Super Crispy Fried Chicken made with buttermilk, chicken, hot sauce, and seasoned flour is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!
Everyone loves homemade Comfort Food, and sometimes a fried dish just hits the spot like these Fried Cheese Curds, Crispy Fried Calamari, and Beer Battered Fish.
Super Crispy Fried Chicken is a popular all-time favorite go-to chicken recipe, made with juicy pieces of chicken coated in buttermilk and all purpose flour, then fried to perfect golden brown. This crispy chicken will make any backyard barbecue a blast. It is a perfect for any time of the year and is always a hit with the family and friends. Add some yummy dipping sauces and you’ll have a real party going!
You can make this chicken more or less spicy using cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes in the flour. You can just use the buttermilk and flour with some salt and pepper for a mild flavor. Either way, this is restaurant quality, and you’ll want to make fried chicken at home from now on! Dark meats and white meats will cook very nicely in this recipe.
Mix the seasoned flour mixture ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for anytime you want to make this recipe! With this being an amazing meal, you’ll want some good sides to serve with it. You can serve Ultimate Cornbread, Belgian Waffles, or Perfectly Easy Dinner Rolls if you’re looking for flavorful and delicious sides.
How to Make Crispy Fried Chicken
Making this Crispy Fried Chicken is so easy. Yes, it does take a bit of time to let the ingredients set, but you’ll be making other delicious dishes that it won’t even be noticeable.
- Step One: Marinade the juicy chicken pieces in the seasoned buttermilk for at least four hours. This helps to set the flavors really well.
- Step Two: After making the batter, coat the chicken and let it sit for about a half hour to let the batter soak up the buttermilk. This is important to get the best crispy texture.
- Step Three: Deep fry the chicken in your pot, we’re using our trusty and durable Dutch oven for this, but you can use another deep dish for frying, or even a dedicated deep fryer if you have one. It’s recommended to use a thermometer to ensure your oil temperature reaches 365º which will take a lot of the guess work out of the process!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Canola oil works well for frying chicken, because it has a higher smoke point, meaning it can take more heat before it starts burning. You can also use peanut oil, coconut oil, or lard to make this fried chicken recipe.
Try using a real cast iron skillet or dutch oven for any frying recipe. The heat conducts better, keeping a steadier oil temperature. Add a tablespoon of corn starch to the flour to make the chicken extra crispy!
Don’t forget to place your chicken on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with paper towels to catch the oil. This lets the chicken cool crispy while the oil drips off.
Buttermilk is slightly acidic which makes it a great tenderizer for the chicken. To make your own buttermilk, add a tablespoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to each 1 cup of regular milk (whole or 2%, not skim).
You should marinade your chicken in this recipe for a minimum of four hours. For even better results marinade covered in the refrigerator overnight!
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Key Ingredients in Crispy Fried Chicken
These simple ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store and are all budget friendly!
- Chicken: You can buy a whole chicken and take apart the pieces, or you can just make drumsticks and thighs, depending on your preference. Make sure they are fully thawed before coating. This recipe is delicious with the skin on, but you can make it with boneless skinless chicken, too.
- Flour: Any wheat-based flour will work with this recipe.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is soaked into the chicken giving it an important base flavor you’ll love and it tenderizes the meat to a juicy perfection.
Alternatives for Super Crispy Fried Chicken
- Air-Fryer Chicken: For Crispy air-fried chicken, you’re going to air fry at 360ºF for 15-20 minutes. Once it’s done, open the basket, spray the chicken cooking spray, then flip each piece. Continue air frying for an additional 7 minutes. Use a thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Oven Fried Chicken: You can make this fried chicken recipe in the oven if you want to cut down on the oil and calories. Just coat the chicken as usual, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving room between each piece.
- Coat with cooking spray on each side, then bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, turn over and bake another 25 minutes or until crispy. If you want extra crispy, turn the broiler on for a minute, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn.
- Spicy Fried Chicken: Add three or four tablespoons of your spiciest hot sauce to the marinade, and serve with a side of hot sauce.
- Extra Seasoning: You can add a teaspoon garlic powder and a tablespoon of onion powder to the batter mix for some extra flavor.
How to Serve Super Crispy Fried Chicken
First things first, you need to menu plan. These homemade side dishes are a great place to start!
- Southern Classic: Serve your Crispy Fried Chicken with our Best EVER Baked Beansand easy Baked Mac and Cheese for the yummiest comfort-food meal you’ve ever had!
- Summertime BBQ: This crispy chicken will go great with Easy Cole Slaw (Coleslaw), a simple side of delicious Potato Salad, and of course the incredible Easy Macaroni Salad. Summer barbecues have never tasted so good!
- All American: For a classic all-American style meal, serve your Crispy Fried Chicken with a basket of Crispy Sweet Potato Fries or Zucchini Fries and finish it off with a homemade Chocolate Frosty. Yum yum!
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How to Store Super Crispy Fried Chicken
- Serve: Do not leave cooked chicken at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Fried Chicken will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container, but it may not be as crispy when reheated.
- Freeze: You can also freeze Fried Chicken, then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.
