Southern fried chicken
Non-vegetarian
Bone-in chicken soaked in seasoned buttermilk, dredged in spiced flour and deep-fried until the crust is craggy, crunchy and deep golden while the meat stays juicy.
Southern fried chicken is a Southern US main course from United States, ready in about 4 hours 55 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, buttermilk and all-purpose flour. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 4 h
- Total
- 4 h 55 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 841
Brining can run overnight.
Ingredients
For the brine
For the coating
Method
Step 1
Whisk the buttermilk (opens in a new tab), hot sauce (opens in a new tab) and 1½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- 5 min
Food safety: Keep raw chicken refrigerated and away from ready-to-eat food.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 2
Whisk the flour, cornstarch (opens in a new tab), spices, baking powder (opens in a new tab) and remaining 1 tsp salt in a wide dish. Drizzle in 3 tbsp of the buttermilk (opens in a new tab) brine and rub it in with your fingers to make shaggy clumps.
- 5 min
Step 3
Lift the chicken from the brine, letting excess drip off, and press each piece firmly into the flour to coat thickly. Rest on a rack for 10 minutes so the coating sets.
- 10 min
Step 4
Heat the oil to 170 °C in a heavy Dutch oven, filling it no more than halfway. Fry a few pieces at a time, turning occasionally, until deep golden and cooked through: about 12–14 minutes for dark meat and 10–12 for breasts. Keep the oil at 150–160 °C while frying.
Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended and keep a lid nearby; chicken must reach 74 °C (breast) and 80 °C (thighs) inside.
Step 5
Drain on a rack set over a tray and season lightly with salt while hot. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
- 5 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Southern United States, United States · Well documentedFried chicken took shape in the American South, with strong roots in the cooking of enslaved African Americans as well as Scottish frying traditions.More food from United States
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Deep-fried, Marinated / cured
- Taste
- savoury, peppery, tangy, rich
- Diet
- No nut ingredients · High-proteinWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein - Good for
- Festive & celebration · Child-friendly
- Cook more with
- Chicken pieces, skin-on · Buttermilk · All-purpose flour · Chilli sauce (sriracha-style) · Cornstarch · Paprika
- Techniques
- Deep-frying · Marinating · Curing
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom buttermilk
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
841 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 361 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 21%
- Carbohydrate 18%
- Fat 61%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 841 kcal | 233 kcal |
| Protein | 44.2 g | 12.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.2 g | 10.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 35.6 g | 9.9 g |
| Sugars | 5.7 g | 1.6 g |
| Added sugars | — | — |
| Fibre | 1.7 g | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 56.6 g | 15.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 11.1 g | 3.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 153 mg | 42 mg |
| Sodium | 1434 mg | 397 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 3.6 g | 1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 601 mg
- Calcium
- 178 mg
- Iron
- 4 mg
- Magnesium
- 62 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 123 µg
- Vitamin C
- 6 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.8 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 124 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Frying in batches keeps the oil temperature steady, which is the key to a crisp, not greasy, crust.
Common mistakes
- Oil that is too hot browns the crust before the meat near the bone is cooked.
Serve with
- Serve with mashed potatoes, collard greens, coleslaw or buttermilk biscuits.
Food safety
- Discard the used buttermilk brine; do not reuse it.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days; it is also good cold.
Reheating
- Reheat on a rack in a 200 °C oven for 15–20 minutes to re-crisp.
Variations
- Nashville hot chicken (United States): Brush the fried chicken with a paste of hot frying oil, cayenne and brown sugar.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Chicken pieces, skin-on, thighs, drumsticks and halved breasts, bone-in, skin-on1200 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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