Food
Southern-Style Pan-Fried Chicken
This makes two large chicken breasts, more or less.
If you find you're short of flour, multiply the ingredient amounts by 1.5×.
Ingredients
Marinade
| Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breasts | 2 | 2 |
| Buttermilk | 475 mL | 2 cups |
| Egg | 1 | 1 |
| Paprika, smoked | 4—4.5 g | 1½ tsp |
| Onion powder | 1–1.5 g | ¾ tsp |
| Garlic powder | 4–4.5 g | 1½ tsp |
| Cayenne pepper | 0.25–0.5 g | ¼ tsp |
| Hot sauce | Dash | Dash |
| Honey | 10 mL | 1½ tsp |
| Dijon mustard | 10 mL | 1½ tsp |
| Black pepper | 3–4 g | 1½ tsp |
| MSG (optional but recommended) | 0.5–1 g | ⅛–¼ tsp |
| Worcestershire sauce (optional) | 2.5–5 mL | ½–1 tsp |
Dredge
| Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 240 g | 2 cups |
| Cornstarch (optional for extra brittle crust) | 16 g | 2 tbsp |
| Kosher salt | 12 g | 2 tsp |
| Paprika, smoked | 4–5 g | 2 tsp |
| Black pepper | 3–4 g | 1½ tsp |
| Garlic powder | 3 g | 1 tsp |
| Onion powder | 2.5 g | 1 tsp |
| Cayenne pepper | 1–2 g, to taste | ½–1 tsp, to taste |
| Dried thyme | 0.5 g | ½ tsp |
| Dried oregano | 0.5 g | ½ tsp |
| White pepper (optional) | 0.5 g | ½ tsp |
| MSG (optional but recommended) | 2–3 g | ½ tsp |
Oil
You'll want about 1–1½ cm / ½ inch of neutral frying oil in a heavy skillet.
Peanut oil is fantastic, but vegetable/canola is completely fine.
Preparation
Marinating the chicken
Combine ingredients of the marinade. For best results, add the honey in slowly, and whilst it is warm.
If your breasts are large, butterfly them, and cut them in half. Pound them until they are about ¾ inch / 3 cm thick. This is important, or the breasts won't cook thoroughly.
Place the marinade and breasts into a plastic container. Marinade overnight or preferably at least 8 hours, but for best results, no more than 24 hours.
Dredging the chicken
Mix your dredge mix thoroughly.
Here's a Southern-fried-chicken secret: dribble about 2–3 tablespoons or 45 mL of the buttermilk marinade into the flour, then toss it around with your fingertips. You'll create little irregular flour clumps. Those clumps adhere to the chicken and become those glorious crunchy crags and flakes. This is the difference between chicken with flour on it and real fried chicken.
Take each piece directly from the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, then aggressively press it into the flour. Flip, press again, and really pack the flour onto it.
Then put the breaded pieces on a rack or plate and leave them alone for 10–15 minutes. This hydrates the flour slightly and helps the coating adhere.
Frying
Heat about ½ inch / 1–1½ cm oil in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet to roughly 340–350°F / 170–175°C.
Add chicken without crowding the pan.
With boneless chicken, you're probably looking at roughly 3–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
Don't obsess over the clock; maintain the oil around 325–350°F / 165–175°C and use a thermometer in the meat.
Pull it when the thickest part reaches about 160–165°F / 71–74°C. If you pull around 160°F and let it rest, carryover cooking should finish the job nicely; 165°F is the simple conservative target.
Drain it on a wire rack, not paper towels. Paper traps steam against the bottom and reduces crunchiness.
Then, while it's still ripping hot, give it a tiny additional sprinkle of salt.
Serving
I recommend serving this with cornbread, corn, grits, biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, greens, mac and cheese, green beans, or any other variety of southern food.