I just use flour seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder to dredge the chicken pieces. I then brown on all sides in a cast iron skillet then place in the oven to finish cooking. Yum

I soak the chicken in buttermilk first - before dredging in seasoned flour.

As a rule, I do not deep fry it, but I do use a deep pan to minimize splatters. If I had a special deep fryer, I would use that, but the last one I had did not heat the oil sufficiently, and it also stopped working altogether.

I do what Lars does, but I add Franks hot sauce to the buttermilk and let it marinade all day. I deep fry mine. I've never heard of anyone boiling the chicken first.

I make 'oven fried', which uses a lot less oil.

I think I've tried making actual fried chicken only once, and it was a Martha Stewart recipe that marinated the chicken with honey - I think it's called mahogany fried chicken. It was good, but just too much of a bother and mess for me.

P.S. One thing I learned from someone who worked in a fried chicken restaurant is that they marinated in salt water - which I guess we now call brining.

I soak in buttermilk for several hours or overnight, pat dry, season and bread with flour, and fry in about 1/2" of oil in a Dutch oven if in the kitchen. If we are at the lake and making a lot we deep fry it in our turkey fryer.

I dont think it matters so much how you prep or what you coat with. More important is the fat you use. Good quality lard makes a huge difference. It affects the flavor big time and makes a nice crisp exterior. I usually use half lard and half vegetable oil as that works about as well. I season and dredge in flour-I don't want a thick fried coating, I use a cast iron dutch oven to minimize fry spray but only put enough fat in to almost cover the thickest pieces. You might think it would be fattier but it isn't. I make fried chicken for DH's birthday. He had only ever had oven fried and it was a revelation to him. I hate the mess though.

I usually do not fry bone in chicken, unless its wings. Either way,bone or no bone, I dredge mine in flour HEAVILY seasoned with a mix of cajun and Greek seasoning. I do flour, egg wash, then the flour again and I deep fry. I tend to use Emeril Cajun seasoning because its not hot or too salty so I can use a lot of it to flavor it properly without it ruining it with too much salt or heat. I use the Greek seasoning in the yellow jar. It's starts with a "C". I can't remember it darn it.

I often cut up chicken breast into chunks and fry it like that, sort of like popcorn chicken. SO really likes it like that.

franks and buttermilk overnight ... then lightly coat in seasoned flour and brown each side in a small amount of lard [about 5 min a side] then pop in the oven to finish it off.

Grams always used evap milk before the flour [mixed with 'frying magic'] for the stovetop part; then corningwared it and finished in the oven. She used a lidded corningware ...

2 Tablespoons canola oil in a 365 degree big frying pan. Dredge in seasoned flour, plop into hot pan. 20 minutes each side. Done! I usually buy skinned and deboned chicken breasts.

Plain Southern. Roll in plain flour. Fry in oil in cast iron skillet on medium. Medium high. Turn frequently. Cover with lid if needed and chicken is thick. Take lid off to crisp. Reduce heat as needed. You will put salt and pepper on the chicken as you like it on your plate. Listen as you turn the chicken. If it sizzles high, it is not done. Drain on paper towels. I am 71. Been cooking since 10.

ETA: No stupid seasonings. No buttermilk. No salt soak. That is all Yankee. Plain Southern, roll in flour, fry in oil.

Thats funny Sherry. I am from Alabama and the thought of plain unseasoned chicken makes me gag.

Your mom boiled it to render off some of the fat, which helps keep it crispy. At least I do it with duck and chicken wings. I haven't thought about doing it with chicken, but it makes sense!

Soaking in water or milk overnight will tenderize the chicken.

And I don't know that adding seasoning to the flour mix helps at all. We've come to find it tastes the same every time. What worked with chicken wings the other day was to season the wings after patting them dry, and then flouring them. I plan on trying it with fried chicken sometime in the future.

My mom used Crisco when I was growing up. I've never had better tasting fried chicken than her's. I recently bought some lard to make some pie/quiche crusts with and now I'm craving fried chicken. I bought the smallest can I could, wondering what I could use the rest of the lard for when I was done with my crusts.

The cooking parent in my Southern household never fried anything, not even eggs, that I can remember. I've continued similarly, and have never made fried chicken. Don't think my mate has either. But I'm happy to eat it if someone else makes it.

I season and then use the air fryer.

@amylou321 - Cavender?

Yeah that's it!

My former MIL grew up in South Carolina and made amazing fried chicken. She seasoned the flour well with seasoning salt and pepper. She might have seasoned the chicken too--can't hurt to add a little. She would only fry with Crisco and she used a cast iron pan. No buttermilk soak.

I've tried to duplicate it but have never made it as good as hers was.

Amy, It's not unseasoned. Like I noted we season at the table. My husband likes very, very little salt and lots of pepper. I like quite a bit of salt and some pepper.

By the way, I use Crisco.

