How to Make the Best-Ever Fried Chicken

The best fried chicken recipe is super crunchy on the outside but oh-so juicy and tender on the inside. Surprisingly enough, we make it without buttermilk!
Best-Ever Fried Chicken Recipe photo by Taste of Home

I’ve heard a lot of rumors about what goes into the best fried chicken recipe. An overnight marinade in buttermilk to tenderize the meat, poaching the chicken to keep it juicy, adding secret seasonings in the flour mix, putting pickle juice in the brine, adding baking powder or baking soda to the coating, double dredging, double frying, finishing it in the oven or using cornstarch instead of flour. The list is vast, and while most of these fried chicken tips are helpful, none is strictly required.

As a professional chef, I’ve made a lot of fried chicken and tried most of these tips. When it comes down to it, the best fried chicken recipe simply provides the framework for creating chicken that’s crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It’s all about following the right technique: Start with dry chicken, dredge it in a flavorful mixture and cook it in the right oil set to the right temperature. So, yeah, you don’t need buttermilk (but you could substitute it if you like!).

What to Serve with Fried Chicken

This crispy dish goes well with several classic side dishes for fried chicken. Hearty sides like mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese or biscuits round out a filling meal. Or, lighten things up with roasted fresh okra, creamy coleslaw or potato salad. If you want to get fancy, pair this fried chicken recipe with a good sauce—white gravy, Korean fried chicken sauce or your favorite wing sauce. For a fun twist on the classic, turn the dish into chicken and waffles.

Best Fried Chicken Ingredients

  • Chicken: Any bone-in chicken piece works for the best fried chicken recipe. If you have the time, we recommend cutting up a whole chicken. It’s more economical than buying pre-cut chicken and creates a nice assortment of white and dark meat, all cut into evenly sized pieces.
  • Seasoned flour: You can make fried chicken with a batter, bread crumbs or cornflakes as the coating, but we find that plain old flour works best. It adheres well to the chicken and fries up golden brown and crispy every time. You have a lot of choices when it comes to seasoning that flour. This one uses dried thyme, paprika, salt, garlic powder and black pepper, but endless variations exist.
  • Milk mixture: Instead of buttermilk, we acidify regular milk with lemon juice. The acid helps to tenderize the meat, and the lemon juice contributes a delightful flavor. If you decide to swap in buttermilk, you’ll end up with leftovers, so be ready with some tasty uses for buttermilk. We also add an egg to this mixture, creating a thicker coating to help the flour adhere better. That means crispier, crunchier fried chicken.
  • Oil: The biggest thing to consider here is the oil’s smoke point (the temperature at which the oil begins to break down and smoke). Lard is my personal favorite because it infuses the chicken with extra flavor, but neutral-tasting oils like canola or peanut oil are also excellent choices.

Directions

Step 1: Dredge the chicken

Coating Chicken to make Fried ChickenTMB Studio

In a shallow bowl, make the flour mixture by combining the all-purpose flour, dried thyme, paprika, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Whisk the egg, milk and lemon juice in a separate shallow bowl until blended.

Dip each piece of chicken into the flour mixture until all sides are coated. Shake off any excess and add the chicken to the egg mixture. Return the chicken to the flour and press firmly until it has a craggly coating.

Editor’s Tip: Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before dipping it into the flour mixture. This will help the flour adhere to the chicken skin, preventing the batter from falling off after it’s fried.

Step 2: Fry the chicken

Deep Frying Chicken in Hot Boiling OilTMB Studio

In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375°F. If your pan has no built-in thermometer, monitor the deep-frying temperature using a long-stem thermometer.

Fry the chicken a few pieces at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan (which can drop the oil temperature and make the chicken greasy). Cook until the skin is golden brown and the juices run clear, about 6 to 10 minutes per side. Drain the chicken on a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re frying the chicken in batches, transfer the cooked pieces to an ovenproof cooling rack set inside a baking sheet. Hold the chicken warm in a 250° oven while you fry the remaining chicken.

