Southern Fried Chicken Batter

classic Southern Fried Chicken Batter recipe — crispy, golden, and full of flavor! 🍗✨

 Ingredients (for about 8 pieces of chicken)

For the chicken:

• 2–3 lb (900 g–1.3 kg) bone-in chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs, wings, breasts)

• 2 cups buttermilk (or milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice)

• 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

• Salt & pepper, to taste

For the batter:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup cornstarch (for extra crunch)

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for spice)

 Method

1. Marinate the chicken

   • Pat chicken dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.

   • Mix buttermilk with hot sauce. Add chicken, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hr (or up to overnight).

2. Prepare the batter

   • In a shallow bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne.

3. Coat

   • Remove chicken from buttermilk, letting excess drip off.

   • Dredge each piece in the seasoned flour mixture, pressing lightly so it sticks. For an extra-thick crust, dip back in buttermilk and coat in flour again.

4. Fry

   • Heat 1–2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven to 175 °C / 350 °F.

   • Fry chicken in batches, 12–15 min (wings/drumsticks) or 15–18 min (thighs/breasts), turning occasionally, until golden and internal temp is 74 °C / 165 °F.

   • Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

 Tips

• Don’t overcrowd the pan; it keeps the oil hot and crust crisp.

• For a lighter crust, replace some flour with fine breadcrumbs or panko.

• To keep warm while frying batches, place finished chicken on a rack in a 95 °C / 200 °F oven.