The 6 Best Southern Fried Chicken Recipes on the Web

The Perfect Fried Chicken Recipe.
The Perfect Fried Chicken Recipe.

Foreign Cinema's Fried Chicken Recipe

Located in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District, Foreign Cinema spices up their fried chicken recipe with Madras curry powder and red chile flakes. The addition to sesame seeds in the breading gives the chicken an extra crunch. At the restaurant, the chef covers and refrigerates the chicken overnight for maximum flavor punch.

Click here to see Foreign Cinema's Fried Chicken Recipe

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken Recipe

Nothing says down-home cooking like buttermilk fried chicken, and this recipe makes it gluten-free. With a light and crispy skin and just the right kick of spice, this is one recipe that will have you coming back for more.

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Southern Fried Chicken BLT Recipe

Coated in buttermilk and fried until crisp, Southern-style fried chicken is the perfect partner in crime for bacon. A tangy spread of Dijon mustard-inflected mayonnaise keeps the richness of each bite in check and complements the flavors in the sandwich nicely.

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Crispy Fried Chicken Recipe

Crispy fried chicken is given extra spice with chili powder.

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Cold-Smoked Fried Chicken Recipe

This is the best fried chicken ever. The smoke permeates the meat, seasoning it from the inside out. Combined with the crunchy exterior and juicy meat, it is revelatory. Just remember to let it rest before eating. It's almost impossible not to dive in immediately, but when the chicken is too hot you can't fully appreciate the texture and flavors.

We use rice bran oil for frying because it has a high smoke point and a clean, neutral flavor, which means that fried foods tend to cook evenly without burning or absorbing any heavy flavors from the oil. It is pressed from the hull of the rice grain and is high in antioxidants. It costs about the same as good olive oil, and its slightly sweet, nutty flavor is good for baking, cold marinades, and dressings. Once you try it, it will be hard to go back to canola. You can substitute whatever your favorite chicken parts are for the thighs. If you use breasts we suggest cutting them in half crosswise for the proper coating-to-meat ratio.

Whatever you do, just make sure you try this technique. It's a little bit of work for a big reward.

Click here to see the Cold-Smoked Fried Chicken Recipe


Perfect Fried Chicken Recipe (pictured above)

Others may have differing opinions, but this is what we feel is the perfect fried chicken recipe. We took all of the necessary steps, from buying the right chicken and brining it to carefully creating a buttermilk marinade and seasoned flour. It's juicy, it's crispy, and it's delicious - it's perfect fried chicken.

INGREDIENTS

For brining the chicken:


1 gallon water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup salt
4 bay leaves
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup paprika
1 gallon ice water
One 3 1/2-pound chicken, back bone removed and cut into 8 pieces

For marinating the chicken in the buttermilk batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups fine cornmeal
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cayenne
4 cups buttermilk
Dash of hot sauce

For frying the chicken:

6 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup baking powder
3 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne
Peanut oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

For brining the chicken:

The day before frying the chicken, prepare the brine. Using a large stock pot, heat 1 gallon of water to a boil and add in the sugar, salt, bay leaves, garlic, and paprika. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Add in the ice water and cool down to 40 degrees. Add the chicken pieces and brine overnight.

For marinating the chicken in the buttermilk batter:

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat completely dry using paper towels.

Prepare the buttermilk batter by combining the flour, corn meal, salt, spices, and herbs in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the buttermilk and the hot sauce. Place the chicken pieces into the buttermilk batter, cover, and refrigerate for ½ hour.

For frying the chicken:

Remove the marinating chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to frying.

Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Sift the ingredients into a brown paper bag, if using, or into another large bowl.

In a cast-iron skillet, heat 3 inches of canola oil over medium-high heat to 300 degrees. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk batter and let excess batter drip off. Place the chicken pieces into the brown bag, seal the bag, and shake for about 4 seconds to ensure each piece is well coated. If using a large bowl instead of a brown bag, coat the chicken pieces in batches to avoid making a mess. Place the chicken into the hot oil and fry until just golden brown, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once all of the chicken pieces have been fried at 300 degrees for 5 minutes, heat the oil to 350 degrees, and fry the chicken until cooked through and golden brown, another 5 minutes.

Remove and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease before serving.

Recipe Details
Servings: 8
Cuisine: American

Click here to see 15 Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes

-The Daily Meal