Best Fried Chicken Variations

  • Use boneless chicken: The bone helps the fried chicken stay juicy and moist, but we’ve made some fantastic fried chicken using boneless pieces. The frying time will vary based on the weight and thickness of the chicken, so look to buttermilk chicken tenders or fried chicken cutlets for cook-time inspiration.
  • Change up the spices: Make the best fried chicken recipe your own by experimenting with spices. They add depth to the flavor of the coating, and they’re one of the reasons that KFC’s fried chicken recipe is so successful!
  • Make it spicy: Add your favorite hot sauce to the milk mixture to give the dish a spicy spin, or add cayenne pepper to the flour mixture. To turn the chicken into Nashville hot chicken, make a spicy oil mixture with cayenne pepper and chili powder and pour it over the chicken just before serving.
  • Use a Dutch oven: Electric tabletop fryers sound great but can be hard to clean (and take up valuable storage space in small kitchens). Don’t be afraid to use a large stockpot or Dutch oven instead. A cast iron Dutch oven retains heat well, making it the perfect vessel for deep frying.

How to Store Fried Chicken

Leftover fried chicken should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it is good for four to five days. The coating has the best chance of staying crispy if you let the chicken cool first, allowing any steam to evaporate before covering the container.

To reheat fried chicken, cook it in a 350° oven on a wire rack, elevating the chicken from the pan to prevent soggy bits. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 150°, about 15 minutes or so. Then, bump up the oven temperature to 400°, or turn on the broiler for a few minutes until all of the pieces of chicken reach 165°. Raising the oven’s temperature will help crisp up the chicken and bring it to food-safe temps without burning the outside.

You can also use an air fryer to reheat fried chicken, using a stackable air-fryer rack if needed. Preheat the air fryer to 350° and spray each side of the chicken with cooking spray. Cook, flipping every three minutes to promote even cooking, until each piece reaches an internal temperature of 165°.

Read on for more tips on reheating fried chicken.

Can You Freeze Fried Chicken?

It’s best to freeze fried chicken in a single layer so the pieces don’t stick together. When completely frozen, transfer the chicken to a freezer-safe bag. Frozen fried chicken is good for about six months. Thaw the chicken overnight before reheating using one of the methods above.

Best Fried Chicken Tips

Fried ChickenTMB Studio

What is the secret to great fried chicken?

There are a few secrets to good fried chicken, but the most important factors are the type of oil, oil temperature and cooking vessel. Use the right oil for deep-fat frying (such as lard, canola or peanut oil) and ensure it’s heated properly (around 375°). Also, use an appropriate-sized pan to ensure the oil won’t overflow and the pieces are not overcrowded. A cast-iron skillet does the trick if you don’t have an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer.

What is the secret to keeping fried chicken crispy?

To get crispy skin on fried chicken, it’s essential to remove extra moisture from the chicken before dredging. Refrigerating the dredged chicken before cooking can also help. Once cooked, you can prevent the chicken from turning soggy by serving it immediately or storing it on an elevated rack.

What should I soak my chicken in before frying?

This recipe doesn’t soak the chicken in any brine or buttermilk marinade, and it still yields crispy, flavorful chicken! Soaking the chicken takes advantage of the acids and enzymes in milk or buttermilk, breaking down the proteins in the chicken so it turns out tender. It’s an extra step that you can take if you wish.

Is flour or cornstarch better for fried chicken?

Traditional country fried chicken recipes use flour, but it’s not uncommon to find cornstarch amongst modern ingredient lists. Cornstarch helps the fried chicken crisp up, so feel free to replace up to a quarter of the flour with cornstarch if you like. We use half flour and half cornstarch when making fried sweet and sour chicken and all cornstarch when making karaage, a Japanese fried chicken.

Watch how to Make Best-Ever Fried Chicken

Best Fried Chicken Recipe

Crispy, juicy and perfectly seasoned, this really is the best fried chicken recipe, ever. Summer reunions and neighborly gatherings will never be the same. When I was growing up, my parents had a farm, and every year, Dad would hire teenage boys to help by haying time. They looked forward to coming because they knew they would be treated to some of Mom's deep fryer recipes, including this delicious fried chicken. —Lola Clifton, Vinton, Virginia
Best-Ever Fried Chicken Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 15 min. Cook: 20 min.

Makes

4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup 2% milk
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut up
  • Oil for deep-fat frying

Directions

  1. In a shallow bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk egg, milk and lemon juice until blended. Dip chicken in flour mixture to coat all sides; shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, then again in flour mixture.
  2. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time, until skin is golden brown and juices run clear, 6-10 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 811 calories, 57g fat (9g saturated fat), 176mg cholesterol, 725mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 2g fiber), 47g protein.