Name: Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
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)

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

Craving More Chicken? Try These Recipes:

Originally shared Feb 2012. Updated with video and pictures, recipe unchanged.

30-Minute One-Pot Meals Cookbook by Joanna Cismaru

Comments

Diana says

September 8, 2020 at 6:29 am

How would I make this in an air fryer?

Reply
- jo says
  
  September 8, 2020 at 9:20 am
  
  You can follow this recipe here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/air-fryer-fried-chicken/
  
  Reply
Cynthia says

August 6, 2020 at 9:55 pm

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.

Reply
Tina E. says

July 1, 2020 at 4:23 pm

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?

Reply
- Jo Cooks Team says
  
  July 2, 2020 at 9:55 am
  
  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.
  
  Reply
Denise says

May 9, 2020 at 2:19 pm

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.

Reply
- Jo Cooks Team 2 says
  
  May 11, 2020 at 10:26 am
  
  Nope! It’s done that way for a reason 🙂 Wet wont stick to wet! It also gives the chicken an extra crispy coating.
  
  Reply
Sam H. says

January 19, 2020 at 1:13 pm

Doesn’t dark and white meat need different cooking times? I’m using a deep fryer for the first time.

Reply
- Jo Cooks Team says
  
  January 20, 2020 at 11:18 am
  
  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.
  
  Reply
Tonee says

December 5, 2019 at 6:04 pm

Can you make this without eggs? We have an egg allergy at home. Would love to try this recipe w/o eggs if possible.

Reply
- Jo Cooks Team says
  
  December 6, 2019 at 11:51 am
  
  Yes you can!
  
  Reply
IAS Coaching In Delhi says

November 27, 2019 at 1:49 am

Any hot sauce you love best will work!

Reply
Bob O says

September 8, 2019 at 5:33 pm

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!

Reply
- Jo Cooks Team says
  
  September 9, 2019 at 9:47 am
  
  Wow what a wonderful compliment! Thank you so much, Bob. We’re glad they’re such a hit.
  
  Reply