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Crispy & Juicy Fried Chicken: It’s All About the Details

October 10, 2014 by Wifeeclectic 13 Comments

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Colonel Sanders may get all the attention for his fried chicken, but here’s the thing: I’ve never really liked KFC. In fact, for most of my life I haven’t liked fried chicken at all, even though by all accounts I should. I love fried food, chicken is yummy, so logically combining the two should work out, right?
Fried Chicken, Homemade Fried Chicken

Juicy and Crispy Fried Chicken

But I’ve come to realize not all fried chicken is created equally. After a considerable amount of experimenting I’ve finally landed on a fried chicken recipe that is a home run. It’s fried chicken I love to eat, is a hit any time I entertain people, and even my wife (who normally gets queasy around chicken) loves it.

The secret to this amazing fried chicken? The preparation.

Just like you can’t rush fine art, you can’t rush fine fried chicken. From start to finish, it can take about an hour, but it’s worth it. Don’t skimp on any step or try to rush the process.

INGREDIENTS
4-8 chicken cutlets (fries faster and more evenly than full chicken breasts)
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vinegar + 1½ cups milk (buttermilk substitute)
1 Tbsp. Louisiana hot sauce
1½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
vegetable oil for frying

Fried Chicken, How to fry chicken

PREPARATION

  1. Prepare a wash for the chicken by placing the buttermilk substitute (vinegar and milk) and hot sauce in a glass baking dish. Stir together well with wire whisk. Place chicken in the wash so it is mostly or fully submerged and cover the dish with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  2. Prepare a dredge by combining the flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Combine evenly in a large, flat glass baking dish.
  3. After the chicken has sat in the wash for the half hour, you’re ready to prepare the chicken. Take each cutlet from the wash and cover on both sides with dredge mixture. Repeat for all pieces.
  4. Place each flour-covered cutlet back in the wash. Then put each cutlet through the dredge again.
  5. Place the twice-coated chicken on a wire cooling rack (with a plate underneath to catch any drippings) to rest for 10 minutes. This is an incredibly important step. If you fry immediately, the coating doesn’t have time to set and will flake off.
  6. Fill a frying pan or skillet about 1- to 1½-inches full with vegetable oil. Pan frying does a much better job than using a deep fryer. Heat at just over medium heat. Take the time to wait for the oil to properly heat before frying the chicken. The temperature of the oil plays a major role in the quality of the fried chicken. If it’s not hot enough, the chicken won’t properly crisp. Too hot and the chicken gets super crispy on the outside and stays raw on the inside.
  7. Place the cutlets in the pan. Be careful not to overcrowd. I typically do four pieces at a time. Fry until the submerged side starts to turn a golden brown. Using tongs, flip each cutlet over and continue to fry until the other side is also golden brown.
  8. Remove from the oil and place on a paper-towel-covered plate. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes for the crisping process to finish.
Yes, it’s a time-consuming process, but it’s well worth the wait. The chicken is amazingly crispy, juicy and full flavored thanks to the hot sauce and spices in the dredge. While it’s not overly spicy, it definitely has a slight kick to keep things interesting.
 
Once I mastered frying chicken, we went from frying chicken once a year to, well, I probably shouldn’t admit how frequently we fry chicken, but it’s delicious!
Print Recipe

Crispy and Juicy Fried Chicken

This Fried Chicken is amazingly crispy, juicy and full flavored thanks to the hot sauce and spices in the dredge. While it's not overly spicy, it definitely has a slight kick to keep things interesting.
Course: Main Course
Keyword: Chicken, Dinner, Food, Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4-8 chicken cutlets fries faster and more evenly than full chicken breasts
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vinegar + 1½ cups milk buttermilk substitute
  • 1 Tbsp. Louisiana hot sauce
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  • Prepare a wash for the chicken by placing the buttermilk substitute (vinegar and milk) and hot sauce in a glass baking dish. Stir together well with wire whisk. Place chicken in the wash so it is mostly or fully submerged and cover the dish with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • Prepare a dredge by combining the flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Combine evenly in a large, flat glass baking dish.
  • After the chicken has sat in the wash for the half hour, you're ready to prepare the chicken. Take each cutlet from the wash and cover on both sides with dredge mixture. Repeat for all pieces.
  • Place each flour-covered cutlet back in the wash. Then put each cutlet through the dredge again.
  • Place the twice-coated chicken on a wire cooling rack (with a plate underneath to catch any drippings) to rest for 10 minutes. This is an incredibly important step. If you fry immediately, the coating doesn't have time to set and will flake off.
  • Fill a frying pan or skillet about 1- to 1½-inches full with vegetable oil. Pan frying does a much better job than using a deep fryer. Heat at just over medium heat. Take the time to wait for the oil to properly heat before frying the chicken. The temperature of the oil plays a major role in the quality of the fried chicken. If it's not hot enough, the chicken won't properly crisp. Too hot and the chicken gets super crispy on the outside and stays raw on the inside.
  • Place the cutlets in the pan. Be careful not to overcrowd. I typically do four pieces at a time. Fry until the submerged side starts to turn a golden brown. Using tongs, flip each cutlet over and continue to fry until the other side is also golden brown.
  • Remove from the oil and place on a paper-towel-covered plate. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes for the crisping process to finish.

Filed Under: Dinners, Recipes Tagged With: Tasty Tuesdays

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Masshole Mommy says

    October 10, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    I love fried chicken!! Now I am craving some.

    Reply
  2. Melissa Pezza says

    October 10, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    Thanks for sharing this great recipe. There's nothing better than fried chicken. Yum!

    Reply
  3. P Bishop says

    October 10, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    Looks so good. You can photograph as well as you can cook. Thanks for a new recipe.

    Reply
  4. P Bishop says

    October 10, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    Looks so good. You can photograph as well as you can cook. Thanks for a new recipe.

    Reply
  5. bxcrochet says

    October 10, 2014 at 10:32 pm

    That looks so good. Nothing worse than dry chicken.

    Michelle F.

    Reply
  6. Debi Wayland says

    October 10, 2014 at 10:43 pm

    I bet this is delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
  7. Alison Freisz-Steward says

    October 11, 2014 at 1:20 am

    This looks delicious! Fried Chicken is one of my faves!

    Reply
  8. Mistee Dawn says

    October 11, 2014 at 2:48 am

    I've never really liked fried chicken or KFC all that much. But this looks amazing!

    Reply
  9. Janet Krugel says

    October 11, 2014 at 2:50 am

    My husband has been craving fried chicken. Maybe I'll try to make him some tomorrow!

    Reply
  10. Danielle says

    October 11, 2014 at 3:37 am

    It is so difficult to find good fried chicken out in the world. This looks super fantastic. I just need to find someone to cook it for me 🙂

    Reply
  11. Maddi'sMommy says

    October 11, 2014 at 5:48 am

    Yum! I'm still working on perfecting my fried chicken recipe.

    Reply
  12. Katrina Gehman says

    October 11, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    that looks amazing. who doesn't like fried chicken? i'm saving this so my husband can make it.

    Reply
  13. Kristin and Megan says

    October 11, 2014 at 8:48 pm

    I want to try out your buttermilk substitute!

    Reply

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Welcome to Housewife Eclectic

Debra Hawkins - Housewife EclecticHi, I'm Debra. I am a craftaholic photographer married to a web-programming amateur chef with two sassy littles keeping it interesting. It gets crazy around here. Read More…

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