Southern-Style Buttermilk Fried Chicken

I made this for a BBQ and everyone loved it! I personally would have preferred a bit more spice in the batter and will correct that next time. Also, it should be noted that this is not a quick dish to make, legs and thighs can take up to 15-20 mins and if you're doing this in small batches, you'll be cooking for awhile. I did my frying in a cast iron dutch oven the grill - hardest part was regulating the oil's temperature. Any more than 350-360 degrees and the batter will burn before the chicken is cooked. Any less and the chicken will absorb too much oil. Also, I did not double-dip, the butterilk was so thick and held so much flour that I felt it unnecessary. The baking powder really makes the batter increase in volume while cooking - don't leave it out! I will definitely make this again but with a bit more spice in the flour.

followed recipe to exact except dijon mustard but only cause i didnt have any on hand but overall taste was still delish...family loved it also...will be making this again thanks for the yummy recipe

This was excellent !! I found that if I leave the chicken out after coating for about 30 minutes or so the batter clings MUCH better and you don't lose any in the oil which causes burnt crumbs and shortens the oil's life. I have started using Canola oil which really seems to handle high temps without smoking. After 40 years of frying chicken I think I have it mastered.....it took a LOT of trials and errors !!! You don't even want to HEAR about my first batch of fried chicken....let's just say I found out that you can't fry even SLIGHTLY frozen chicken. It mat be pretty and brown on the outside but........use your imagination !!!

The coating didn't have very much flavor, in my opinion. I used the seasonings exactly as written but it needed a lot more salt. I think the double dipping made it too bready and the coating turned very dark before the chicken was done. I won't be making this again.

Oh my GOODNESS! This recipe makes phenomenal chicken fingers!! I used two 16oz. packages of free range chicken tenderloins which ended up being about 18 in number. I mixed up the buttermilk marinade using 1/2 and 1/2 spicy brown and dijon mustards. I added about a teaspoon of a spice mixture I use for regular roasted chicken in addition to the spices called for and also used a tad less cayenne because I didn't want overkill for my kids, and it was the perfect amount of kick. I let the tenderloins sit in the marinade in the fridge for about 6 hours before breading them. In the breading mixture I added 1 tsp. each paprika, salt, and white pepper. I grabbed each tenderloin and tossed them one at a time in the flour mixture before letting them "set" on a cookie sheet sprinkled with more flour. To fry I only used about a cup of Spectrum palm oil shortening (it is non-hydrogenated) in a hefty saute pan over medium high heat. I flipped the fingers when the edges were opaque and the bottoms were deep golden brown. (It easily took less than 4 minutes per side.) I did about 6 fingers per batch and drained them on paper towels layered over a cooking rack. They fried up quickly - the first tenders out of the pan were still warm by the end of the third batch. These were INCREDIBLE. They FAR outdid the best chicken tenders we have ever had with our kids at any restaurant (even high end places couldn't top this!). It made a little mess, but at the end it was totally worth it!!

This was just fantastic.....droolworthy!! I added a few good splashes of hot sauce in the buttermilk marinade mixture, & some paprika in the flour mixture - but no other changes than that. Used the drippings to whip up some chicken cream gravy. Yummy!!!

This was wonderful. I used breasts cut into 1/4s. I also cut back on the cayenne because I was concerned that it would be too spicy for my kids. It wasn't spicy at all! It was wonderful! Will make again. My husband made white gravy to go with it and couldn't stop eating.

i used chicken thighs and drumstick...this chicken turned out great...will be keeping this recipe...also served it with waffles---yumm :)

Excellent. I make tenders with this recipe. True southern style taste and texture. Follow the recipe exactly and it turns out beautifully. Looks like chicken from a restaurant. Definite keeper.

great flavor.....I used just chicken breasts....probably should have used smaller ones, they were a little tough, but not the fault of the recipe. Easy to make and a wonderful flavor and texture.

I used boneless chicken breasts. After marinating and double battering like the recipe called for, I fried the chicken in an inch of oil just enough to crisp the crust then finished it in a 375° oven for 20 minutes till the chicken was cooked through. The buttermilk marinade was flavorful and made the chicken so moist and tender. The seasonings in the flour were just right. Will be making this recipe again.

