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Home Chicken

Fried Chicken

By:Nagi
Published:31 Jan '20Updated:10 May '23
503 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Fried Chicken – with the most insanely crispy, thick craggy crust heavily seasoned with a KFC copycat “11 secret herbs and spices”! This recipe uses a Southern buttermilk marinade to make the flesh juicy all the way through, and a breading secret trick for how to make fried chicken with an ultra crunchy, nubbly crust.

Serve with French fries and potato with gravy for an epic homemade KFC experience at home.

Photo of Fried Chicken with fries and potatoes and gravy

Fried Chicken

I’m going to call it (obnoxious as it is) – this fried chicken is better than KFC. There’s not a trace of soggy skin anywhere (all you closet KFC lovers know exactly what I’m talking about!) and the crust is thicker and craggier.

Every inch of this crust is insanely crunchy, and there’s loads of those nubbly bits that get extra crunchy. The seasoning is satisfyingly spot on – strong but not outrageously overpowering – the buttermilk marinated flesh is tender and juicy all the way through, and the deep golden colour is sheer perfection.

Seriously, what kind of human being could resist a piping hot pile of freshly made fried chicken?? {Vegetarians are excused}

Fried Chicken on a tray being kept warm in the oven

The seasoning for this fried chicken is a KFC copycat. 11 Secret Herbs & Spices!

What you need to make the best Fried Chicken

Here’s what you need.

11 Secret Herbs and Spices (lots of it). And not much else!

Ingredients for Fried Chicken

  • The Seasoning is a KFC copycat. There’s 1.5 tablespoons of pepper in it which sounds like a lot. But trust me, you need it for the KFC flavour and it doesn’t make it spicy. Also, remember that only a certain amount ends up stuck to the chicken itself!

  • Buttermilk – in true Southern style, the chicken is marinated in a salted buttermilk. Brilliant for tenderising the chicken and injecting it with salt;

  • Egg helps the flour stick better;

  • Cornflour / cornstarch – makes the crust crispy but not tough. Pretty standard inclusion in fried chicken breading;

  • Flour – just plain white, all purpose flour; and

  • Oil – vegetable, canola or peanut oil, for neutral flavour and ability to heat to the temperature needed without burning the chicken or the oil smoking.

Marinating Southern Fried Chicken in buttermilk

No seasoning in marinade?

I don’t put Seasoning into the buttermilk marinade. Reason being that the crust is quite heavily seasoned (it’s unsatisfying if it’s not flavoured enough) so if the chicken flesh is also seasoned, it’s just too much of the same flavour.

It’s just tastier to have that awesome contrast of juicy chicken flavour inside (salted but not flavoured) and the wickedly crunchy, seasoned crust on the outside. It’s the KFC way!

Close up showing inside of Fried Chicken

How to make Fried Chicken

And here’s how to make it (video below super helpful I think!):

  • Marinate chicken overnight in buttermilk brine – this salts the flesh all the way through and makes it beautifully tender and juicy (also gives you room for error in cook time);

  • Drizzle some brine in the seasoned flour and rub in to make lumps = extra nubbly craggy bits on crust. 🌟Secret trick that makes the crust so epic!🌟

  • Coat chicken in flour then fry until golden.

How to make Fried Chicken

How long does it take chicken to fry?

Thighs and drumsticks take 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature in centre of thickest part is 75°C / 167°F. Breast takes around 7 minutes (internal temperature at thickest part 65°C / 150°F).

Reusing the oil

Typically, oil used for deep frying can be reused 3 times or so once it’s been cleaned. However, I find that for Fried Chicken, it’s usually only good for one more batch of Fried Chicken or similarly flavoured food. I think the oil just gets too tainted by the heavily flavoured breading and while the oil can be cleaned of all the bits in it, you can’t remove the flavour.

To remove impurities, I find the best and easiest way is a Cook’s Illustrated method using a cornflour/cornstarch and water method, cooked in the oil over low heat until it solidifies and captures all the impurities. Strain the cornflour “jelly”, then store the oil for another use. (PS Using a fine strainer isn’t good enough to filter the oil after this recipe, you’d need to use a coffee filter or similar which takes ages. But for other fried recipes like Honey Chicken and Sweet & Sour Pork, straining is fine).

Pile of Fried Chicken with sides - Coleslaw, fries, potato and gravy

What to serve with fried chicken

For the full homemade KFC experience, serve it with Coleslaw*, chips, KFC copycat potato and gravy.

For a Southern meal, add a side of steamed or grilled corn, cornbread, Slaw, Potato Salad and Southern Baked Beans. A fully loaded plate – my style!

