Chicken Fried Chicken

Chicken Fried Chicken, sometimes known as Country Fried Chicken, is the ultimate Southern comfort food! Tender, juicy chicken is coated in a perfectly seasoned breading and fried until deliciously crisp!! Served with a smooth and peppery gravy, this outrageous chicken recipe is to die for!

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A close up of chicken fried chicken cut with a fork going into it to serve with mashed potatoes and green beans on a plate

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Perks and Highlights

Cuisine Inspiration: Southern comfort with a capital “S”! This dish is all about home, heart, and heaps of flavor, y’all!

Primary Cooking Method: Fryin’! We’re talkin’ a golden, crispy symphony played in hot, bubbling oil. It’s the Southern way, darlings!

Dietary Info: Let’s break it down: there’s chicken, there’s flour, there’s love. It’s a comfort food classic, so this dance is best saved for cheat days or soulful Sundays.

Key Flavor: Savory with a capital CRUNCH. This chicken is a harmonious melody of spices, tender loving care, and that oh-so-satisfying crispy texture. If you love Chicken Fried Steak, you will love this!

Skill Level: Got a skillet? Got chicken? Got a love for all things crispy and comforting? Then you’re ready! This recipe is newbie-friendly but leaves plenty of room for the frying virtuosos to strut their stuff.

Special Perks:

  1. Crispy Golden Goodness: – This isn’t just any old crunch; it’s the “hear it across the room” kind of crisp that dreams are made of.
  2. Juicy on the Inside: – Fear dry chicken no more! We’re talking succulent, fork-tender chicken that’s been kissed by the flavor gods.
  3. Spice Symphony: – The seasoning isn’t just a blend; it’s a full-on flavor concert where every spice is a star soloist.
  4. Gravy’s BFF: – Whether you’re a gravy guru or a sauce newbie, this chicken is the perfect canvas for your saucy creations.
  5. Family Love Fest: – It’s not just a meal; it’s a memory maker, guaranteed to get the fam around the table faster than you can say “It’s fry time!”

Country Fried Chicken Recipe

This Country Fried Chicken Recipe, or โ€œchicken fried chickenโ€, is one of my familyโ€™s favorite dinner time meals! We almost always have a package of chicken lying around at the end of the week and this is usually what it gets made into. 

To make it, we simply use our classic chicken fried steak recipe and use chicken breasts (sometimes thighs) instead! Itโ€™s super easy to make, very comforting, and itโ€™s smothered in gravy. Whatโ€™s not to love? 

Chicken breasts, a milk mixture of hot sauce and eggs and spices and flour on a separate bowl

The Best Batter

Hot Tip: To make a flavorful batter that produces a deliciously crispy crust, start with a buttermilk bath! Ingredients like hot sauce and worcestershire sauce add additional flavor that gets right into the meat before you add flour to it!

This seasoned dredge is to die for!  The ingredients that really take it over the top are:

  • Cornstarch โ€“ it adds such an incredibly crispy texture whenever it is added to fry breadings!!
  • Kosher salt + freshly cracked black pepper 
  • Garlic Powder- add a little onion powder too for some extra flavor! 
  • Cayenne โ€“ this kick of spice is nice yโ€™all! Not a fan? Try smoked paprika instead! 
Ingredients for country fried steak: Chicken breasts, eggs, spices, and chicken stock against a white background

How To Make Chicken Fried Chicken

Frying can be intimidating and often, super messy. But with a little confidence, and a whole lot of practice, youโ€™ll find that the process is quite simple. 

Chicken fried chicken is best when deep-fried until beautifully golden-brown and crisp. To get there, hereโ€™s what youโ€™ll have to do: 

Fry in a Dutch Oven 

Frying in a shallow pan will cause overflow. Prevent a hot mess by using a deep Dutch oven, a deep cast-iron skillet or even a heavy-bottomed stock pot. 

A chicken breast being floured in a seasoned flour mixture

Set Up a Fry Station 

Being prepared is the best way to prevent a dangerously chaotic situation. At the center of your fry station should be your Dutch oven, to left, the prepped and ready-to-fry chicken and to the right, a cooling rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Be sure to also have stainless-steel tongs or a spider strainer for lowering and removing the chicken from the pot. 

Use a Thermometer

You canโ€™t rely on the chickenโ€™s coating color to determine doneness. Youโ€™ll need to monitor the temperature of your oil using a deep-fry thermometer; the oil should remain at a steady 350 degrees. After about 15 minutes, the chicken should reach an internal temp of 165 degrees. 

Cool Before Serving 

After draining the fried chicken, cool the chicken for at least 10 minutes. Proper cooling will set the crust and ensure that the meat is fully cooked and settled. 