The BEST buttermilk fried chicken......one time flour coat is enough.....chicken was VERY moist....

Yum! I followed the recipe exact, only adding Johnny's Seasoning Salt (I'm a loyal local girl, if anything) to my dredge and I baked the chicken after only because I'm super paranoid about underdone chicken. Not my most favorite fried chicken recipe but a close second. NOTE: I used only legs and thighs, because that's what I had in the deep freeze. The double dip.....ABSOLUTE MUST.

I think it would have been better with just salt and pepper to flavor the batter. The onion powder gave it an odd flavor that I wasn't expecting.

I made this the night before last and let it marinade for 24 hours. I fried it last night and it was very good. I had to finish in the oven though because my oil was too hot and started to burn. Next time, I'll keep the heat at a mid-low instead of mid-high.

I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into chunks. My chicken marinated overnight, and though the double-dipping was work, it was totally worth it. The chicken was tender, the breading was flavorful and crisp. I didn't bother to measure the cooking oil, but there wasn't much. I think I may make this again tomorrow night!

My husband made this, and reported thtat the crust was very crispy, but that it was a little too thick due to the double-dipping process. The crust also got a little too overdone before the meat was fully cooked. Followed the recipe exactly as written, but just turned out okay...not the mind-blowing chicken he was hoping for.

Delicious, my new fried chicken favorite. Crisp and flavorful breading that stays on and is still perfect for a cold lunch after a night in the fridge. Dry ingredients were short for a nice and heavy double breading, so I increase the dry ingredient dip by 50%.

Absolutely loved this recipe my family did too .. The marinade and the seasoning was perfect, thank you for sharing.

I made this with legs and thighs and I have a big deep fryer that runs on propane. I had a picnic today and made them, OMG, the best, people were going back for 2nds and 3rds! The only thing I would do differently is to add a little bit of salt somewhere. Yummy!

I only make fried chicken once a year. This year I tried this recipe after trying others by celebrity chefs and "lifestyle mavens" other years in search for the perfect recipe.This one is by far the best. One thing I swear by is having an electric skillet. It keeps an even temp for the oil and you don't have to guess when oil is at right temperature. My chickens were perfectly crunchy and omnom-y.. Until next year!

I followed this recipe exactly and it was totally tasteless. I gave it two stars instead of one because it was very crispy. I won't be making this again.

I will keep this recipe for all my fried chicken from now on. I made chicken tenders from large chicken breasts and they were a big hit with all who ate them. I used ground brown mustard instead of dijon because that is what I had, but this is an excellent recipe as is!!

This pleased my family. I didn't have Dijon so I used spicy brown mustard instead and cut the cayenne in half. I used boneless meat and cut it into strips. What a nice meal this made. It wasn't one of my personal favorites but my husband said this was "one of the better ones". Thanks, we enjoyed a nice meal.

This is perfect Southern style Buttermilk fried chicken! I made a bagel sandwich with it, and everybody loved it so much! I added a little bit of extra salt, and poked chicken with a fork so it would absorb more buttermilk. Chicken was tender and very tasty. It’s a good party recipe. Thanks for sharing!

love this reciepe although i did add a little paprika and some dried parsley to the dry mix and on the second dipping i used seasoned breadcrumbs to add a little extra crunch.

very good

I find that if you marinate over night its just better, and after lay the chicken on a rack to season before dredging in the flour and baking powder you will not burn the spices making them just a bit bitter. I also add 2 teaspoons of black pepper, 1 if fresh, and 1 tablespoon of thyme to the spice dusting

Good recipe! Love it!

Absolutely fabulous! Flavor is great. I breaded twice and let them sit before frying and that worked really well. I also used spicy mustard (didn't have Dijon) and chicken tenders. Wonderful!!

This was a good start. I double dipped and the texture of the breading was perfect. The buttermilk marinade was great. My one complaint is that the flour coating was bland, even when i added more salt / pepper and the addition of paprika to the flour mixture. This needs A LOT more salt and pepper. Will definitely make again with changes.