* If you or your hips are anti mayo, try the RecipeTin No Mayo Coleslaw – it’s very, very good!

Some great sides for fried chicken!

Bowl of freshly made French fries
Perfect Crispy French fries
Close up of juicy Coleslaw in a glass bowl
Coleslaw
KFC Potato and Gravy recipe
Close up of a piece of Cornbread with butter and honey
Cornbread recipe
Pot of Southern Baked Beans with Bacon
Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon (Southern Style)
Bowl of freshly made potato salad
The Best Potato Salad
These No Knead Dinner Rolls are like magic! Astonishingly easy, no stand mixer, just mix the ingredients in a bowl! recipetineats.com
Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls

Dunking Fried Chicken into potato and gravy

I know deep frying is an effort. Preparing, cleaning up, disposing of the oil.

And – well, you know. My hips prefer me to avoid fried foods. 😩

Therefore I don’t deep fry often. So when I do, I make sure it’s worth it.

THIS is worth it!!!

Serve with French fries and potato with gravy for an epic homemade KFC experience at home.

– Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Ultra Crispy Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken - ultra craggy crispy crust!

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 30 minutes mins
Total: 45 minutes mins
Mains
Southern, Western
4.98 from 113 votes
Servings10 - 14 pieces
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is a fried chicken recipe that's made using a technique that yields an incredible super crunchy, really craggy crust with loads of nubbly bits that get extra crunchy! Seasoned with a KFC copycat 11 Secret Herbs and Spices - but better than KFC, there's no trace of soggy bits at all! Flesh is juicy all the way through thanks to a classic Southern buttermilk marinade (read in post why there's no spices in the marinade!).
Serve with French fries and potato with gravy for an epic homemade KFC experience at home.

Ingredients

  • 1.8 kg/ 3.6lb bone in, skin on small thighs (< 200g/7oz), drumsticks, whole wings, breast (< 200g/7oz) (Note 1)

Buttermilk marinade:

  • 1 cup buttermilk (Note 2 for sub)
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 egg

Fried Chicken Breading (Note 9):

  • 2 1/4 cups flour , plain / all purpose
  • 3/4 cup corn flour / cornstarch

KFC 11 Secret Herbs and Spices (Note 9):

  • 3 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp celery salt
  • 1.5 tbsp black pepper (Note 2)
  • 1.5 tsp sweet paprika (ie. not hot or smoked)
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional
  • 1.5 tsp onion powder
  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 3/4 tsp ginger powder
  • 1.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 1.5 tsp dried oregano

To fry:

  • 1.5 - 2 litres / quarts vegetable oil (or canola or peanut, Note 8 for re-use)

Instructions

Buttermilk Marinade Chicken:

  • Mix Marinade in a bowl until salt dissolves.
  • Pour over chicken in ziplock bag, massage to coat chicken. Press out excess air, seal, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning once or twice.
  • Pour chicken and marinade into large bowl.

Breading mixture:

  • Whisk together Breading and all KFC Secret Herbs & Spices.
  • Drizzle 4.5 tablespoons of Marinade into flour mixture. Use fingers to rub in so you get lots of pea sized lumpy bits all throughout (this creates extra super crunchy craggy bits).
  • Spread out in a shallow dish or pan (easier to work with).

Prepare to cook (work in specified order of steps):

  • Preheat oven to 80°C/175°F and place rack on tray - to keep chicken warm. (Note 3)
  • Add oil to a wide, heavy based pot to a depth of 6 cm / 2.5 " (my 26cm/10.5" cast iron pot = 1.75L/quarts oil, Note 4)
  • Heat oil over medium to medium high heat to 180°C/350°F - maintain temp as best you can (Note 5).

Breading:

  • Cooking order: Start with thighs and drumsticks, wings next and cook breast last. (Note 6).
  • Squidge a piece of chicken in remaining marinade, place in flour.
  • Coat well, pressing very firmly to adhere. Transfer to plate.
  • Coat 2 or 3 more pieces - just for one cooking batch, covering oil surface in single layer. (Note 7)

Frying:

  • Carefully place chicken in oil - it will bubble energetically but it will not spit.
  • Once chicken is in, oil temperature should drop to 150°C/300°C - adjust heat to target this.
  • DO NOT TOUCH chicken for 2 minutes - to let the crust bond with the chicken skin. After this, you can move them around but oil should be deep enough that you do not need to flip (but you can if you want!).
  • Thighs and drumsticks - cook for 8 minutes (wings for 5 minutes), or until deep golden brown and internal temperature at thickest part is 75°C / 167°F.
  • Breast - fry for 6 minutes or until internal temperature at thickest part is 65°C / 150°F (time depends on size).
  • Place onto rack and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining chicken, coating each batch just prior to cooking.
  • Serve immediately!
  • Classic sides: Coleslaw, KFC copycat potato and gravy, steamed or grilled corn, cornbread or soft rolls, fries, potato salad, Southern Baked Beans!