Fried chicken breasts on a baking sheet with a skillet making gravy with garlic and shallots nearby

Homemade Country Gravy 

This creamy country gravy has bits of onion, garlic and spice. Most country fried chicken or chicken fried chicken dishes are served with a white gravy, which is a bit thinner than a traditional brown gravy. By adding a few spices and browning the roux, we add both more flavor and color. You can opt for a lighter gravy but I just love adding an extra layer of decadence. 

No matter what way you choose to make it, I promise you that this will be crazy delicious. The gravyโ€™s texture is smooth and rich, donโ€™t even get me started on the way it coats my garlic mashed potatoes

What To Serve with It

Country-style chicken is typically served on a bed of pillowy mashed potatoes and then smothered with creamy white or brown gravy. A side of green beans couldnโ€™t hurt either. 

Here are a few other odds and ends I like to serve with this recipe: 

Chicken fried chicken on a blue plate with white gravy being poured over the top

Leftover Storage and Reheating

Allow the leftover fried chicken to cool completely, then line an airtight container with paper towels and carefully transfer it in. The paper towels will absorb any condensation and keep the chicken crisp. Leftover chicken will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

To reheat: Let the chicken sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer to 375 degrees. Arrange the chicken in a single layer and cook until heated through, flipping once to ensure even cooking. 

This will take about 4-5 minutes in the air fryer and 10-15 minutes in the oven or toaster oven. Just be sure to stick close by, you donโ€™t want those precious leftovers to burn! 

Check out More of Best Chicken Dinners! 

A close up of chicken fried chicken cut with a fork going into it to serve with mashed potatoes and green beans on a plate

Chicken Fried Chicken

Chicken Fried Chicken is tender, juicy chicken coated in a perfectly seasoned breading and fried until deliciously crisp and Served with a smooth and peppery gravy.
5 from 13 votes
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 4 chicken breasts pounded
  • 4-5 cups oil for frying

For the Gravy:

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock
  • pinch cayenne
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional: Ground pepper and parsley for garnish

Instructions

For the Chicken:

  • To a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
  • To another bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne.
  • Submerge chicken to buttermilk and marinate for at least 1 hour. (2 hours preferred.)
  • Dip chicken, one at a time, into seasoned flour mixture coating each side then back into marinade then back into seasoned flour then finally place on a baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  • Add oil to cast iron skillet or frying pan and heat oven medium high heat. Also preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  • Once oil is hot and ready, fry each chicken piece on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels then place steaks on parchment covered baking sheets and put in the oven while you make the gravy.

For the gravy:

  • Add 1/4 cup of the oil from frying to a saute pan over medium.
  • Add in shallots or onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
  • Next stir in flour and cook creating a roux (think a delicious light brown color). Cook until browned (but not burned).
  • Stir in milk and stock and turn heat up to high heat until boiling then turn heat down to medium low and allow to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon then stir in the cayenne if using.
  • Turn off heat and spoon gravy on top of steaks. Sprinkle with ground pepper and parsley and serve hot with mashed potatoes if you prefer.

Video

Notes

Leftover Storage and Reheating

Allow the leftover fried chicken to cool completely, then line an airtight container with paper towels and carefully transfer it in. The paper towels will absorb any condensation and keep the chicken crisp. Leftover chicken will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.ย 
To reheat: Let the chicken sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer to 375 degrees. Arrange the chicken in a single layer and cook until heated through, flipping once to ensure even cooking.ย 
This will take about 4-5 minutes in the air fryer and 10-15 minutes in the oven or toaster oven. Just be sure to stick close by, you donโ€™t want those precious leftovers to burn!ย 

Nutrition

Calories: 752kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 301mg | Sodium: 1871mg | Potassium: 1389mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 680IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 232mg | Iron: 4mg
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Filed Under:  Chicken, Dinner, Main Dishes, Stovetop

Comments

  1. I love at the end it suggests different cuts of steaks for the chicken fried chicken I had to check myself real quick. Canโ€™t wait to try tonight.

  2. My son is a fried chicken CRAZY PERSON! He loves it! Finally found a recipe I can make at home that he approves of!

  3. I’ve always been a bit intimidated to deep fry on the stove top, but this chicken convinced me to do it and I was not disappointed. It turned out perfect!

  4. My husband went crazy over this the flavors in the coating alone were fabulous no less this scrumptious gravy!

  5. We had this for dinner last night and it was amazing! Total comfort food that we will be making over and over again!

  6. thank you for this recipe, great flavors, and haven’t had this dish in years, and certainly don’t have a good recipe for it, so much appreciated!

5 from 13 votes

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