I have tried the buttermilk soak, but I found that it just makes a gloppy thick crust that is not crisp. We like a thin, very crisp crust.

I cannot stand Kentucky Fried Chicken.

I eat KFC very seldom, but when I get hungry for it and finally indulge I'm always disappointed. Doesn't taste the same as it used to, at least to me.

KFC chicken is first put in a pressure cooker, then deep fry in a mixture of something, wish I knew the covering. I think it's the best.

I always liked Church's or Popeye's better than KFC, but haven't had any of those in decades. We usually buy fried chicken from Publix these days

My mom fried lots of fish, but I don't ever recall her frying chicken. Fish was dipped in egg and then matzo meal and fried in an electric skillet. My favorite part was after all the fish was done, the meal and egg that were left got mixed together and fried as little cakes.

Yaya,

Here's one copycat recipe.

Ingredients

• 2/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/3 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard
• 4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 teaspoon white pepper

I'm not a fan of fried chicken to start out with, but once....only once...I made oven-fried chicken. It made a total mess of the oven. No more.

Homemade fried chicken bites, mashed potatoes and gravy, collard greens and cornbread. One of the quick and easy meals I throw together for SO.

With the exception of schnitzel, I do not deep fry anything. I do love fried chicken. Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc restaurant in Napa has a lttle adjunct called Addendum. You can pick up a bucket of fried chicken there to enjoy while picnicking. As they say, 10/10 would recommend.

I have never made fried chicken that I can recall (well, I probably did once or twice in early adulthood, else how would I know that I hate the mess enough to never make it?)

I can say that my grandmother, from way down in southeast KY, made really good fried chicken, and also soaked it in buttermilk. I can't remember if it was her or my mother who also added crushed cornflakes to the breading.

Well, I just got back from grocery shopping and intended to pick up at least some drumsticks to fry. They only had "drumlets" (????) little things they were. So I bought a container of their deli fried chicken, which I used to buy often before the price went up, that I think is also pressure cooked, then fried. It smells heavenly, all the way home I salivate. But it will be for supper so I'll need to reheat later.

amylou321 I'm droolilng!

Zalco,

I don't know if it's my phone, the picture or the chicken but that looks overcooked to me. Ha! It's a little too dark for me 😉

Rob, I agree. It does look a smidge too dark. I chose this shot for the pretty background :-)

'Drumlets' are wing sections, FYI...

yaya

KFC original is quick dipped in a brine and then thrown into a vat of 'secret seasoned' 11 herbs and spices, white pepper being prominant, flour. The pieces are the place in a pressure cooker of pre heated hot shortning ... legs thighs wings etc [legs first to seal the skin to the leg] and the pressure cooker lid placed on for about 14 minutes.

extra crispy is pre brined and thrown into a vat of plain flour and then fried in a deep open fryer [similar to a two shouldered french fryer] and fried til 'extra crspy' again about 15 minutes.

I did state I detest KFC. I also have had Popeye's and all the rest. I do not like them. They do not taste like chicken. I can eat Dairy Queen and Gibson's. They are too salty, but they don't have all the other spices I object to.

Today, he finally asked for a hamburger and French Fries. Then, he had to say, let me put the salt on mine. I had to remind him for the tmptheeth thousand time, I do not put any salt on anything.........

I concur with Zalco. The fried chicken at Ad Hoc and Addendum are outrageously good. I've had it from the parking lot booth and also as the menu du jour inside. His other restaurant up the street is pretty okay too. ;-)

We don't fry anything at home and we also don't eat fast food stuff very often.

My mother occasionally made fried chicken. I think she dredged it in seasoned flour and fried it in Crisco in a cast iron pan. I honestly have never owned a can of Crisco in my married life. I don't fry anything and don't order fried out.

There's always a small can of Crisco in my cupboard.

"I honestly have never owned a can of Crisco in my .....life."

Ditto for me.

I’m sorry.

bragu_DSM 5, thank you for posting to me, I'm going to give my son your directions. He's a great cook.

I usually just fry mine in a skillet, salt and pepper, to season, flour and some cornstarch to make it crispy. Yes, broasted chicken is fried in a pressure cooker made for that purpose. I do have one and it does make good chicken. I love the dark meat and bone in, but fry it all.

Sue

This is my exception to buttermilk on chicken.

Fried Buttermilk Chicken Livers from "Southern Fried" by James Villas

An excellent cookbook

1 pound chicken livers, trimmed of fat if needed

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of nutmeg (I do not use. I do not like nutmeg except in sweets.)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Oil for frying

In a bowl, combine livers and buttermilk and let soak for about 5 minutes

In a small dish, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper and mix.

In cast iron skillet heat about 1 1/2inches coil to 350*.

Drain livers, dredge in flour mixture, drop in oil in batches, Fry till golden brown and crunchy, about 3 minutes, turning once, and drain on paper towels.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

This can be cut down for how many you want. I usually freeze the livers on a sheet pan and take out what I need.