Fried Chicken Crispy Golden (Printable)
Achieve perfectly crispy, golden chicken with juicy, seasoned meat in under an hour using our classic buttermilk marinade technique.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 3.3 lbs chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, or mixed), skin-on, bone-in
→ Marinade
02 - 2 cups buttermilk
03 - 1 ½ teaspoons salt
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
06 - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
07 - 1 teaspoon black pepper
→ Coating
08 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 1 teaspoon paprika
10 - 1 teaspoon salt
11 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
12 - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
13 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
→ Frying
14 - Vegetable oil for deep frying (enough to submerge chicken)
# How to Cook:
01 - Whisk buttermilk with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper in a large bowl. Submerge chicken pieces completely. Cover and refrigerate minimum 2 hours, preferably overnight.
02 - Combine flour, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly to distribute spices evenly.
03 - Lift chicken from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Press each piece firmly into flour mixture, ensuring thick, even coating. Arrange on rack and rest 10 minutes.
04 - Pour oil into deep fryer or heavy pot. Heat to 350°F, monitoring with thermometer for accuracy.
05 - Lower chicken pieces into hot oil in small batches. Fry 12–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp with internal temperature reaching 165°F.
06 - Transfer fried chicken to wire rack or paper towels. Let rest 5 minutes before serving to maintain crispiness.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The buttermilk marinade works magic on the meat, making it impossibly tender while building layers of flavor that seep deep into every bite
- That coating stays impossibly crisp, the kind that shatters when you bite it and keeps its crunch even after the chicken has cooled
02 -
- Patience with the oil temperature makes or breaks this recipe—too cool and you get greasy chicken, too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks through
- That 10-minute resting period after dredging feels unnecessary but is actually what keeps your coating from sliding off during frying
03 -
- Room-temperature chicken fries more evenly than cold straight from the fridge, so let pieces sit out 20 minutes before cooking
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt over hot chicken immediately after draining for that final seasoning hit