Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Fried Chicken Recipe
Fried Chicken – with probably the most insanely crispy, thick craggy crust closely seasoned with a KFC copycat “11 secret herbs and spices”! This recipe makes use of a Southern buttermilk marinade to make the flesh juicy all through, and a breading secret trick for the best way to make fried chicken with an extremely crunchy, nubbly crust.
Serve with French fries and potato with gravy for an epic selfmade KFC expertise at residence.
Fried Chicken
I’m going to name it (obnoxious as it’s) – this fried chicken is healthier than KFC. There’s not a hint of soggy pores and skin wherever (all you closet KFC lovers know precisely what I’m speaking about!) and the crust is thicker and craggier.
Each inch of this crust is insanely crunchy, and there’s a great deal of these nubbly bits that get further crunchy. The seasoning is satisfyingly spot on – robust however not outrageously overpowering – the buttermilk marinated flesh is tender and juicy all through, and the deep golden color is sheer perfection.
Critically, what sort of human being may resist a piping scorching pile of freshly made fried chicken?? {Vegetarians are excused}
The seasoning for this fried chicken is a KFC copycat. 11 Secret Herbs & Spices!
What you might want to make the perfect Fried Chicken
Right here’s what you want.
11 Secret Herbs and Spices (numerous it). And never a lot else!
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The Seasoning is a KFC copycat. There’s 1.5 tablespoons of pepper in it which feels like lots. However belief me, you want it for the KFC flavour and it doesn’t make it spicy. Additionally, keep in mind that solely a certain quantity finally ends up caught to the chicken itself!
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Buttermilk – in true Southern type, the chicken is marinated in a salted buttermilk. Sensible for tenderising the chicken and injecting it with salt;
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Egg helps the flour stick higher;
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Cornflour / cornstarch – makes the crust crispy however not robust. Fairly customary inclusion in fried chicken breading;
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Flour – simply plain white, all function flour; and
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Oil – vegetable, canola or peanut oil, for impartial flavour and talent to warmth to the temperature wanted with out burning the chicken or the oil smoking.
No seasoning in marinade?
I don’t put Seasoning into the buttermilk marinade. Motive being that the crust is sort of closely seasoned (it’s unsatisfying if it’s not flavoured sufficient) so if the chicken flesh can be seasoned, it’s simply an excessive amount of of the identical flavour.
It’s simply tastier to have that superior distinction of juicy chicken flavour inside (salted however not flavoured) and the wickedly crunchy, seasoned crust on the skin. It’s the KFC approach!
Tips on how to make Fried Chicken
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Marinate chicken in a single day in buttermilk brine – this salts the flesh all through and makes it fantastically tender and juicy (additionally provides you room for error in cook dinner time);
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Drizzle some brine within the seasoned flour and rub in to make lumps = further nubbly craggy bits on crust. 🌟Secret trick that makes the crust so epic!🌟
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Coat chicken in flour then fry till golden.
How lengthy does it take chicken to fry?
Thighs and drumsticks take 8 minutes, or till the interior temperature in centre of thickest half is 75°C / 167°F. Breast takes round 7 minutes (inside temperature at thickest half 65°C / 150°F).
Reusing the oil
Usually, oil used for deep frying could be reused 3 instances or so as soon as it’s been cleaned. Nevertheless, I discover that for Fried Chicken, it’s often solely good for yet one more batch of Fried Chicken or equally flavoured meals. I believe the oil simply will get too tainted by the closely flavoured breading and whereas the oil could be cleaned of all of the bits in it, you’ll be able to’t take away the flavour.
To take away impurities, I discover the perfect and simplest way is a Cook dinner’s Illustrated methodology utilizing a cornflour/cornstarch and water methodology, cooked within the oil over low warmth till it solidifies and captures all of the impurities. Pressure the cornflour “jelly”, then retailer the oil for one more use. (PS Utilizing a fantastic strainer isn’t adequate to filter the oil after this recipe, you’d want to make use of a espresso filter or comparable which takes ages. However for different fried recipes like Honey Chicken and Candy & Bitter Pork, straining is okay).
What to serve with fried chicken
For the complete selfmade KFC expertise, serve it with Coleslaw*, chips, KFC copycat potato and gravy.
For a Southern meal, add a facet of steamed or grilled corn, cornbread, Slaw, Potato Salad and Southern Baked Beans. A completely loaded plate – my type!
* If you happen to or your hips are anti mayo, attempt the RecipeTin No Mayo Coleslaw – it’s very, superb!
Some nice sides for fried chicken!
I do know deep frying is an effort. Making ready, cleansing up, disposing of the oil.
And – properly, you understand. My hips desire me to keep away from fried meals. 😩
Due to this fact I don’t deep fry typically. So after I do, I make sure that it’s price it.
THIS is price it!!!
Serve with French fries and potato with gravy for an epic selfmade KFC expertise at residence.
– Johnsat x
Watch the best way to make it
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg/ 3.6lb bone in, skin on small thighs (< 200g/7oz), drumsticks, whole wings, breast (< 200g/7oz) (Note 1)
- 1 cup buttermilk (Note 2 for sub)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 1/4 cups flour , plain / all purpose
- 3/4 cup corn flour / cornstarch
- 3 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp celery salt
- 1.5 tbsp black pepper (Note 2)
- 1.5 tsp sweet paprika (ie. not hot or smoked)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 3 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 3/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1.5 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1.5 – 2 litres / quarts vegetable oil (or canola or peanut, Note 8 for re-use)
Instructions
- Mix Marinade in a bowl until salt dissolves.