Recipe Notes:

1. Chicken - I buy bone in thighs, drumsticks and wings for ease. For true KFC/Southern experience, cut up your own chicken so you get breast pieces as well - ensure you keep the skin on and bone in. Cut breast into 2 pieces through the bone.
Small pieces for thighs and breast is better - 200g/7oz or less, to ensure they cook through so you don't need to worry about fuss with finishing them in the oven. I've cooked 220g/7.7oz bone in thighs with no problems. If they get to 250g/8.8oz then you either need to take them to very deep golden in the oil OR finish in oven. 
2. Buttermilk - make your own if you can't find any. Add 1 tsp white vinegar into milk, stir, leave 10 minutes. Will curdle. Use per recipe.
3. Keeping chicken warm - this is the temp at which chicken will stay warm, keep the coating crispy but will not continue to cook the chicken inside. Rack required to ensure underside of chicken stays super crispy.
4. Frying vessel - I feel safe using a heavy cast iron pot. For most oil efficiency, use a wok - shape means you will use about 30% less oil with same surface area for frying. If you have a deep fryer, I salute you!
5. Oil temperature - use a thermometer or surface scanner thermometer. If you don't have one, test by throwing in a lump of breading - should sizzle straight away but not burn quickly. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and touch the base of the pot - if bubbles rise from floor of pot, oil is hot enough.
Cook time will vary based on factors like chicken size, pot heat retention, stability of stove etc. Best to use thermometer to check internal temperature. The cook times provided in the recipe are for the chicken weights specified and heat oil temps provided, assuming a cast iron pot is used. Also use crust colour as a guide.
6. Cooking order - thighs and drumsticks cook in the same time, cook together first. Then wings, then do breast last. Reason: dark meat stays juicier in warmed oven, and breast cooks faster.
7. Batch cooking - don't coat all chicken then leave it lying around while you cook a batch, it will sweat and crust will be compromised.
8. Oil reuse - One reason I don't deep fry much is because I hate the oil wastage! I clean my oil using this simple cornflour/cornstarch method from Cooks Illustrated. Usually, I comfortably re-use oil 3 times once cleaned. Unfortunately with Fried Chicken, I find that it's reusable only once more. Partly because of the strength of the seasonings and partly because you cook with it for a good 25 minutes which is using the oil a lot more than usual deep frying recipes.
9. Breading mixture notes: 
  • Might seem like a lot of pepper, but it's key to KFC flavour and doesn't make it spicy. Remember that not much of the seasoning actually ends up on each piece of chicken.
  • Hot & Spicy version - just add 2 tsp cayenne pepper into the breading! That will give it a nice buzz (but won't blow your head off)
  • There is more breading coating flour than you need, so you'll throw out 1 cup or so. As wasteful as it sounds, I've tried using less and it gets messy/hard with the last pieces. So I conceded and upped the breading quantity - because this recipe is all about the crust!
10. Recipe source: Some techniques adapted from Kenji’s recipe on Serious Eats with some steps simplified / amended based on my testing. Spices are my KFC copycat “11 secret herbs and spices” mix.
11. Nutrition impossible to calculate so I'm sharing the KFC nutrition for 100g / 3.5 oz KFC fried chicken (no bone)

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 100gCalories: 280cal (14%)Carbohydrates: 9.4g (3%)Protein: 21.8g (44%)Fat: 17.3g (27%)Saturated Fat: 3.7g (23%)Sodium: 589mg (26%)Sugar: 1.5g (2%)
Keywords: fried chicken, KFC chicken recipe, southern fried chicken
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Life of Dozer

He was booted out while I was deep frying. But other than that, he was firmly planted next to the shoot table for every second while I was filming and photographing this chicken!!!

Dozer panting over Southern Fried Chicken

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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503 Comments

  1. Stuart Hayes says

    December 5, 2023 at 3:36 am

    5 stars
    Nobody answered my question about air frying this chicken so I had a go. It worked perfectly in my air fryer. I am making some more tomorrow so I will note what time and temp it took to cook them and let all you air frying chefs know. Nagi recipe tasted better then KFC! And much less fat content cooked in my air fryer.

