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Southern fried chicken with ultra-crispy golden crust on a wire rack

Southern Fried Chicken - Ultra Craggy Crispy Crust

The crispiest homemade Southern fried chicken with a thick, craggy crust seasoned with a KFC copycat blend of 11 herbs and spices. A buttermilk marinade keeps every piece juicy all the way through. Ready to fry in 45 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marinating Time 12 hours
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 12 pieces
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3.6 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, wings, breast) pieces under 7 oz each
  • 1 cup buttermilk or substitute: 1 tsp white vinegar stirred into 1 cup milk, rested 10 minutes
  • 1 tbsp salt for marinade
  • 1 large egg
  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
  • 0.75 cup cornstarch
  • 3 tsp salt for breading
  • 0.75 tsp celery salt
  • 1.5 tbsp black pepper
  • 1.5 tsp sweet paprika not hot or smoked
  • 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper optional
  • 1.5 tsp onion powder
  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 0.75 tsp ginger powder
  • 1.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 1.5 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 quarts vegetable, canola, or peanut oil for frying; peanut oil gives best results

Equipment

  • Wide heavy-based pot or Dutch oven (cast iron preferred)
  • Cooking thermometer
  • Wire rack on baking tray
  • Large zip-lock bag
  • Shallow dish for breading

Method
 

  1. Whisk together buttermilk, salt, and egg until salt fully dissolves. Pour over chicken in a zip-lock bag, massage to coat every piece, press out excess air, seal, and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning once or twice.
  2. Pour chicken and all marinade into a large bowl.
  3. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and all 11 herbs and spices in a large bowl until fully combined.
  4. Drizzle 4.5 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade into the flour mixture. Rub in with fingers until you see pea-sized clumps throughout. This creates the extra-crunchy craggy crust. Spread into a shallow dish.
  5. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking tray and set inside the oven to keep cooked pieces warm.
  6. Add oil to pot to a depth of 2.5 inches. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until oil reaches 350 degrees F.
  7. Working in batches of 2 to 3 pieces, dredge each piece in the remaining marinade then press firmly into the flour mixture on all sides. Never coat all chicken at once.
  8. Carefully lower chicken into the hot oil. It will bubble but will not spit. Once in, oil temperature will drop to around 300 degrees F. Adjust heat to maintain this temperature.
  9. Do not touch or move the chicken for the first 2 minutes to allow the crust to bond with the skin.
  10. Thighs and drumsticks: fry 8 minutes until internal temperature reaches 167 degrees F. Wings: fry 5 minutes. Breast pieces: fry 6 minutes until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F.
  11. Transfer cooked pieces to the wire rack in the warm oven. Repeat coating and frying with remaining batches one at a time. Serve immediately.

Notes

Coat chicken in batches just before frying. Do not let coated pieces sit or the crust will go soft. For a hot and spicy version, add 2 extra teaspoons of cayenne pepper to the breading. Peanut oil gives the best finish. Frying oil can be cleaned and reused one more time after this recipe.
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