I did not like this recipe. First, there was too much breading if you dipped it twice in the buttermilk and flour mixture as the recipe suggest. Second, I didn't like the spice combination. Couldn't taste the cayenne pepper from the buttermilk mix (I used 60,000 HU) and I know it's only onion and garlic powder in the flour mixture, but it really dominated what little flavor this recipe has.

my husband loved this one!!!!the crust was sooo crispy and not burned.

Thank you many times for this incredible recipe! I'm a single adult male. I almost always ate outside until this year. I always disliked spending time in the kitchen previously. Now that I work from home and also for the cost cutting reasons, I decided to learn cooking a little bit recently. I'd like to mention that I always stayed away from fried food except french fries I occasionally (once a year or or so) ate at Mc Donald's and etc. I came across this website and the recipe while searching to know how to cook Country Style Chicken which I accidentally watched on a TV show. Theirs was different but i read your recipe and it seemed simple. Normally, I won't bother trying out anything that has more than 4 ingredients and at least one of them is unknown to me which I may never use again. Anyhow, the only different thing I did was I used reduced fat buttermilk with two thick and large pieces of chicken breasts cut into 10 pieces (drumstick size) which I bought to cook Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk. I said"what the heck!"I just served it with white rice and flax seeds. I couldn't wait to give your recipe 5 stars and tell my experience. I took two bites and my reaction "OH, MY GOD!"Seriously! It was crispy&yummy. The chicken breast melted in my mouth! Btw, after a few bites, I decided to add some hot ketchup sauce (like buffalo sauce) on the side. Thnx 2 Utube,I used the left over marinade IMMEDIATELY to bake some biscuits-made my 1st ever dough and biscuits. :-)

This was my first foray into fried chicken and I have to say it was a collective success. I had to turn the heat down to med-low. Med-high was too hot. My first 3 thighs had overdone crusts but the other two batches with the lower temp came out beautifully. I also cooked chicken tenders and they were crispy and juicy. As with some of the other comments I also would have added salt and pepper to the flour mixture. It needs a bit more flavor. I also had to make more flour mixture to do the second coating.Overall everyone loved the chicken and I will definitely make it again.

Must increase the spices/salt otherwise the chicken will be bland. I have also found that one dip is enough. Other wise its too thick and the batter burns a little. Do not crowd the chicken as well. So you will be cooking for a while. This also renders the oil useless for those of that like to re-use oil.

Excellent! Absolutely delicious!

Lol, I had trouble with this recipe too but the odds were stacked against me! I can cook a perfect veal blanquette and a Thai Pad to ace out most restaurants but when it comes to fried chicken, I still seem to have problems. First of all, this recipe doesn't tell you what kind of oil to use. I've always heard Crisco Shortening is the best for fried chicken but I had to resort to vegetable oil. Second of all, I didn't pre-season the meat so it came out a bit bland. It kinda surprised me because I brined the chicken for twelve hours before I marinaded it in the buttermilk mixture for 6 1/2 hrs. After the cooking was done, I came to the opinion that the pieces I used were just too big. The picture shows much smaller pieces than what I used. My chicken didn't scorch but it was a bit darker than it should've been. I'm betting other users of this website had the same problem, such as Cindy in Pensacola! Overall, I give the recipe 3 stars for omitting the oil type and, secondly, for not adding a pre-seasoning to the meat before the first marinade.

Excellent! Its become a family favorite, We use chicken breast cut in small strips serve with potatoes and country gravy Yum

I ended up having issues with the recipe that were my fault, not the recipes. I wish I had used bone-in chicken pieces but I used skinless boneless chicken breasts because that's what I had. It turned out that the batter got dark and crisp WAY before the chicken breasts were cooked through because of that. Also, I skipped the Dijon mustard due to preference. I also did not use a cast iron skillet because I didn't have one, perhaps that would have helped. The chicken tasted great, but the batter, once crisp, kept sliding off and I ended up with a bald chicken breast with broken pieces of batter piled on top - so not so great presentation but I will make it again with the necessary changes.

