Fried Chicken - ultra craggy crispy crust!
Recipe video above. This is a fried chicken recipe that's made using a technique that yields an incredible super crunchy, really craggy crust with loads of nubbly bits that get extra crunchy! Seasoned with a KFC copycat 11 Secret Herbs and Spices - but better than KFC, there's no trace of soggy bits at all! Flesh is juicy all the way through thanks to a classic Southern buttermilk marinade (read in post why there's no spices in the marinade!).Serve with French fries and potato with gravy for an epic homemade KFC experience at home.
Ingredients
Instructions
Buttermilk Marinade Chicken:
Mix Marinade in a bowl until salt dissolves.
Pour over chicken in ziplock bag, massage to coat chicken. Press out excess air, seal, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning once or twice.
Pour chicken and marinade into large bowl.
Breading mixture:
Whisk together Breading and all KFC Secret Herbs & Spices.
Drizzle 4.5 tablespoons of Marinade into flour mixture. Use fingers to rub in so you get lots of pea sized lumpy bits all throughout (this creates extra super crunchy craggy bits).
Spread out in a shallow dish or pan (easier to work with).
Prepare to cook (work in specified order of steps):
Preheat oven to 80°C/175°F and place rack on tray - to keep chicken warm. (Note 3)
Add oil to a wide, heavy based pot to a depth of 6 cm / 2.5 " (my 26cm/10.5" cast iron pot = 1.75L/quarts oil, Note 4)
Heat oil over medium to medium high heat to 180°C/350°F - maintain temp as best you can (Note 5).
Breading:
Cooking order: Start with thighs and drumsticks, wings next and cook breast last. (Note 6).
Squidge a piece of chicken in remaining marinade, place in flour.
Coat well, pressing very firmly to adhere. Transfer to plate.
Coat 2 or 3 more pieces - just for one cooking batch, covering oil surface in single layer. (Note 7)
Frying:
Carefully place chicken in oil - it will bubble energetically but it will not spit.
Once chicken is in, oil temperature should drop to 150°C/300°C - adjust heat to target this.
DO NOT TOUCH chicken for 2 minutes - to let the crust bond with the chicken skin. After this, you can move them around but oil should be deep enough that you do not need to flip (but you can if you want!).
Thighs and drumsticks - cook for 8 minutes (wings for 5 minutes), or until deep golden brown and internal temperature at thickest part is 75°C / 167°F.
Breast - fry for 6 minutes or until internal temperature at thickest part is 65°C / 150°F (time depends on size).
Place onto rack and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining chicken, coating each batch just prior to cooking.
Serve immediately!
Classic sides: Coleslaw, KFC copycat potato and gravy, steamed or grilled corn, cornbread or soft rolls, fries, potato salad, Southern Baked Beans!
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 100 g
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein Content
- 21.8 g
- Fat Content
- 17.3 g
- Saturated Fat Content
- 3.7 g
- Carbohydrate Content
- 9.4 g
- Sugar Content
- 1.5 g
- Sodium Content
- 589 mg
