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Who doesn’t love crispy, juicy fried chicken? I’ve made tons of different variations over the years and this Easy Fried Chicken is simply that – the easiest way to make juicy, crispy fried chicken with only one simple seasoning mix (no need to do all the separate dredging steps with egg)! And the best part is – it’s super delicious! Pair it with your favorite sauce, like my Raising Cane’s Sauce!
Watch the Easy Fried Chicken Recipe Video Below!
INGREDIENT TipS
Brining for Juicy, Tender Chicken
MILK BRINE
The lactic acid in dairy breaks down the proteins and collagen in the chicken, which softens the flesh and will make it more tender when cooked. By piercing the chicken, you’re allowing the dairy to reach farther in and tenderize more of the meat! If you don’t have milk, water brining is still better than nothing. (Brining is optional but I always recommend it, if you have the time!)
INGREDIENT TipS
My Secret for the Best Fried Chicken Breading
FLOUR + CORNSTARCH + BAKING POWDER
My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.) The baking powder reacts with the oil and creates tiny air bubbles, which also helps form a crispy coating. Traditionally, some cooks will recommend using sparkling water or egg but I think my mix works even better (and saves you time & extra steps!)
Key Tip
Frying Tips
I highly recommend using two tools for the best frying experience:
- an infrared thermometer to easily check the temperature of your oil during heating and frying
- a heavy bottomed pot like a dutch oven that retains heat well
For the best frying experience:
- The ideal oil temperature after the chicken is in the oil should be 325-350°F.
- If you see the oil drop below 325°F on the first fry, remove the chicken and turn the heat up until it reaches at least 325°F.
- Do not overcrowd your pot and risk oil bubbling over!! It is better to fry in batches than trying to fry all of the chicken at once and risk 1. the oil temperature dropping below 325°F and 2. the oil bubbling over due to crowding.
Don’t want to fry but want crispy wings? Try my Air Fryer Chicken Wings, which is the top recipe on my site!
Pair it with Roasted Brussels Sprouts for a delicious meal!
Recipe Tip
Recipe Tips
Craggily bits / texture – Make sure to spoon some of the leftover brine to your seasoning mix (flour/cornstarch/baking powder) and rub them together to create the craggily bits we all love! They’ll stick to the chicken and create the perfect texture!
Internal temperature – I highly recommend you use a meat thermometer to check your chicken once fried – you want the internal temp to be at 165F. Undercooked chicken can lead to food poisoning, so always err on the side of caution!
If you tried this Easy Fried Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Easy Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 lb drumsticks or thighs
- 4 cups whole milk, can sub with water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
Seasoning Mix
- 2 cups flour, you can substitute with equal amounts Gluten-Free Four – Bobs Red Mill or King Arthur is recommended
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp baking powder
Wet Batter
- 1 cup seasoning mix
- 1 cup water, cold
Neutral oil for frying
Instructions
- Pierce chicken carefully with a knife and brine with whole milk (or water), salt, garlic, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Brine for 2-3 hours or overnight for best results.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and baking powder and whisk until combined.
- Take 1 cup of your seasoning mix and combine in a separate bowl with cold water and mix until smooth.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and spoon a few tablespoons of brine into the seasoning mix and rub together with your hands to create small clumps. These craggily bits will add extra texture to the chicken.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the wet batter and let any excess drip off. Immediately dredge in seasoning mix and press the mix into the chicken until completely coated. Let rest on a baking sheet while you heat up your oil.
- In a large cast iron pan, dutch oven, or heavy bottomed pan/wok, fry chicken at 350F for 8-12 minutes (depending on size of the chicken) until the internal temperature reads 165F.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I sub the flour for gluten free flour? One of my kids has an allergy.
Hi Jen – I haven’t tested this so unfortunately I can’t confirm. If you do end up trying with gluten free flour please let me know how it turns out!
Doing it right now actually, will update here in a few hours! I just swapped the four for King Arthur 1:1
Please let me know how you liked it!
I’m cooking it right now in GF flour and it’s amazing! I use 1 cups Bobs Red Mill GF and 1 cup King Arthur c4c.
That’s amazing, Toni! Thank you so much for sharing! I’ll be sure to put that in the notes for other readers 🙂
Made this for my family it was amazing!!! Going to be one of our go tos for sure
Thanks Christine!
Made this tonight with buttermilk (10 hours of brining) and used ghost peppers instead of cayenne. It not enough to get any heat regardless of the pepper if you want it spicy up it to a tablespoon or 2. Really good fried chicken though.
First time I tried this recipe and followed it exactly. AMAZING! Perfect tenderness, crispness, juiciness, spices. This recipe is spot on for the best fried chicken ever. I usually tweak recipes, but no need here. The chicken was so beautiful and while it is a bit fussy when it comes to preparing the dry and wet mix, that is the secret! CJ, you have won me over. I will be checking out other recipes. My siblings are in the food industry and my sister sent a photo of the platter of chicken to our brothers because it was so perfect. WOW! Delicious!!!! Thanks.
What do I do if I want to make less than 3 pounds. Like just a few drumsticks?
Hi Noah – you can use the slider on the Servings of the recipe card to scale down the recipe to how many pounds of chicken you have!
Great recipe! Everyone loved it, didn’t change a thing.
At first I was apprehensive especially in the air fryer! I put some in the air fryer and the other half in the cast iron skillet. Frying in the cast iron is waaaay better and it was AMAZING! I always fried chicken but never brined before. I will definitely brine the chicken from now on. Thank you for sharing, I give this a 5 star rating and will make it again!!!!!
That’s amazing! Thanks for sharing, Faith! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can buttermilk be used instead of whole milk?
yes it can!
Smells good!!! Thank you!
Simple and freaking delicious!