A Little Bit of Chicken Fried
There’s a few reasons why I call this A Little Bit of Chicken Fried….First off, we are big country music fans and we love the Zac Brown Band. Every time I hear this song, it makes me smile and think of summertime, hanging out by the pool and relaxing with family and friends. The second reason is that there are so many “secrets” to fantastic fried chicken and my recipe is really a little bit of lots of those tips and techniques. It’s a little bit of Ina Garten, a little bit of Tyler Florence and a little bit of Paula Deen…they each have inspired different ingredients or techniques in my recipe.
The end result is juicy, crispy, delicious fried chicken. During the summer, I often serve this with a nice fresh corn salad to balance it out. In the winter months, you almost have to go Mac n’ Cheese! This is the ultimate comfort food. Presentation is key and definitely a great way to elevate your fried chicken. Sprinkle some Maldon salt and a squeeze of lemon over the top of the chicken when it comes out of the oven and it’s piping hot. I have adapted Ina Garten’s technique of frying chicken to brown on all sides and then removing to finish cooking in the oven. The upside to this is that you can finish all of the frying and if you’re making a large batch, it can all be finished in the oven together. Since fried chicken is great either piping hot or room temp, it’s very easy to make this and serve for guests ahead of time so you’re not stuck in the kitchen all night. It can also be kept warm on a very low temp in the oven, about 200F until you’re ready to serve. I don’t make fried chicken at our house very often, but every time I do, it’s a huge hit! I hope you enjoy!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
1 minute
Total Time
31 minutes
Course
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
8-10 whole chicken legs, cut the thighs and drumsticks to separate
1 Quart Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Hot Sauce Recommend Frank's
2 Cups AP Flour, seasoned with 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder & 1 Tbsp. onion powder
Vegetable oil
Maldon salt, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
Combine buttermilk and hot sauce, I like Frank's. Add chicken pieces and cover completely. Marinate in fridge at least 6 hours, but up to 24 hours.
Remove chicken, about 30 minutes before frying. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Prepare the seasoned All-Purpose flour in a deep bowl for dredging.
Add vegetable (or peanut) oil to a large dutch oven, attach liquid thermometer and begin to heat oil over medium high heat until it reaches 360F.
As the oil heats, dredge each piece of chicken in the seasoned flour and set on a baking rack lined baking sheet until ready to fry.
Fry the chicken for about 10 minutes, using metal tongs to move it and carefully flip it around in the oil as it cooks. Work in batches, watch the thermometer and adjust temperature as needed to stay at a consistent 350F throughout.
Remove from the oil, place on another rack lined baking sheet and cook in the oven on the middle rack for an additional 20 minutes until cooked through. To serve, place chicken on a large platter family-style and sprinkle with Maldon salt and a squeeze of lemon...enjoy!