Country Fried Chicken

About This Recipe

Country fried chicken is the Sunday-dinner standard of the rural South: bone-in pieces soaked in seasoned buttermilk, dredged in flour, and shallow-fried in a heavy skillet until the crust is deep golden and the meat steams when you break it open. Unlike fast-food pressure-fried chicken, the skillet method gives an irregular, craggy crust and a slower, gentler cook. This version works because the overnight buttermilk soak tenderizes and seasons to the bone, a touch of buttermilk flicked into the dredge creates crisp shaggy bits, and the chicken is fried covered for the first half, an old farmhouse trick that keeps the meat juicy while the crust sets.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3.5 lbsbone-in chicken pieces(thighs, drumsticks, breasts, and wings)
• 2 cupsbuttermilk
• 1 tspkosher salt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspgarlic powder
• 1 tbsphot sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 0.5 tspcayenne pepper
• 1.5 cupspeanut oil(or lard, for shallow-frying)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare

   Soak chicken pieces overnight in buttermilk seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a few shakes of hot sauce; the acid tenderizes while the salt brines the meat to the bone.

2. 2

   Cook

   Whisk flour with paprika, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne, then flick a few teaspoons of the buttermilk into it and toss. Dredge each piece firmly, pressing flour into every crevice, and rest 10 minutes on a rack.

   The rest lets the coating hydrate and bond, so it will not slough off in the oil.

3. 3

   Combine

   Heat three-quarters of an inch of oil to 340F in a cast-iron skillet. Add chicken skin-side down, cover, and fry 8 minutes; uncover, flip, and fry 8 to 10 minutes more until both sides are deep golden.

   Covering the skillet at the start traps steam that helps the meat cook through before the crust over-darkens.

4. 4

   Serve

   Check that thighs and breasts read 165F at the bone, then drain on a wire rack, never paper towels, and salt lightly while hot. Rest 5 minutes so the juices settle before serving.

Variations

• •

  Make it spicy by adding two tablespoons of cayenne to the dredge and a brush of hot honey at the end.

• •

  Use the same method on boneless thighs for sandwiches, cutting fry time to 5 minutes per side.

• •

  Try a half-and-half dredge of flour and fine cornmeal for an extra-crunchy country crust.

• •

  Serve smothered: return fried chicken to the skillet with onion gravy and simmer 15 minutes.

Storage

Refrigerate fried chicken loosely covered for up to 4 days; re-crisp in a 400F oven for 12 to 15 minutes rather than microwaving. It also freezes for 2 months and is genuinely good cold from the fridge, a Southern picnic tradition.

Frequently Asked Questions