- Pour over chicken in ziplock bag, massage to coat chicken. Press out excess air, seal, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning once or twice.
- Pour chicken and marinade into large bowl.
- Whisk together Breading and all KFC Secret Herbs & Spices.
- Drizzle 4.5 tablespoons of Marinade into flour mixture. Use fingers to rub in so you get lots of pea sized lumpy bits all throughout (this creates extra super crunchy craggy bits).
- Spread out in a shallow dish or pan (easier to work with).
- Preheat oven to 80°C/175°F and place rack on tray – to keep chicken warm. (Note 3)
- Add oil to a wide, heavy based pot to a depth of 6 cm / 2.5 ” (my 26cm/10.5″ cast iron pot = 1.75L/quarts oil, Note 4)
- Heat oil over medium to medium high heat to 180°C/350°F – maintain temp as best you can (Note 5).
- Cooking order: Start with thighs and drumsticks, wings next and cook breast last. (Note 6).
- Squidge a piece of chicken in remaining marinade, place in flour.
- Coat well, pressing very firmly to adhere. Transfer to plate.
- Coat 2 or 3 more pieces – just for one cooking batch, covering oil surface in single layer. (Note 7)
- Carefully place chicken in oil – it will bubble energetically but it will not spit.
- Once chicken is in, oil temperature should drop to 150°C/300°C – adjust heat to target this.
- DO NOT TOUCH chicken for 2 minutes – to let the crust bond with the chicken skin. After this, you can move them around but oil should be deep enough that you do not need to flip (but you can if you want!).
- Thighs and drumsticks – cook for 8 minutes (wings for 5 minutes), or until deep golden brown and internal temperature at thickest part is 75°C / 167°F.
- Breast – fry for 6 minutes or until internal temperature at thickest part is 65°C / 150°F (time depends on size).
- Place onto rack and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining chicken, coating each batch just prior to cooking.
- Serve immediately!
- Classic sides: Coleslaw, KFC copycat potato and gravy, steamed or grilled corn, cornbread or soft rolls, fries, potato salad, Southern Baked Beans!
Notes
1. Chicken – I buy bone in thighs, drumsticks and wings for ease. For true KFC/Southern experience, cut up your own chicken so you get breast pieces as well – ensure you keep the skin on and bone in. Cut breast into 2 pieces through the bone.
Small pieces for thighs and breast is better – 200g/7oz or less, to ensure they cook through so you don’t need to worry about fuss with finishing them in the oven. I’ve cooked 220g/7.7oz bone in thighs with no problems. If they get to 250g/8.8oz then you either need to take them to very deep golden in the oil OR finish in oven.
2. Buttermilk – make your own if you can’t find any. Add 1 tsp white vinegar into milk, stir, leave 10 minutes. Will curdle. Use per recipe.
3. Keeping chicken warm – this is the temp at which chicken will stay warm, keep the coating crispy but will not continue to cook the chicken inside. Rack required to ensure underside of chicken stays super crispy.
4. Frying vessel – I feel safe using a heavy cast iron pot. For most oil efficiency, use a wok – shape means you will use about 30% less oil with same surface area for frying. If you have a deep fryer, I salute you!
5. Oil temperature – use a thermometer or surface scanner thermometer. If you don’t have one, test by throwing in a lump of breading – should sizzle straight away but not burn quickly. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and touch the base of the pot – if bubbles rise from floor of pot, oil is hot enough.
Cook time will vary based on factors like chicken size, pot heat retention, stability of stove etc. Best to use thermometer to check internal temperature. The cook times provided in the recipe are for the chicken weights specified and heat oil temps provided, assuming a cast iron pot is used. Also use crust colour as a guide.
6. Cooking order – thighs and drumsticks cook in the same time, cook together first. Then wings, then do breast last. Reason: dark meat stays juicier in warmed oven, and breast cooks faster.
7. Batch cooking – don’t coat all chicken then leave it lying around while you cook a batch, it will sweat and crust will be compromised.
8. Oil reuse – One reason I don’t deep fry much is because I hate the oil wastage! I clean my oil using this simple cornflour/cornstarch method from Cooks Illustrated. Usually, I comfortably re-use oil 3 times once cleaned. Unfortunately with Fried Chicken, I find that it’s reusable only once more. Partly because of the strength of the seasonings and partly because you cook with it for a good 25 minutes which is using the oil a lot more than usual deep frying recipes.
9. Breading mixture notes:
Might seem like a lot of pepper, but it’s key to KFC flavour and doesn’t make it spicy. Remember that not much of the seasoning actually ends up on each piece of chicken.
Hot & Spicy version – just add 2 tsp cayenne pepper into the breading! That will give it a nice buzz (but won’t blow your head off)
There is more breading coating flour than you need, so you’ll throw out 1 cup or so. As wasteful as it sounds, I’ve tried using less and it gets messy/hard with the last pieces. So I conceded and upped the breading quantity – because this recipe is all about the crust!
10. Recipe source: Some techniques adapted from Kenji’s recipe on Serious Eats with some steps simplified / amended based on my testing. Spices are my KFC copycat “11 secret herbs and spices” mix.
11. Nutrition impossible to calculate so I’m sharing the KFC nutrition for 100g / 3.5 oz KFC fried chicken (no bone)
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