Southern Fried Chicken doesn’t have to be complicated, and this old-fashioned recipe proves it. No buttermilk, no egg wash — just seasoned flour and a hot skillet. It’s the way my family’s been making fried chicken for generations, and the crispy, lightly breaded crust turns out just right every time. If you’re looking for a simple, tried-and-true method that delivers, this is the one.
Hands down the easiest and BEST!!! KFC ain’t got nothin on me with this foolproof recipe, and yes, exactly like my grandma used to make, Thank you SO very much!!!
tammy
Granny’s fried chicken is the BEST
As a fourth-generation Southern cook, I’ve learned a few things about how to cook good old-fashioned comfort food — and fried chicken is high on that list.
It should be common knowledge that my Granny made the best fried chicken ever. Certainly, it was legendary in our family, probably because she made it at least once a week for fifty years! This recipe is exactly how she made it.
What to serve with Southern fried chicken
Add some homemade biscuits, Southern mashed potatoes, butter beans, and homemade peach cobbler, and you’ll have a feast that will make everyone happy. That’s a perfect Southern meal!
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
What is the best oil for frying chicken?
Of course, the best Southern fried chicken is made with lard, but most of us don’t have a tub of lard sitting around. So, in lieu of that, use solid Crisco shortening (my preferred oil), vegetable oil, or peanut oil.
How to make Southern fried chicken
For this recipe, you can use already-cut-up chicken pieces or cut your own. I like to cut my own because the ones already cut in the store are way too big. And when I say I like to cut my own, what I mean is that I select a chicken and give it to the butcher to cut for me. I am not good at cutting up a chicken!
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Cook’s Tip: Young or organic chickens are usually smaller and a better size for frying. They are the size that real chickens used to be before the chicken industry got ahold of them and mutated them into chicken monsters.
Step 1. Prepare the chicken.
Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper all the chicken. Next, season your flour with a little salt and pepper, then dredge the chicken pieces. Place them on a rack on a baking sheet to rest 15-20 minutes before cooking.
Step 2. Prepare oil and skillet.
Add oil to the skillet to reach about 1/3 up the side. The oil should cover the chicken about halfway up but not completely.
Use a thermometer and heat the oil to 360-365°F. (Now, you know my Granny never used a thermometer, and I usually don’t either, but if you’re starting out, knowing when to put the chicken in the skillet will be helpful.)
Cook’s Tip: If you’re cooking a lot of fried chicken, heat your oven to 170°F and place the cooked chicken on a rack on a baking sheet to keep warm.
Step 3. Fry chicken.
Before dropping the chicken into the skillet, dredge it through the flour again and lightly shake off the excess. Then, place a few chicken pieces in the hot grease, skin side down, cover the skillet, and let the chicken cook.
You need to stay close by and keep an eye on your chicken. After a few minutes, nudge the chicken with your tongs, and if it releases easily, turn it to the other side. At this point, I cover it again, leaving the edge open to vent, and let it cook a bit longer, then turn the chicken and cover it again.
You want to get a nice, deep golden brown, and also make sure the chicken is fully cooked at 165°.
Each time you remove chicken pieces from the skillet, be sure to give the oil a minute to heat back up before putting new pieces in.
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Southern Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small chicken, cut into pieces
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 cups Crisco or peanut oil, may need more
Instructions
Frying chicken:
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a baking pan and allow the chicken to rest 15-20 minutes at room temperature.
- Line a large baking sheet with paper towels or brown paper bags and place a rack in the pan. Set the oven to warm (about 170°F.)
- Add salt and pepper to the flour in a large bowl, stir, then dredge the chicken pieces through the flour, shake off excess flour, and set chicken aside.
- Heat shortening or oil in a large, deep skillet on medium-high until it sizzles when a drop of water is added. This would be 360-365°F.
- Just before adding chicken, dredge each piece through the flour again, shaking slightly to remove excess, then place each piece one at a time skin side down in the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the skillet.
- Cover the skillet and cook, turning about every three minutes (if chicken releases easily) until chicken is lightly brown on all sides.
- Then cover the skillet, leaving one side open slightly to vent, and turn heat down to medium, keeping the temperature around 350 degrees F. Cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is deep, golden brown and the internal temperature is 165°F. Dark meat may take a little longer. (The chicken will probably take 15-20 minutes to cook fully.)
- Place chicken pieces on the rack in the baking pan and keep in warm oven until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Questions and tips
Store your fried chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Most of the time, we eat leftover fried chicken at room temperature or even cold straight from the fridge.
If you want it hot, though, you can heat it in the air fryer, microwave, or in a warm oven.
Make sure the oil is hot, around 360 degrees F, and then maintain a temperature between 300°-325 degrees F as you add additional pieces. Don’t crowd the pan. Allow the chicken to cook on one side until it releases, and then turn it every 3-4 minutes.
The biggest key is that you have to be hands-on, so you know when it’s time to turn. You can’t go watch television while the chicken cooks.
Your chicken should be completely dry before you do anything else with it. When you dredge the chicken in flour, make sure the entire piece of chicken is well-coated, and shake off any excess flour.
This post is part of my favorite Southern Foods at Home collection.
Update Notes: This post was originally published on April 1, 2011, and on April 18, 2025, was updated with the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, and/or new tips.
Hands down the easiest and BEST!!! KFC ain’t got nothin on me with this foolproof recipe, and yes, exactly like my grandma used to make, Thank you SO very much!!!
Thank you!
After 40 years of frying chicken …I have stumbled on the failproof technique. Flour the chicken…place in 350 degree oil…..COVER for 6 minutes….UNCOVER….cook for 9 minutes….TURN…..COVER for 6 minutes….UNCOVER…cook for 9 minutes. Flip one more time….then cook for 3 minutes. Remove. I always thought covering would make batter fall off…but NO….it is the secret to getting it to getting it done completely. Hope this helps.
Actually, no. The best and most delicious fried chicken is made with a wet batter. My mother made hers with a batter of flour and water and fried it in lard. It was pure heaven. Everyone said it was the best fried chicken they had ever eaten, and it absolutely was.
Sounds wonderful!
@Deb Majors, That was kind of a rude comment. Maybe you should start your own blog. Btw, Lucy’s method is exactly the same both my grandmothers’.
@Terry,
Agreed Terry. Why is she on here if she has the perfect recipe? This is also exactly how my Mama made it.
Having eaten A LOT of fried chicken in our lifetimes, both Jerry and I “get hungry” for some crispy southern style fried chicken. That desired hungered showed its face last week. As I began the process, first skinning the chicken and then soaking in water with sea salt for 30 minutes my mind goes back to the hundreds of times this delicious food was served or made in my own kitchen. The mess you make dredging the meat, the iron skillet (or my new 10″ Chicken Frying Pan from Cook’s Essentials off QVC—greatest skillet)….the oil and then the dropping in of the first piece! The sizzle let’s me know the temperature is just right to make the best fried chicken we have eaten!!! I usually come away with ice on a new grease burn but always feel it was worth it! Like you, we have many, many memories of “the best fried chicken I have we both have that longing of rembrance of meals past! Thanks for sharing Granny’s directions! Just like my Granny’s and all of the other women who have fried up this bird! BTW…I can show you how to cut up your fryer!