Ingredients
- 4 pound chicken , (cut into 8 pieces with the backbone discarded)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce , optional
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- canola oil , for frying
Instructions
- Mix the chicken pieces, buttermilk, salt, pepper and hot sauce in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least four hours.
- Mix the paprika with the flour in a medium bowl with a baking sheet set up next to it.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, then add each chicken piece to the flour, coating well, then place onto the baking sheet and let sit for at least 30 minutes (the flour will become paste-like).
- Add a large dutch oven ½ full with canola oil heated to 365 degrees and fry in batches of 4 pieces (do not crowd the pan), cooking for 10-12 minutes (check for 165 degrees and that the chicken is cooked through).
Notes
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Just perfect for food enthusiasts!
Best Friend Chicken recipe I’ve tried!!! Juicy and crispy with plenty of flavor. My whole family lived it. Definitely will be adding this to our monthly meals! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Good recipe and easy to prep ahead of time. Suggestion to reuse the left over buttermilk mix and flour to make biscuits! Does the Dutch oven make that much difference that I should make the investment in one?
Its not an insane difference, but it is what I use in most of my dishes. Easy to clean, sturdy, I love it!
YES!!! Invest in one!!!
It’s GREAT for this recipe, but it’s also INVALUABLE for spaghetti sauce, chili, soups, stews, on & on & on!
The recipe is confusing or else I am having a confused day. First the first No. says do one thing then you go down and No. 3 says something entirely different so which is it please
You’ll soak the chicken first and then coat it before frying. Hope this helps clear things up.
Why suggest adding corn starch to make it super crispy (as the article title implies) and then not include this detail in the actual recipe?
It’s not necessary but gives it a bit more crunch, if that’s what you’re looking for. Enjoy!
Hello Sabrina, I tried this recipe but I noticed the blood from the chicken kept seeping out. Also I used a wok to fry the chicken, it was burning yet the chicken was uncooked. Kindly give tips on how to manage this disaster especially the blood seeping out while it’s frying & making the whole chicken black & messed up. Thank you.
My best tip is to use a thermometer for your oil because it sounds like it was too hot. You want the oil to be at 365 degrees. That’ll allow for the chicken to cook without burning the batter. Good luck!
I wonder if you could use “homemade buttermilk?
(Milk with vineagar added).
Can this recipe b use in Ninja FoodI Air Fryer we just purchased 1 n will b trying ur Crispy Fried Chicken Recipe I’ll post a pic n comment on when we do make this recipe ty 4 sharing
I’ve not tested it using one before. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
I’m gonna try this recipe, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit, the last time I made fried chicken, the outer flour always seemed to cook 1st. Leaving the inside undercooked….I’d have to finish it in the oven…not sure what happened? You think maybe the oil is too hot? I have a new idea for using butter flavored crisco? What do you think?
The oil MAY be too hot. Do you use a meat thermometer?
I’ve tried fried chicken in my ninja foodi and it came out perfectly ,wonderful, succulent and juicy. Go for it.
Hi Bigga! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so happy it came out delicious for you!
Tried this recipe out today with boneless skinless tenders. It turned out phenomenal! My picky three year old ate a piece (which never happens) and my husband thinks I should make it every day. I changed up the spices in the flour to suit our tastes but otherwise followed it exactly. Well worth the time spent working on it.
So glad you love it so much, Nicole. Thanks for coming back to let me know.
I’m getting ready to make this chicken recipe do you leave the skin on or off
Skin on. Best for fried chicken!
I sugest mash potatoes, french fries, mac and cheese, and rolls
Yum!
My wife and i Loved this! you had some great tips, i’ve never even thought of using our dutch oven for frying. Very crispy yummy chicken!
So glad you both enjoyed it, Brian.
Great crispy chicken. I used peanut oil and outside overcooked so had to finish cooking in oven. Next time I will lower oil temp.
Sabrina, congratulations for the recipe, I’ve being trying to get results like KFC for a while with no success in texture so far your recipe came the closest.
There’s one thing thought I can’t get quite right yet is the texture. The crunchy, chunky crust is nos as chunky and the results vary. I don’t know what makes it a chunky crisp coating. I thought of somes mods like corn starch or baking soda, adding chunky corn meal but those are not the answer. They come out the same! Is there any “secret” ingredient or something I’m not doing right?
Thank you!
Hi Ivam,
You may have already found a solution for the chunky crispy texture that works for you, but in the event you’re still looking, I have a suggestion. I have a recipe for chicken sandwiches that has that “shaggy” crispy coating. You add 1/4 cup buttermilk to 1-1/4 cup flour (you’ll have to figure the quantity adjustments to work with Sabrina’s recipe) and mix it with your hands till you have a lumpy, or shaggy flour. After removing from the buttermilk, place it in the flour, pressing into the flour to get those lumps on the chicken. That recipe says that if you see the coating becoming wet or gummy, to dip it in the flour again. Sabrina’s recipe does not call for re-dipping in the flour–just let the gummy spot be. Hope this helps if you’re still looking.
I have tried this, but mine turned out quite dark and the crisp on the outside of the chicken is quite hard, not soft and crispy at all. Please tell me how? Did you cook the chicken first then fried with high temperature?
