Deliciously tender and juicy buttermilk fried chicken with a crisp and seasoned crust. You’ll love how the breading won’t fall off; a short chilling period makes sure it sticks.

As a bonus, cold fried chicken straight from the fridge makes the perfect evening snack. Deep frying and chicken are a match made in heaven.

Golden brown fried chicken piled on plate

Classic Buttermilk Fried Chicken

A classic method of making fried chicken: a buttermilk marinade and perfectly seasoned flour blend add up to juicy, flavorful chicken. A true crowd pleaser.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

marinating 8

Total Time 8 55

Serving Size servings

Ingredients

8 pieces chicken bone in, skin on

Marinade

3 cups buttermilk

Flour Mixture

2 cups flour all purpose
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (Lawry's, etc.)
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon thyme
1 pinch cayenne pepper

To Fry

1 quart oil peanut or vegetable

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Instructions

Marinate. Soak the chicken pieces in the buttermilk in a very large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 12 hours.
Bread. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt in a large mixing bowl. Take out the chicken pieces, shaking off the excess buttermilk, and dredge them in the seasoned flour, one by one.
Chill. Place the floured chicken pieces on a wire cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours to help the flour stick.
Fry. Preheat the deep fryer to 340 degrees (or use a heavy-duty Dutch oven filled with three inches of oil and use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature). Fry the chicken, covered, for 12-15 minutes per side until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. The internal temperature should be at least 165.
Serve. Place a clean cooling rack over a baking sheet with layers of paper towels. Place the cooked chicken on top and allow to drain. Serve immediately, or hold in a 200-degree oven.

Notes

Timing: You can start and finish this recipe in one day if you begin early enough to allow for 6 hours of marinating and 2 hours of chilling.

Overnight Preparation: For convenience, marinate the chicken overnight, bread in the early afternoon, and fry for dinner.

Frying Temperature: A lower frying temperature ensures the chicken cooks thoroughly without burning the crust.

This isn’t the quickest recipe in the world, but it’s still one of our favorites. It’s a dish perfect for a big Sunday dinner with all your favorite sides but also makes great leftovers.

It might seem like a lot of time and a lot of steps, but you just do a little bit here and a little bit there. To save money, you can buy a pack of thighs and a pack of drumsticks instead of a whole cut-up chicken.

Fried Chicken Tips

Save money on your chicken. Look for bone-in thighs, drumsticks, and breasts. You can always buy a whole chicken and cut it up, but it’s more work and more money.
Give it room. Your chicken should be surrounded by oil on all sides, not crowded or sticking together.
Watch your oil temperature. If it gets too cold, the breading will fall off and you will be sad.
Don’t rush. Every step of this recipe takes time.

Fried Chicken Ingredients + Tools

chicken pieces, bone-in, skin on
buttermilk (here’s how to use up leftover buttermilk!)
all-purpose flour
salt
seasoned salt (Lawry’s, etc.)
pepper
thyme
cayenne pepper
oil for frying, peanut oil is best but vegetable is okay too!

concrete surface with chicken pieces, spices, buttermilk, and flour

Rimmed baking sheets
Metal cooling racks to place the breaded chicken to chill and the cooked chicken to drain.
A deep fryer. (You can certainly deep fry without one, but there’s nothing quite like a deep fryer. My recommended model maintains a perfectly even temperature and drains the oil so you can reuse it and save money.)

How to Store Leftover Fried Chicken

Any leftovers can go in the fridge, tightly covered.

You can eat them cold or reheated in an air fryer or oven. The microwave will work in a pinch, but the skin won’t be crispy.

Fried chicken does not freeze well.

Serving Suggestions

Biscuits, of course! My four-ingredient biscuits always turn out.
Southern-style coleslaw is always served with deep-fried chicken in our house. It’s the law.
And since this has been a long process, let’s make an easy dessert and whip up an easy berry cobbler with frozen berries.
Don’t forget the peach-raspberry tea.

I’m nervous about frying chicken. Any tips?

The key is to keep the oil at a steady medium temperature — too hot, and you’ll scorch the outside before the inside cooks. Use a thermometer to keep the oil around 340°F. And don’t crowd the pan; give those chicken pieces some personal space to cook evenly.

What’s the secret to crispy fried chicken?

After you dredge the chicken, let it sit on the wire rack in the fridge for a bit. This helps the coating stick and dry out slightly, which translates to more crunch when fried. Also, make sure your oil is hot enough before the chicken goes in.

More Deep Fried Favorites

From-scratch deep-fried chicken tenders are super popular with kids and ready with a lot less prep work.
Homemade French fries are easy to make once you have the deep fryer out.
Onion rings without breadcrumbs are crunchy and delicious.
Don’t want to deal with chicken pieces? Make buttermilk chicken tenders!

From soaking the chicken in tangy buttermilk to getting that golden, crispy crust just right, we’ve covered all the bases to ensure your chicken is nothing short of spectacular. Remember, the key to outstanding fried chicken is patience – marinate well, let the coating set, and fry at the right temperature. I hope this recipe brings as much joy to your table as it has to mine.

Buttermilk Deep Fried Chicken