This recipe is delicious & reminds me of my grandmothers fried chicken. I followed the recipe except i did not use mustard

Maybe someone coud tell me why when I fried this the batter fell almost completely off? I was so disappointed as the batter was delicious! I have made fired chicken all my life using regular milk and eggs, then dipped in seasoned flour, and this never happened. I browned the chicken in the fry pan and will cook it through on a rack in the oven to make it less greasy.

Takes a while but worth it. Ended up using only legs as that's what I had. Put a ton of extra seasoning in the flour mix but it didn't hold in, though the chicken itself was amazing. Hubby ate half of it by himself.

This is by far the worst chicken recipe I've ever tried. The breading burnt (do an egg wash instead of the marinade...I did that with two pieces, cooked in the oven rather than fried and they looked like kfc!). Seasonings were lack luster; again except the two I put in the oven where I added garlic, tarragon, more onion, paprika, and cayenne.

I have tried a few fried chicken recipes on this site and this one is a keeper we loved it thank you for sharing and I kept my chicken in buttermilk all night and doubled the spices and turned out yummy

We loved this recipe and my husband is not a big chicken fan. I heeded the advice from other cooks and omitted the onion and garlic powder. Instead I added salt and paprika. I also added 1/2 cup of cornmeal to the flour. Not only did that add flavor but it also added crunch and a great texture. I like lots of crunch so I followed suggestions to double dip. The recipe did not have a suggested oil temp. So I used my deep fryer and set it to 350. The chicken browned beautifully but too quickly to cook the legs I was using so I fried first then placed the legs on a rack over a cookie sheet. The legs finished cooking in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. The outside was golden, crunchy and the meat tender and very moist. I will definitely make this again.

I tried this recipe and it came out great! I did follow some of the other reviews and not double dip. The first time I made it I did and it didn't taste as flavorful to me but the second time wow! Great flavor and so good. I also marinated the chicken in the buttermilk over night. My family loved it!

This was excellent! Nothing more to say....

This was a great recipe, nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Could use some more flavor, but that could be my fault since I only marinated for 2 hours.

We just Love this recipe!!! So full of flavor! Y'all need to try this one! :)

This is the way chicken supost to b

I was very disappointed as the crust did not stick to the chicken. I did add more seasonings and the taste was good. But my family would not eat this.. I will try again and pat the chicken dry after the marinade. Just disappointed as it was a time consuming recipe

This was great! The only thing I did differently was use thin cut chicken breast and put the seasonings in the bag with the buttermilk and chicken instead of in the flour. I was able to let it marinate for 3hrs and it was awesome!! I made mashed potatoes with it and used McCormick brand country gravy over the chicken and mashed potatoes. Best, most tender chicken I've ever had!

This was a HUGE hit with the kids and the roommates. I followed the recipe almost exactly, other than adding more heat, we like spicy.

This recipe was okay. I did not have Dijon mustard so I used spices mustard.... It's what I had in the house. I let the chicken set for 4 hours in the refrigerator in the buttermilk mixture. I have tried several fried chicken recipes from this site and sometimes the recipes are a little bland in flavor for me. After reading the reviews a few people said that it was bland so I made sure to add additional seasoning in the flour mix. My chicken came out really flavorful. The only reason why I rated this recipe with 3 stars is because my boyfriend was not a fan of the double dipping skin. The next time I cook this recipe, I won't double dip the chicken. Hopefully he will like it a little better. I believe the chicken will still be crispy..... It was just a little too much batter for us.

Did not add the mustard, and added a splash of Frank's Louisiana Hot sauce to the buttermilk and left out the cayenne. I did however add a little cayenne to the flour dredge along with the other spices. This was and is the BEST fried chicken I have ever made. It was fantastic. It was juicy and flavorful and crunchy. None of the crust came off in the pan as some have experienced. My husband said it was most definitely the best fried chicken I have ever made. For the few times a year I will make this. no guilt whatsoever on the fried/calorie laden dish. You won't be sorry if you make this one! Thanks for the recipe!

This is to die for fried chicken... hubby's favorite!!

Made Chicken Tenders with this recipe also.

Finally got,it right with this recipe never put baking powder in the flour before and that is the secret to making it stay on and become crispy. Loved it hubby was well pleased. Yeah!

