This is the BEST EVER Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe! Super juicy and tender on the inside yet crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor! Perfect for lunch or dinner and served with a side salad.
Everybody loves fried chicken! We’re talking crispy, juicy, flavorful chicken. Whether you’re using drumsticks, wings, or breast, I’ve got you covered with this buttermilk coating full of crunchy ripples that you’re just dying to sink your teeth in. That first bite is what gets you and keeps you wanting more!
This recipe is one of the first things that I learned to make because of its simplicity. Although it’s easy, most of us are afraid of making fried chicken at home because of the coating and the frying. With my simple buttermilk coating, you can’t fail and will end up with delicious and ultra crispy pieces of chicken every time!
Ingredients
For this recipe you will need:
- Chicken (wings, thighs, drums, breasts, or a mix)
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Paprika
- Hot sauce
- Salt & pepper
- Baking powder
- All purpose flour
- Vegetable oil
While I used vegetable oil, there are lots of great alternatives that you can use instead. We basically want a nice and light tasting oil that won’t overpower the flavor of the breading. This includes: peanut, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, and soybean oils.
You can also use gluten-free flour for this recipe! We don’t need any gluten formation for the breading, no one is looking for chewy or soft fried chicken. We want crunchy all the way! GF flour will work perfectly.
What Does Buttermilk Do for Fried Chicken?
Buttermilk is the slightly acidic liquid left behind after heavy cream is churned into butter. This acidity creates and extra tender chicken and crispy breading. It will also give your chicken some extra tang which will really bring out the flavors in the breading!
You can also marinate your chicken in buttermilk for a few hours to tenderize it. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own using 2 cups of regular milk, and 2 tbsp of either lemon juice or white vinegar.
How to Make Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Prepare the chicken: If you prefer, you can wash your chicken pieces. Pat the pieces with paper towel to make sure they’re dry.
- Prepare the buttermilk and flour: In a large bowl mix the buttermilk, eggs, paprika, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Once everything is smooth, whisk in the baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour to a shallow dish.
- Dredge the chicken: Toss the chicken in the flour and make sure it’s covered well. Then dip it into the buttermilk until it’s fully coated. Coat it in flour once more, and set it aside on a plate or rack. Repeat until all your pieces of chicken are dredged.
- Fry the chicken: While you dredge the chicken, you can heat up your oil. Fill a deep skillet or dutch oven about 1-2 inches with oil. Heat the oil to 350 F. Fry the chicken with enough space between pieces that they won’t stick together. Fry for bout 7 minutes, flip, then fry for 3-5 minutes on the other side until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Rest the chicken: Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towel and let the pieces rest for 10 minutes. Serve, and enjoy!
How Do You Know When the Chicken Is Fully Cooked Inside?
If unsure if your chicken is cooked inside, always use an instant-read thermometer and inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, it should have an internal temperature of 165 F degrees.
The first side will take longer to cook, about 7 min, and the second side will cook faster, 3 to 5 minutes, so be patient and let the chicken cook properly.
Some Tips
- Season the buttermilk coating generously! I love to use paprika and hot sauce in mine, but don’t be afraid to add herbs to it such as thyme, basil or oregano!
- Don’t skip the eggs in the buttermilk mixture, because the eggs help the flour coating stick to the chicken.
- Use a thermometer for your oil. This will give you a much more accurate temperature resulting in the perfect crispy chicken.
- Use a deep skillet or a Dutch oven for frying. The higher the sides of the frying skillet, the less splattering.
- Use tongs to remove chicken from the hot oil and always hold the fried chicken for about 10 seconds over the hot oil so excess oil can drip back. Always place your chicken on a plate lined with paper towels so the excess oil can be absorbed.
Can I Make Fried Chicken in the Oven?
You can! It won’t turn out quite as crispy, but it is possible.
Preheat your oven to 425 F. After dredging, let the chicken pieces sit for about 10 minutes until the dredge becomes sticky. Spritz both sides of the chicken pieces with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flip, and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is browned and crisp
Leftovers
Fried chicken will last 3-4 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer stored in an airtight container. After reheating, the chicken will not be quite as crisp as it was fresh. Follow these steps to get it as crispy as possible:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. For refrigerated chicken, allow the pieces to sit at room temp for 30 minutes. For frozen chicken, allow the pieces to thaw in the fridge overnight, then let them sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
- Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet, then loosely cover the pieces with another piece of foil. Bake for 20 minutes. If you want it a bit crispier, remove the top piece of foil and bake for 5 additional minutes.
