Recipe from Southern Living Home Cooking Basics: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Southern Cooking
Cooks&Books&Recipes Editors, on Mama’s Fried Chicken:
As many of y’all know, I spent my formative food years in the South. What many of y’all don’t know is that while I was in high school, my part-time job for 1-2 years was frying chicken. Yes, I worked at a fast-food fried-chicken restaurant. But I’m not talking about KFC or even Popeye’s. This was a local chain in Louisiana. If you wanted to work there (and I did, because my dad said I needed to get a summer job immediately, and he didn’t care where, and I didn’t have many options), you were required to learn the total restaurant operations, starting with learning how to cook all of the food, in the back kitchen.
I’m not going to give away all of their (and now, my) secrets on how to make the BEST fried chicken, but I will tell you that this recipe includes at least one. Hint: see the part about chilling? That is critical.
Mama's Fried Chicken
Recipe from Southern Living Home Cooking Basics: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Southern Cooking, by the Editors of Southern Living Magazine
Yield: 4-6 servings
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 (3- to 4-lb.) whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Self-rising flour
- Vegetable oil
Directions:
- Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top plastic freezer bag, and add buttermilk. Cover or seal, and chill at least 2 hours.
- Remove chicken from buttermilk, discarding buttermilk. Dredge chicken in flour.
- Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a deep skillet or Dutch oven; heat to 360°. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover chicken, and cook 9 minutes. Turn chicken; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 to 9 minutes, turning chicken the last 3 minutes for even browning, if necessary. Drain on paper towels.
© 2012 Oxmoor House
Reprinted with permission from Southern Living Home Cooking Basics: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Southern Cooking, by the Editors of Southern Living Magazine
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Looks absolutely delicious. I live in New Zealand and have never tried your southern fried chicken and always wondered what it is like. Thanks for posting and thanks for the hint – I will definitely be making this :-)
Cooks & Books & Recipes replied: — October 21st, 2013 @ 8:22 pm
I would love to hear what you think after you try it, Lynne. Good Southern U.S. food should be good anywhere. :)
Very good recipe, I learned a similar recipe from my next door neighbor, in Texas.
The only differences are replace salt and pepper with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, chill 12 hours minimum, and Fry in Beef/Pork Lard.
This recipe ruined me, I now cook, rather than buy Fried Chicken.
Dee, Cooks&Books&Recipes replied: — July 13th, 2015 @ 8:39 pm
I’m a fan of Tony Chachere’s seasonings, and the longer the chilling the better, I think. Plus how can you go wrong (taste-wise) frying in lard? Thanks for the ideas, Chuck.
This is the same recipe my mother uses, however she insists to never drain on paper towels. Use a bakers cooling rack with paper towels underneath on the countertop to catch the oil that drips off. It makes a much crispier chicken and much tastier without the oily taste.
Dee, Cooks&Books&Recipes replied: — July 13th, 2015 @ 8:44 pm
Hadn’t thought of this, but it’s a great tip, Phil. My tastes run to extra-crispy, so I’ll be using a cooling rack next time. Thanks to your mom!