I did not care for this recipe. The flour mixture was absolutly NOT enough to cover all of the chicken pieces ONCE, Let alone TWICE!!!! So please, at least triple the flour part if you want enough to cover everything twice. Secondly, after I stopped 1/3 of the way through, to triple my flour, when I finally got it all covered and redipped twice, I fried it as directed. ONLY TO WATCH EVERY LAST BIT OF FLOUR BREADING come right off in the hot oil.

I give 3 stars only because it needs more seasoning. But very crispy outside and juicy on inside. Will use more spices next try

The coating wouldn't stick

Giving this recipe 5 stars principally because of how moist the chicken turns out after frying. The way the marinade and dry mixture finishes is the best I've seen and I used skinless tenders. The recipe can be improved by improvising with spices in the dry mixture. That'll really kick it up a notch with flavor!

I marinated for 2 hours and followed the recipe exactly. I was expecting to taste some of the cayenne or even the garlic and onion. Next time I will double the amount of seasoning and marinate overnight to see if I get more flavor out of it.

Delish. Entire family loved it.

I made it and it was great! The only change I made was leaving out the corn starch as I didn't want it extra crispy. Cooked it outside on a side burner of my grill in a 12" cast iron fry pan!

Four stars as the printed recipe is a bit on the bland side. I added my own 11 Herbs & Spices to shame the Colonel! 325 oil temp, nothing hotter or you end up with uncooked chicken & burned coating. I also finely chopped fresh thyme & added it to the buttermilk along with Smoked Paprika and triple the cayenne pepper. Far better results.

Great stuff. All I changed was to add cayenne pepper and paprika to the flour. I did Double coat and bake to finish. Awesome

Did one coating, as most reviewers suggested and it was more than enough. I have no idea how two flour coatings would look like. Kept in buttermilk over night. It could have had more flavor, though I did add salt and paprika into flour, and skipped onion powder. Made wing drumsticks and boneless thighs, so it didn't burn until it was done, but I do believe bigger pieces would have burnt on the outside (I've read oil temperature on thermometer, so it wasn't too hot). Will only use this recipe as the guideline for variations with spices and flavors.

I myself am giving it a 4 but my grown daughter gives it a 5. I did keep to the recipe except I did add some salt and pepper to the flour mixture. I kept chicken in buttermilk mixture 3 hrs, I'll do longer next time. I thought it was good but next time I might add more more seasoning for myself. Make sure your oil isn't too hot and you won't burn it. I started out on med and then moved it a little lower after I flipped the chicken. 15 mins on each side for me but you really need to watch it while cooking. Don't let your oil overheat. The breading was a little tougher than I'm use to.

Great Mix, thanks will be a repeat at my house.

As a southern girl I have had my share of great fried chicken and this recipe is right up there. After reading some of the other reviews about the breading being bland I added a teaspoon of season salt and a teaspoon of Emerill’s Essence to the flour mixture. The flavor was perfect. I did double dip the chicken as the recipe indicated and the breading was great, not too heavy. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and cooked them in a cast iron skillet...a must for great fried chicken.

Used fresh Chicken Tenders with Lemon Pepper and Curry instead of Black Pepper and Cayenne... was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be making this often.

Didn't have a whole chicken but I took boneless/skinless breast cut them into disc and they were so good, I don't like breast had them for family who likes it but I enjoyed them this way.

This recipe is excellent. Followed it exactly except fried the chicken in a deep fryer at 325 so the meat would be done without getting the crust too brown. Also added cayenne to marinade and flour for a little extra bite. This is my new fried chicken recipe.

Exceptional! Very easy and boy are they tasty! My grandkids loved them and so did I. Great granddaughter helped and wants to show her mom how to make them. Kudos to me!

I agree with others, you need to double or possibly triple the spices. It could be very good, but we found if made as is, it is very bland. Nice crunch to the coating though, and the chicken was moist.

Very good recipe. Didn't change a thing.

I think it's pretty good, I made it just as is. I think next time around I'll add a bit more of all the spicy stuff. I'll let you know...

