Fried Chicken
on Aug 03, 2023, Updated Jun 28, 2024
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This crunchy and juicy Fried Chicken recipe is so flavorful and delicious, you’ll have a hard time believing it’s homemade! This warm and comforting dish can be made with just six ingredients in less than 30 minutes.
Fried chicken is my all-time favorite comfort dish! I love that it’s so crispy, juicy, flavorful, and versatile. Pair this fried chicken with a few simple sides and call it a day, turn it into a saucy chicken sandwich, or add it to your favorite salads, pastas, and pizzas!
Fried Chicken
This surprisingly easy dish can be prepped, cooked, and ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes. It is the perfect meal for busy weeknights or unexpected dinner guests.
We Love This Recipe Because It…
- Is crunchy, juicy, hearty, and comforting.
- Pairs well with so many different dipping sauces and side dishes.
- Stays fresh in the fridge and reheats well for a quick lunch.
- Can be made with just six common ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breasts—Sliced into strips or palm-sized chunks.
- All-Purpose Flour—Gives the finished fried chicken the perfect amount of bready crunch.
- Eggs—Helps the flour mixture stick to the chicken breast.
- Milk—Keeps the chicken juicy and tender.
- Spices—A fragrant and flavorful blend of garlic powder, paprika, and salt.
- Vegetable Oil—For frying.
How to Make Crispy Fried Chicken
- Use a paper towel to pat dry the surface of each piece of chicken. Set aside.
- In a shallow dish (like a pie plate), whisk together the flour, salt, paprika, and garlic powder.
- In a second shallow dish, beat together the eggs and milk until homogenous.
- Dip each piece of chicken first in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, and finally back in the flour mixture.
- Gently drop the breaded chicken into a pot of hot oil. Fry until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F and the breading is a deep golden brown.
- Allow any excess oil to drip off the chicken before serving. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
I find that this fried chicken recipe is so good because it’s simple! It’s crunchy, juicy, and just lightly seasoned. Another tried and true way to ensure that your fried chicken is perfect is to marinate your chicken before breading it. Try letting the chicken breast sit for 30-60 minutes in buttermilk or pickle juice.
It’s believed that the milk in this southern fried chicken recipe helps to break down the chicken slightly, making it extra tender and juicy. The longer you let the chicken soak in the milk, the more flavorful and moist it’ll be.
I find that this easy fried chicken recipe turns out crispy and crunchy every time! However, if you like your chicken to be super crunchy, you can always add some cornstarch or a small amount of powdered sugar to the breading. Alternatively, you can double bread your chicken to create a super thick and crispy coating.
How to Serve and Store the Best Southern Fried Chicken
This fresh and crispy deep-fried chicken is one of my favorite dinners to make because it pairs well with so many fun side dishes! Go the casual route and serve this chicken with a side of French fries or tater tots, julienned raw vegetables, and your favorite dipping sauce. Alternatively, you can dress this entrée up by pairing it with mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed vegetables, and homemade dinner rolls.
I doubt you’ll have any of this juicy fried chicken leftover, but if you do, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I find that this dish is best reheated in a 375°F air fryer for 4 minutes. You can eat your leftover southern fried chicken plain or use it as the protein in salads, burritos, sandwiches, or on pizzas!
Expert Tips and Tricks
- If you don’t have any vegetable oil or are looking for a healthier alternative, you can fry this chicken in any high-heat oil! Avocado oil and coconut oil are some of my other favorite frying oils.
- The best way to know if your oil is hot enough is to use a thermometer. When the oil reaches 325°F, it’s ready to go! If you don’t have a thermometer, simply stick a wooden spoon into the hot oil. If bubbles form around the wood, the oil is ready for frying.
- Give this fried chicken a bit of extra tang by swapping out the whole milk for buttermilk.
- I love dipping this easy fried chicken in a tangy sauce! Buffalo sauce, chipotle aioli, ranch, and creamy barbecue are a few of my favorites.
More Recipes
If you’ve tried this Fried Chicken recipe or any other recipe on Bless This Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.
Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, (cut into 3 pieces each)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, (
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 4-5 inches of oil. Heat the oil over medium heat.
- Pat each chicken breast dry and cut them into 3 medium sized pieces so you have 6 pieces.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, salt, paprika, and garlic powder. In a separate shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk until homogenous.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the flour mixture before dredging the meat in the egg mixture and the flour mixture one more time. Ensure that each piece of chicken is thoroughly coated in the flour.
- Gently place half of the chicken in the oil and fry for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Make sure that your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you do not have vegetable oil you can use canola or peanut oil instead. Mainly you just want to make sure you are using a high heat oil that will not affect the taste of the chicken too much.
- This fried chicken is best served fresh, but can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat your chicken in the microwave until warm all the way through.
- Cutting each chicken breast into 3 pieces makes them the perfect serving size and also helps the chicken cook all the way through by the time the chicken is golden brown and crispy.
- This fried chicken is great served with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, fries, etc.
- It can also be used to make a great chicken sandwich.
- Other spices you can use include dill, red pepper flakes, tabasco sauce, and onion powder.
- Cooking chicken breast is much easier than cooking whole bone-in chicken but you can use this same method for cooking whole chicken pieces like legs or thighs. Just note that it takes a lot longer for those pieces to cook through when frying. It’s going to take about 12-15 minutes of frying to cook a pieces of bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh. I recommend an instant read thermometer for checking the internal temperature of meat when frying for accuracy.
Nutrition
You are going to love my recipe for Fried Chicken. I can’t wait for you to try this easy and delicious dish!
