chicken. I found that when you use an electric skillet, the chicken is not as "pretty" as if you use the cast iron skillet.

jacquie

Aug. 10, 2009 1:40 pm

I learned to cook chicken from my father. Everyone loves his chicken!It is soaked in salt water over night. We only use flour to coat. Chicken is put in a hot skillet with hot oil, usually on medium-low heat and peppered. The key to crunchy and fully cooked chicken is to cover the chicken with a lid on both sides, about 15-20 minutes per side. Take the lid off at the end of cooking time and cook until brown. Hope this helps!

jessicaone

Sep. 15, 2009 2:47 pm

i always had problems with not getting chicken cooked threw and burning on the outside. my secret is when chicken just starts to brown add 2 TBS of water in pan cover with lid cook about 50 minutes turning occasionally.(water will steam chicken threw) it will continue to brown. take lid off last 10 or 15 minutes to turn crispy. perfect every time!

MsThang

Sep. 16, 2009 5:45 am

I love to fry chicken!! I think each culture is diffrent when it comes to this receipe. I like my chicken to have flavor so I use Adobo and Sazon' which is an spanish seasoning. Adobo gives it the flavor and Sazon' give the chicken that golden brown color. I sprinkle with black pepper and mix together the chicken and spices and then flour the chicken in a bag and coat each piece separately shake off excess flour and then deep fry chicken. I always poke hole in chicken while frying so the oil can cook the inside until it's well done. I know the chicken is done when it floats in the oil.

kay

Sep. 18, 2009 10:48 am

I am from fried chicken country, Sussex County in Delaware. I first dry my chicken off and put all dry seasons on it. (Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paperica, fried chicken seasoning, red seasoning salt), then I mix the same ingredients in the flour mixture. Sometimes I don't even dip the chicken in my wet batter. It still turns out perfect everytime and the secret is the iron frying pan. i don't always

cristhian

Sep. 25, 2009 11:15 am

I use the same method as MsThang. In addition to the Adobo and Sazon, I add parsley flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder, let the chicken sit for 1 to 2 hours and then I prepare my flour mixture with the same ingredients, throw all the pieces in a plastic bag...no buttermilk needed. I use this same method for my fish, shrimp or pork, this is a must have recipe in my family at least 2 times a week.

linda

Sep. 25, 2009 11:27 am

Bev. Well it looks like I am to late. I see that others have suggested that you turn down you flame, and that is just what I wanted to say. Cast iron is the best and the flame to high is an easy fix. Now how about a peice of that great chicken!

Maribel Paredes-Nengasca

Oct. 2, 2009 11:30 pm

Hi Bev, How do you brine a chicken? Can't seem to find the exact proportions at the website. Thanks!

NJtoAL

Oct. 9, 2009 4:57 am

Maribel, I copied and pasted the brining instructions below. It was in the roasting chicken instructions: One secret to really flavorful, juicy roast chicken is brining: soaking in salt water. (Kosher chickens are already brined; this is one of the reasons why kosher birds tend to taste better than conventional chickens.) To brine a non-kosher chicken, Dissolve ½ cup kosher salt (or ¼ cup table salt) in two quarts of water. Immerse the chicken in the solution and place immediately in the refrigerator. You should let it soak for at least 1 hour, but no longer than five or six hours. Pour off the brine and rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels. For extra-crispy skin--and if you have the time--return the bird to the refrigerator and let it air-dry for another hour, or overnight, before roasting.

Duane

Oct. 10, 2009 6:14 pm

Id like some comments on my fried chicken recipe. originally it was my grandmas but ive "tweaked" it a bit. Consists of a buttermilk and egg wash, followed by a flour mixture of self rising flour, salt and pepper to taste, tbsp of onion powder and garlic powder, tbsp of seasoned salt, tsp of thyme and one tsp of rosemary and 2 tbsps of paprika. Fry only in vegetable oil. And be sure to remove skin before frying. I like this version quite a bit. But Ive only used it on legs. They are my kids favorite.

Kristy B

Oct. 12, 2009 10:42 am

I raise my own chickens and they get very large. I have found that boiling the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes the day before helps to make sure the pieces are fully cooked without burning the outside. Then when I fry I can cook it slow and let all the flavor soak in or cook it fast if I'm in a hurry.

sharon

Oct. 22, 2009 10:53 am

ok, i have tried this chicken recipe and failed miserably!!! i do everything that the recipe asks, but my chicken turns out way too hard, not crispy. and it doesn't seem to cook all the way because the coating is sooo darn hard. now what am i doing wrong, and how do i get it nice and crispy like kfc

Bandicoot

Oct. 28, 2009 10:38 am

The problem peopl ehave with the chicken getitng too brown is that the recommended deep fry temp of 35-375 is way too high for pan frying in a cast iron skillet. Cast iron retains a LOT of heat, so when you add the cold chicken the temperature of the oil doesn't drop as much as it would in a steel or aluminum pan. Start out with your oil no hotter than 325F and you shouldn't have a problem with over-browning.

Yendi

Nov. 4, 2009 6:55 pm

I soak mine in buttermilk over night and up to two nights ahead of time. Rinse and pat dry before coating. I solved the burning issue by taking the chicken out when it reached perfect color(start cooking the larger pieces first) and putting it in a 325`f oven until all the pieces are cooked. This maintains the temperature and assures a more even cooking. All pieces end up hot together.

kevin

Nov. 7, 2009 2:54 pm

My ex-wife's aunt soaks her chicken in ice water one hour before frying. The chicken absorbs the water so it can't absorb grease. I think she floured her chicken with all the spices you read above. Her's was tender, moist, not greasy, and crispy on the outside. Iron skillet was the type pan she used.

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