I made this the other night using boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I'd cut into strips for chicken fingers and it was fantastic! I followed the marinade instructions exactly and marinaded the chicken in the fridge for about 6 hours. Based on other reviews I added some extra seasoning to the flour (1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp chipotle chili powder, and a quick sprinkle of cayenne). To my surprise, the dipping and dredging process went very quickly. In fact I'm considering doing it 3 times next time to get it super crispy! I let the tenders "rest" for about 30 mins while I heated the oil and then fried them up. It was fantastic and I will definitely make this again.

I marinated 4 hours before I fried it in peanut oil The crispy coating was delicious and the tang of the buttermilk combined with Louisiana Hot Sauve gave it a little bite. Loved this recipe with roasted potatoes and corn on the cob (in season)

This was my first time making fried chicken, and it was absolutely amazing! I took some tips from other reviews and added a fourth teaspoon of paprika to the dry ingredients, added a little extra salt and only dipped the chicken into the batter once. I cooked the chicken for about five minutes on each side, and it got so crispy! I made it with some corn and mashed potatoes and it was absolutely amazing!

buttermilk didnt give any different taste coating just fell off legs while cooking.

Tried it tonight and it was extremely juicy but bland. Will make it again but will add lots more spices - more like Colonel Saunders.

We have made this recipe so many times. It is always amazing. Best fried chicken I have ever had. We use boneless chicken breasts for it and it works fantastically. Every time we make this for people, they rave about it. Highly recommend this recipe.

What an easy task. Other then moving chicken between bags. The setup was easy and frying was easy. The eating was the best part!!

This is a keeper! Just made a few tweaks due to others saying it was bland. I put a few T of hot sauce in with the marinade and A LOT MORE spices than what it calls for. It wasn't spicy, just gull of flavor. I'm ditching my other fried chicken recipes for this one! Oh, one more thing, I made sure to allow the chicken to come to room temperature/slightly cool before breading it and I let the breading set up for about 30 minutes to ensure that the breading stayed on the chicken and not on my fryer ?

Will definitely make it again.

I baked the chicken thighs in the oven the night before, so it made for less frying time. In the morning I made the buttermilk mixture and let the chicken marinate for 8-9 hrs. I did make a change by adding paprika as per another review suggestion. I believe I will cut back on the flour by 1/2 cup next time. I used boneless/skinless thighs. My husband liked it and he is from KY.

Delicious!

I used this recipe as my starting point, I subbed Louisiana hot sauce for the Dijon mustard in the marinade, and I doubled the salt. Also omitted the cayenne pepper. For the dredge, I decreased garlic powder to 1 1/2 tsp, omitted onion powder and added 1 tbsp paprika ( something my mom did) fried in butter cris o, and it was AMAZING!!

I tried this recipe on the weekend and my family LOVED it. I was concerned that the amount of Cayenne pepper might be excessive, but it was just right. I don't remember the last time I made Southern Fried Chicken, but, my family loved it enough to request a repeat!

It was very good, it had a lil too much coating on it so maybe just one flip in flour and a lil more salt n pepper, def will try again.

No Changes are necessary. So far, I'm just experimenting with trying out different recipes. I will keep it for a family favorite. It was good hot & fresh, but it wowed my family cold, probably a great mainstay for picnics! :) :)

my husband loved this one!!!!the crust was sooo crispy and not burned.

I did not care for this.

Seasoning and marinade were spot on. Chicken was very tender and juicy. The only part that I wasn’t crazy about was the skin. I’ve been in the South all my life and Southern Fried chicken is crispy. This wasn’t.!!

Good recipe! Reminds me of my Grandmother's fried chicken. I added 3 tablespoons of butter to the mix. I also let it cook (fry) for 16 minutes at 350 degrees in my electric fly pan, turning it after 8 minutes. I don't remember adding any other ingredients (except for butter) other than what was in the recipe.

I'm an above-average home cook, but this was my first attempt at fried chicken. I would have appreciated some general guidelines on how long to fry the different pieces - I used chicken thighs and it was trial and error with the oil and the timing so that the chicken was cooked and moist without the coating being nearly burnt. Thank goodness I bought a value pack, because my first batch didn't leave very many edible pieces! I have a better sense now, but more detail in the recipe would have been helpful.