    Reply
  2. Hannah says

    November 26, 2023 at 12:25 am

    I’ve made this by frying but now have and air fryer, Can I air fry this instead?

    Reply
  3. Stuart Hayes says

    November 20, 2023 at 10:56 am

    Can this be cooked in an air fryer?

    Reply
  4. Alistair McIntosh says

    November 10, 2023 at 8:34 pm

    Hi Nagi
    If I was a billionaire I would engage you 365 days a year – leap year day off!!!
    As usual this recipe is great but my store bought chicken Coles/Woolies – releases a lot of water and I keep changing it for fresh oil. Ugh!!! Should I keep going without changing?

    Reply
  5. Andie says

    September 3, 2023 at 8:41 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely sensational! We also made the potato mash and gravy, and the coleslaw. Was a very happy Father’s Day lunch. Silence around the table except for ooohs and mmmmmmms. Thank you Nagi – my kids have claimed you as part of our family x

    Reply
  6. Sam Rowe says

    September 2, 2023 at 7:29 pm

    I added about 25 of crumbled up pork rind to the breading mixture. Super crunch..!

    Reply
  7. Nat says

    July 6, 2023 at 8:14 am

    5 stars
    Okay, so I took some liberties with the recipe. I used sous vide to cook the legs and thighs in buttermilk and the seasoning.

    I didn’t add any liquid to the dredge and I deep fried the chicken until it was golden brown.

    Delicious flavor! Loved the copycat KFC gravy as written!

    Reply
  8. Kristie McDermott says

    July 4, 2023 at 6:42 am

    5 stars
    The best and easiest fried chicken I have ever cooked. Easy to follow recipe. Yum!

    Reply
  9. NZM says

    March 25, 2023 at 7:29 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! Wow! The best fried chicken I’ve ever made! So flavorful.

    Reply
  10. Fiona B says

    March 19, 2023 at 6:45 pm

    5 stars
    The BEST Fried Chicken that I have made in my 54 years! (And I’ve made a few!) Absolutely delicious and so incredibly succulent. I highly recommend this recipe. It is THAT good!

    Reply
  11. Michelle plunkett says

    February 25, 2023 at 1:46 am

    5 stars
    Husband approved! Seasoning is perfect.

    Reply
  12. Marie Claude Jalbert says

    February 10, 2023 at 9:36 am

    5 stars
    Kids loved it. It is easy to make and delicious! I only had time to let it marinate 4 hours. Will make it again for sure.

    Reply
  13. Marie Claude Jalbert says

    February 10, 2023 at 9:33 am

    5 stars
    Kids loved it. It is easy to make and delicicuous! I only had time to let it marinate 4 hours.

    Reply
  14. Jay says

    January 26, 2023 at 6:47 am

    Is the metric value for flour correct above? Seems a little off and not sure which version to use. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jay says

      January 26, 2023 at 2:13 pm

      No worries, I went with ‘cups’ and the breading was divine! 👌

      Reply
  15. Lisa says

    January 24, 2023 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    KFC style fried chicken recipe a winner.
    Good crunchy coating. We used hammered chicken single breasts and made kfc burgers!! 1/2 single breast per bun. ALDI brioche buns…I’d add more pepper next time.

    Reply
  16. Priscilla says

    January 22, 2023 at 6:31 am

    5 stars
    Wow!! This was delicious. Had a craving for crispy fried chicken and this totally hit the spot. Really clear instructions and fantastic result. Will definitely make again and again. Had it with crispy roast potatoes and your delicious chipotle cauliflower. Yummy yummy dinner. Thanks Nagi.

    Reply
  17. Kathryn says

    January 9, 2023 at 11:58 am

    5 stars
    I think I’ve commented before…this is absolute perfection!! Served with your coleslaw, your cornmeal muffins, and some corn on the cob during the summer and it was unbelievably delicious. I am wondering if there is anything I need to know before trying this with chicken tenders. I am craving honey mustard and will be making my own for the first time. Fried tenders seem like the perfect pairing.

    Reply
  18. Margie says

    October 30, 2022 at 8:46 am

    4 stars
    Coating was delicious, the tastiest I have used for my chicken. One thing was I used ground rock salt, so found some bites a little salty. I will use the other prepared salt next time !!

    Reply
  19. Beryl says

    September 8, 2022 at 3:52 am

    5 stars
    another great recipe! I made chicken tenders a d if you use air fryer on highest temp to reheat it crisps up beautifully You just have to watch so it doesn’t burn or dry out

    Reply
  20. Amelia Maples says

    September 5, 2022 at 11:06 am

    5 stars
    Delicious and crispy.

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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