My Mississippi mama and big mama taught me the ropes on frying chicken, and this buttermilk fried chicken recipe is the best of the best. I let that chicken marinate until all those flavors infuse throughout. Then I fry the chicken up until golden and delish in a bomb seasoned flour. It’s got all that Southern flavor for sure with a nice kick of spice. It’s straight up a dream. The colonel could never!
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How to Make Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Step 1: Add buttermilk, Tabasco sauce, Worchershire sauce, salt and pepper to a heavy duty blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour the marinade into a large bowl or a ziptop bag then add chicken making sure to completely submerge then cover and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.
Step 2: When ready to fry, add flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, onion and garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne to a large dish or to a plastic bag and combine. Next, drizzle buttermilk into the flour mixture and use a fork to mix it in to create crumbs. Using tongs, remove one piece of chicken at a time and add to the flour. Coat thoroughly, shake off access then set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all pieces are on the tray then add to the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Add vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet or dutch oven about ¾ inch deep and heat to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and let it get back to room temperature for 10 minutes then add a few at a time to oil making sure you don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry for 13-15 minutes turning chicken halfway. T
Step 4: To make sure chicken is done, check for golden brown crunchy exterior and an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove and drain on paper towels or on wire racks. Add chicken to a preheated oven to stay warm while you complete the rest of the components.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup tabasco sauce
- 1 tbsp worcheshire sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 chicken pieces wings, legs, thighs or breasts
To Fry Chicken
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp buttermilk
Instructions
To Marinade
- Add buttermilk, Tabasco sauce, Worchershire sauce, salt and pepper to a heavy duty blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- Pour the marinade into a large bowl then add chicken making sure to completely submerge then cover and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.
To Fry
- When ready to fry, add flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, onion and garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne to a plastic bag and shake together until combined.
- Next, drizzle buttermilk into the flour mixture and use a fork to mix it in to create crumbs.
- Using tongs, remove one piece of chicken at a time and add to the flour bag. Coat thoroughly, shake off access then set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all pieces are on the tray then add to the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Add vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet or dutch oven about ¾ inch deep and heat to 350 degrees.
- Remove chicken from the refrigerator and let it get back to room temperature for 10 minutes then add a few at a time to oil making sure you don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry for 13-15 minutes turning chicken halfway. To make sure chicken is done, check for golden brown crunchy exterior and an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Remove and drain on paper towels. Add chicken to a preheated oven to stay warm while you complete the rest of the components.
Notes
For Storage
Allow the chicken to completely cool, wrap it well (with aluminum foil or plastic wrap) and store on the top shelf of the fridge. To reheat, let the chicken rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the chicken on the baking sheet, cover with another piece of foil to insulate and bake for 15-20 minutes.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Marinate AT LEAST 5 hours! BEST if overnight! The flavor will really get in that chicken if you give it as much time as you can.
- Bring your chicken back to room temperature before frying! Adding seriously cold chicken to hot oil can make the chicken cook unevenly or get soggy because it will bring the temp of the oil down.
- Let the chicken set for at least 15 minutes. This is my personal tip but I like doing this because it prevents the breading from slipping off your chicken.
- Don’t crowd the pieces in the pot: If you add too much chicken to the oil, it will bring down the temperature of the oil and cause it to be soggy.
Serving Suggestions
- Mashed potatoes with a homemade sawmill gravy are a hit with fried chicken.
- For heartier sides, this baked mac and cheese and this cornbread dressing are the perfect sides to serve with this.
- For some veggies, collard greens, turnip greens or mustard greens are the way to go!
- For a delish bread, I always go with Southern buttermilk cornbread or flaky biscuits.
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Recipe Help
My go-to substitute is to use a three-quarters cup of whole milk and a one-quarter cup of plain greek yogurt. The yogurt gives the milk enough acid to work in a similar manner.
You can use some visual clues such as the color of the chicken but the most accurate is to use an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken. It should register 170F when it’s cooked and ready, this will take about 15 minutes for the wings and breast pieces and 18 to 20 minutes for the legs and thighs.
More Fried Chicken Recipes
- Big Mama’s Classic Fried Chicken
- Sweet Tea Fried Chicken
- Fried Chicken Gizzards
- Fried Chicken Biscuits
- Chicken Fried Chicken
- Oven Fried Chicken Tenders
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
This buttermilk fried chicken recipe was originally published November 2016. It has been updated with new images and content.
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How would you adjust this recipe for chicken tenders?
Thanks!
No real adjustment necessary you can just replace with tenders.
I couldn’t find the Spanish smoked paprika so I am adding hot pepper jelly in place it. Wish me luck!
OK! This lady know what she is doing in the kitchen!!! I decided to change the way I fried chicken and wanted a new twist. I tried this recipe and Bam! It was off the chain! Fam totally enjoyed it! I’m getting ready to make it again! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
What brand of smoked paprika do you use? And where did you buy it? Thanks
Nina
This is the best fried chicken recipe! I’ve always messed up fried chicken…until now. My hubby loved it! Thanks.
Delicious. Totally mucked up and added all the drizzle ingredients to the marinade but it made it so tasty. Thank you – all that time was not wasted
Made this recipe this morning with waffles and it was AMAZING! My husband resorted to trying to steal the last wing right off my plate it was that good! Looking forward to using this again for brunch, dinner or any meal. Thank you!
This recipe is amazing!! I had to make it again and I love marinating the chicken in homemade buttermilk it so yummy I add garlic powder and onion powder. I love all her recipes I also made her Collard greens and I’m making her cornbread now. So yummy!!
What no mention of Harmony. Shame on you
Ok I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I’m really considering it bc it reminds me of cooking with my mawmaw back in the day in Alabama. U have some of the best southern recipes and I’ve made a few of them. Always perfection. Idk why I’ve waited so long for this one lol. Can’t wait to tell u how it went. Thanks again for stirring my memories!!
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