Southern Fried Chicken

Name: Southern Fried Chicken
Prep time: 280 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 340 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Southern & Soul Food
Ingredients: 1.6 kg whole chicken (cut into 8 pieces: 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings); 480 ml buttermilk; 2 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce; 1 tbsp fine salt (for the buttermilk soak); 250 g all-purpose flour; 2 tsp fine salt (for the flour); 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 tsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper; 700 ml lard or vegetable shortening (enough for about 2 cm of fat in a 30 cm skillet)

Serves 4 · 340 min · Southern & Soul Food

Ingredients

1.6 kg whole chicken
480 ml buttermilk
2 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 tbsp fine salt
250 g all-purpose flour
2 tsp fine salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
700 ml lard or vegetable shortening

Method

01
Cut the chicken Cut the chicken into eight pieces: two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks and two wings, and pat them dry with paper towels.
02
Soak in buttermilk Whisk the buttermilk with the hot sauce and one tablespoon of salt in a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.
03
Season the flour In a wide shallow dish or a large paper bag, mix the flour with two teaspoons of salt, the black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.
04
Dredge the chicken Lift each piece out of the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, press it firmly into the seasoned flour on all sides, and set it on a wire rack to rest for fifteen minutes.
05
Heat the fat Melt the lard or shortening in a thirty centimetre cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches about one hundred seventy-five degrees Celsius.
06
Fry dark meat, covered Lay the thighs and drumsticks in the fat skin side down, cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium so the fat holds at about one hundred sixty degrees Celsius, and fry for eleven minutes.
07
Turn the dark meat Turn the thighs and drumsticks with tongs and fry them uncovered for another eleven minutes, until deep golden brown and the meat by the bone reads at least seventy-four degrees Celsius.
08
Drain the dark meat Move the dark meat onto a wire rack set over a tray to drain while you fry the rest.
09
Reheat the fat Turn the heat back up to medium-high and let the fat come back to about one hundred seventy-five degrees Celsius.
10
Fry white meat, covered Lay the breasts and wings in the fat skin side down, cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium, and fry for nine minutes.
11
Turn the white meat Turn the breasts and wings and fry them uncovered for about nine more minutes, taking the wings out after about six minutes once they are golden, and leaving the breasts in until the thickest part reads seventy-four degrees Celsius.
12
Rest and serve Let all the chicken rest on the rack for five minutes before serving so the crust sets and the juices settle.

Method

Cut the chicken

Cut the chicken into eight pieces: two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks and two wings, and pat them dry with paper towels.

Leave the skin on and the bones in. The bone keeps the meat juicy during the long fry.

Soak in buttermilk

Whisk the buttermilk with the hot sauce and one tablespoon of salt in a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.

Overnight is even better. If you cannot find buttermilk, stir one tablespoon of lemon juice into the same amount of whole milk and let it stand ten minutes.

Soak in buttermilk · 240 min

Season the flour

In a wide shallow dish or a large paper bag, mix the flour with two teaspoons of salt, the black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.

Dredge the chicken

Lift each piece out of the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, press it firmly into the seasoned flour on all sides, and set it on a wire rack to rest for fifteen minutes.

Resting lets the flour hydrate into a paste so the crust stays on the chicken instead of falling off in the skillet.

Dredge the chicken · 15 min

Heat the fat

Melt the lard or shortening in a thirty centimetre cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches about one hundred seventy-five degrees Celsius.

Without a thermometer, drop in a pinch of flour. It should sizzle right away but not burn or smoke.

Heat the fat · 10 min

Fry dark meat, covered

Lay the thighs and drumsticks in the fat skin side down, cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium so the fat holds at about one hundred sixty degrees Celsius, and fry for eleven minutes.

Do not crowd the pan. The fat should come about halfway up the pieces, and the lid helps steam the meat through to the bone.

Fry dark meat, covered · 11 min

Turn the dark meat

Turn the thighs and drumsticks with tongs and fry them uncovered for another eleven minutes, until deep golden brown and the meat by the bone reads at least seventy-four degrees Celsius.

If you have no thermometer, pierce near the bone. The juices should run clear with no pink.

Turn the dark meat · 11 min

Drain the dark meat

Move the dark meat onto a wire rack set over a tray to drain while you fry the rest.

Reheat the fat

Turn the heat back up to medium-high and let the fat come back to about one hundred seventy-five degrees Celsius.

Reheat the fat · 3 min

Fry white meat, covered

Lay the breasts and wings in the fat skin side down, cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium, and fry for nine minutes.

Fry white meat, covered · 9 min

Turn the white meat

Turn the breasts and wings and fry them uncovered for about nine more minutes, taking the wings out after about six minutes once they are golden, and leaving the breasts in until the thickest part reads seventy-four degrees Celsius.

Breasts dry out if overcooked, so start checking them a minute or two early.

Turn the white meat · 9 min

Rest and serve

Let all the chicken rest on the rack for five minutes before serving so the crust sets and the juices settle.

Rest and serve · 5 min

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients

Method

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