Description
Country fried chicken brings crispy, golden-brown chicken to your dinner table with a simple breading technique and pan-frying method that gives you tender, juicy meat inside every time. Your family gets restaurant-quality results at home when you dredge the cutlets in seasoned flour and cook them until they’re perfectly browned and cooked through.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 large eggs, whisked
Wet Coating:
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil
Dry Coating:
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cup plain or Italian breadcrumbs
- 2.5 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 teaspoons black pepper
- 0.75 teaspoon paprika
- 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Pound your 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to ½ inch thickness, then pat them dry with paper towels.
- Whisk together 2 cups buttermilk, 2 large eggs, and 3 teaspoons salt in a bowl until combined.
- Submerge your chicken pieces in the buttermilk mixture and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or leave them overnight if your schedule allows.
- Remove your chicken from the refrigerator 25 to 30 minutes before frying so it reaches room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, combine 1½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup breadcrumbs, 2½ teaspoons seasoned salt, ¾ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1½ teaspoons black pepper.
- Heat 1½ cups vegetable oil to 350°F in your cast iron skillet.
- Coat each chicken breast with your breading mixture right before it enters the hot oil, shaking off any excess coating.
- Place your chicken into the hot oil and fry for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side until golden brown.
- Flip your chicken and fry for 4 to 5 minutes more until the second side turns golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Transfer your cooked chicken to a wire rack so the excess oil drains away while it rests before serving.
Notes
- Pounding your chicken to an even thickness helps it cook uniformly so no piece ends up dry while another stays undercooked.
- Letting your breaded chicken rest at room temperature for about 25 minutes before it hits the hot oil makes a real difference in how crispy the coating gets.
- Drain your fried chicken on a wire rack instead of paper towels so air circulates underneath and keeps the bottom from getting soggy.
- If your family follows a gluten-free diet, swap regular flour for a gluten-free all-purpose blend in the breading mixture and the results stay just as crunchy.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
- Category: More Fried Chicken
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 590 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 1950 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 29 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 165 mg