How To Serve
- Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
- Baked Mac And Cheese
- Mashed Potatoes
- Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Classic Potato Salad
Craving More Chicken? Try These Recipes:
- Bang Bang Chicken
- Chipotle Popcorn Chicken
- Coconut Chicken
- Chicken Poppers
- Cuban Chicharrones de Pollo
- Shanghai Chicken
- Harissa Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
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Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings chicken legs, thighs or chicken breast
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Wash the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Prepare the buttermilk mixture and flour: To a large bowl add the buttermilk, eggs, paprika, hot sauce, salt, pepper and whisk until combined. Whisk in the baking powder and baking soda. In a shallow dish add the flour.
- Dredge the chicken: First dredge the chicken in the flour on all sides, then dip into the buttermilk mixture and make sure it’s coated well all around. Dredge the chicken in flour one more time, then place the chicken on a plate or rack, and repeat with all chicken pieces. If your flour gets too dirty just throw it out and start with fresh flour.
- Set up frying station: Add enough oil to a deep skillet or Dutch oven, at least an inch deep and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 F degrees. It should take about 15 minutes.
- Fry the chicken: Place a few pieces of chicken in the skillet but make sure they do not touch, you want about 1 inch space in between them. For 1 lb of chicken you will have to do this in a 2 batches. Fry on the first side for about 7 minutes or until golden brown, then flip the chicken and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes on the second side. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F degrees, or a total of 12 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up some of the oil. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. For refrigerated chicken, allow the pieces to sit at room temp for 30 minutes. For frozen chicken, allow the pieces to thaw in the fridge overnight, then let them sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
- Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet, then loosely cover the pieces with another piece of foil. Bake for 20 minutes. If you want it a bit crispier, remove the top piece of foil and bake for 5 additional minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Originally shared Feb 2012. Updated with video and pictures, recipe unchanged.
Love this recipe! I use it with boneless, skinless chicken breast for chicken burgers. Thanks for sharing!
How would I make this in an air fryer?
You can follow this recipe here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/air-fryer-fried-chicken/
My grandma made the best fried chicken ever! It was a multi day process. First was the buttermilk marinade for at least 24 hours. Then, she would put the dredge (flour mixture) in a paper bag; throw the marinated chicken pieces in the bag and shake the bag to high heaven. If she had the time she would return to the fridge and shake again after a couple of hours (rinse & repeat time permitting). To this day, the BEST fried chicken I’ve ever had. This recipe comes the closest to what I remember my grandma put in her recipe. Unfortunately, she never wrote it down.
If I marinate the chicken in buttermilk prior to the dredging process, do you recommend that I should still pat the chicken dry before dredging it in the flour or should I just skip the drying part?
The important part here is the buttermilk mixed with the baking soda and powder. Don’t marinate the chicken with those ingredients added- the bubbles will eventually die and your crispiness will be defeated. Marinate in some buttermilk if you’d like, rinse & pat dry, then you can reuse the buttermilk to whip up our buttermilk mixture fresh.
Question: your recipe calls for placing chicken pieces in flour, dip in buttermilk then back into flour. Should you not dip the chicken pieces in buttermilk first then flour? Otherwise how will the flour stick to the chicken if you have patted it dry.
Nope! It’s done that way for a reason 🙂 Wet wont stick to wet! It also gives the chicken an extra crispy coating.
Doesn’t dark and white meat need different cooking times? I’m using a deep fryer for the first time.
It’s more bone-in versus boneless that need different cooking times when it comes to frying. You can use an instant-read thermometer to check your chicken’s doneness if you’re worried; 165F is safe for poultry.
Can you make this without eggs? We have an egg allergy at home. Would love to try this recipe w/o eggs if possible.
Yes you can!
Any hot sauce you love best will work!
I have made this recipe for the past few years. Every Superbowl, I make chicken wings using this recipe. My wife, of 44 years, who has never liked my chicken wings, tried these the first year I tried this new recipe. She went back for seconds and thirds. She now makes sure I make these wings more often then just for the superbowl!
This is, hands down, the most flavorful fried chicken recipe that I have ever made, or had anywhere else!
Wow what a wonderful compliment! Thank you so much, Bob. We’re glad they’re such a hit.