Southern fried chicken
Crispy, buttermilk-marinated chicken with a seasoned, crackly coating — great for a weekend feast or picnic.
This is proper Southern-style fried chicken — tangy buttermilk, seasoned flour and a slow-ish finish in the oven for perfectly cooked meat and a crackly crust. It’s a bit of a project, but the results are worth the faff.
Make it for a weekend feast, picnic or whenever you want to impress without fussing over sous-vide gadgets. The buttermilk tenderises while the cornflour and baking powder give that addictive crunch.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken pieces (bone-in, skin-on) — about 1.6 kg total
- 500 ml buttermilk
- 15 g fine salt — total for marinade and seasoned flour
- 10 ml ground black pepper
- 10 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml cayenne pepper — adjust to taste
- 5 ml garlic powder
- 5 ml onion powder
- 300 g plain flour
- 50 g cornflour
- 5 ml baking powder
- 1 l sunflower oil — for frying; quantity approximate depending on pan
- 10 g fresh parsley — finely chopped, to garnish
Equipment
- deep-frying thermometer
- baking tray
- wire rack
Instructions
Pat the chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper; remove any obvious loose bits of skin. This helps the marinade stick and prevents splatter when frying.
Make the buttermilk marinade: whisk the buttermilk with half the fine salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika and the cayenne until combined. Submerge the chicken in the marinade, cover and chill for 8 hours (overnight) in the fridge.
Meanwhile, make the seasoned flour: in a large bowl combine the plain flour, cornflour, baking powder, remaining fine salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Whisk well so the spices are evenly distributed.
Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting excess buttermilk drip back into the bowl. Dredge each piece thoroughly in the seasoned flour, pressing the flour onto the skin so it adheres. Place dredged pieces on a wire rack set over a baking tray and leave to rest for 10 minutes so the coating sets.
Pour the sunflower oil into a deep, heavy-based frying pan so it comes about 4 cm up the sides. Heat gently until a deep-frying thermometer reads 175°C (about 4–6 minutes). If you don’t have a thermometer, test with a small pinch of flour — it should sizzle immediately but not smoke.
Fry the chicken in batches (do not overcrowd) skin-side down first. Fry each batch for about 6–7 minutes on the first side, then turn and fry 5–6 minutes on the second side until deeply golden. Keep the oil around 165–180°C — adjust the heat between batches to maintain this.
Once all pieces are golden, transfer them to the wire rack on the baking tray and finish in a preheated oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 18 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 75°C is reached at the thickest part of the meat (avoid the bone).
Rest the chicken for 5 minutes on the wire rack, then sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley and serve.
Tips
- Use a deep-frying thermometer — maintaining 165–180°C is the single best way to get non-greasy, crisp chicken.
- Press the flour onto the skin and let the pieces rest on a rack for 10 minutes so the coating adheres; shaking it off loses that crust.
- If you’re short on time, you can marinate for 2–3 hours, but overnight (6–12 hours) gives the best texture and flavour.
- Reheat leftovers in a 190°C fan oven for 10–12 minutes to restore crispness; avoid the microwave which makes the coating soggy.
- For an extra-crispy double coating: after the first dredge, briefly dip back into a little reserved buttermilk and re-dredge, but be careful — this uses more flour and increases frying time.
Substitutions
buttermilk → 200 g natural yoghurt mixed with 250 ml milk and 1 tbsp lemon juice, let stand 10 minutes
Stays closeplain flour → gluten-free plain flour blend (use equal weight) and keep the cornflour
Noticeably differentsunflower oil → rapeseed oil (same quantity) for a neutral frying oil
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 680
- Calories
- 45 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use chicken breast instead of bone-in pieces?
Yes, but breasts cook faster and can dry out. Use bone-in breasts or reduce oven time and monitor internal temperature closely (75°C). Consider brining or longer marinating for juiciness.
How do I keep the coating from falling off?
Pat the chicken dry, press the seasoned flour firmly onto the skin and let it rest on a rack for 10 minutes before frying. Avoid flipping too often while frying.
Can I shallow-fry instead of using deep oil?
You can shallow-fry in a frying pan with oil about 4 cm deep; turn pieces carefully and fry in batches. Keep an eye on oil temperature and finish in the oven to ensure cooked-through meat.
Is there a safer alternative to frying?
Oven-frying (drizzle a little oil over coated pieces and bake at 200°C fan for 30–35 minutes) works but the crust will be less deep-fried-crisp; it’s a lower-fat option.
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