It sounds like your oil is way too hot. I do not cook the chicken first. You want to make sure your temperature never goes over 365 and that you are using a high heat oil like canola. Hope this helps.
Can I fry both sides first then place in the oven?
Hey there, what kind of buttermilk, powder or the liquid?
You’ll want the liquid buttermilk though you can use buttermilk powder to make the buttermilk needed. I like to keep it on hand since it has a longer shelf life. Enjoy!
For my chicken to be extra crispy, I used this recipe but I crushed up 2 cups of plain cornflakes in my cornstarch and flour and it came out looking like Church’s chicken. It was great and this recipe is awesome. I just tweek my seasonings a bit and I serve with steak fries, fried okra, cole slaw and yeast rolls. If I cook it for a Sunday dinner, I’ll serve with collard greens, baked Mac and cheese and candied yams with jiffy cornbread muffins.
Thank you, Mary! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Love Love this. I’m 50 years old and never been able to fry chicken like this. Thank you so much!!!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for the 5 stars.
My husband loves fried chicken, I made this recipe today, he loved it and said it was the best fried chicken I have ever made.
Yay!! I’m so glad this recipe won him over!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know.
This looks yummy! My problem is…I have to be gluten free. I’ve used a good flour blend that is my go to blend. My chicken has never looked like your pictures!! I’ve done the seasoned buttermilk then the flour blend dredge with corn starch in it. I’ve let then coated chicken on a rack to “set” the crust, it didn’t work. I’ve tried for the entire 11 years I’ve had Celiac Disease and just can’t get yummy fried chicken!! Do you have any ideas on what I’m doing wrong?
I’m not very skilled when it comes to GF. Check out Dishing Delish. Her recipes are all GF and she might be of help. Good luck!
Have you tried using potato flour?
I have not! Has your experience with it been good? I could recipe test it.
Hello Sabrina,
Your receipes are really great, i am trying to make chicken fried like KFC style and i am not able to get it like how you show in the receipe.
Hi! Do you use Tabasco type sauce for the hot sauce or more like a chicken wing sauce? Thanks!!
I used a Tabasco type sauce. It’s completely optional.
You are a very nice company. Send me list of ingredients of seasoning and which store you want me to buy the seasoning from?
I use hot wing sauce
Hi Sabrina,
This is my 3rd attemp at making fried chicken, I don’t know what I am doing wrong my chicken doesn’t look like yours or anyone else’s. Mine it taste good but it’s far from being KFC or looking like it what’s the secret… I want to make sme good fried chicken! Help!
Sincerely, Julie
Oh no! You’re question got caught in my spam filter. I’m so sorry. Did you change any of the ingredients or amounts in the recipe card? I’d love to try and help you trouble shoot.
Left out the cornstarch,oregano,garlic powder,dab of cayenne pepper,crushed red pepper flakes, seasoned salt, and a dab of chili powder in the ingredients dept. Deep fry at 375*F until pieces float.
Did you try the original recipe first?
I am confused also with the ingredients that are left out ?
He is trying to say, she should have included those ingredients in the recipe.
Can I use soyabean oil instead? I don’t have canola atm
Yes 🙂 Enjoy!
My wife made this fried chicken recipe last night and it was amazing. Thank you for sharing it. Leaving the chicken set out for 30 minutes made all the difference in the crispiness of the chicken. Great flavor.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for leaving a review!
This fried chicken recipe was so crispy and the seasoning was just right! I used Crystal Hot Sauce – SO GOOD! Everyone was licking their fingers. JUST AMAZING. Served it with your corn pudding. Huge hit! THANK YOU!
You’re welcome, Sarah!
I bought a large bottle of Crystal as I am anticipating making this recipe! My dad made delicious fried chicken using this hot sauce as a marinade.
Could I make this in my Airfryer ?
I haven’t tested it but if you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
Sabrina wanted to tell you tonight we made not this but your amazing recipe for Pioneer Chicken and my family who was raised in So. Cal waa delighted it was so good and so crispy THANK YOU IT WAS indeed shatteringly good!
Aww, thank you so much for coming back to let me know! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
This recipe was delicious. I chose to bake mines instead of frying. I will definately keep this one in heavy rotation.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Whoa my chicken was delicious and my husband and kids where continue asking for more pieces of chicken .Thank you I am planning to do it again on my birthday which is comming for everyone to enjoy.
Fantastic! So glad everyone enjoy it!
Can this also be made in a Air Fryer? I got a Air fryer for Christmas and looking for great recipes to use it……….Thanks!!!
I haven’t tested it using one but that’s a great idea. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
Have you ever tried baking some version of this recipe? I stay away from deep fried foods for family dietary concerns.
Sorry but it really wouldn’t work with this recipe.
There are directions for baking in the recipe?!
Oh my goodness, sorry about that. I clearly needed more coffee before responding to that. Yes, follow the post for the oven directions. Thank you Tina.
Hi Sabrina, what are the little green specks on top of the chicken? Thanks
I just added a few specks of parsley for the pictures. Totally not necessary. I hope you enjoy it!