Crispy Southern Fried Chicken (Print View)

Juicy spiced chicken with a crisp crust paired with warm, flaky honey butter biscuits in a Southern style.

# Components:

→ Fried Chicken

01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, wings)
02 - 2 cups buttermilk
03 - 2 teaspoons hot sauce, optional
04 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
05 - 1/2 cup cornstarch
06 - 2 teaspoons salt
07 - 1 teaspoon black pepper
08 - 1 teaspoon paprika
09 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
10 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 - Vegetable oil for frying

→ Honey Butter Biscuits

13 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
14 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
15 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
16 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
17 - 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
18 - 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
19 - 2 tablespoons honey

→ Honey Butter Topping

20 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
21 - 2 tablespoons honey

# Preparation Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight for optimal flavor development.
02 - In a shallow dish, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
03 - Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Dredge each piece thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure coating adheres. Transfer to a wire rack and let sit for 10 minutes.
04 - Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F. Fry chicken in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through (15-18 minutes for dark meat, 12-14 minutes for white meat). Transfer to a clean wire rack over a baking sheet.
05 - Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk and honey just until dough comes together.
06 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut into rounds using a biscuit cutter. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
07 - Stir together melted butter and honey. Brush generously over hot biscuits immediately after removing from the oven.
08 - Serve crispy fried chicken alongside warm honey butter biscuits for an authentic Southern comfort meal.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crust shatters audibly when you bite into it—that's not an accident, that's cornstarch doing exactly what it should.
  • Honey butter on a warm biscuit is the kind of simple pleasure that somehow tastes like home, whether or not you grew up eating it.
  • This meal actually comes together in just over an hour, and most of that is hands-off marinating and resting time.
02 -
  • The ten-minute rest after dredging actually changes the game—it lets the coating adhere properly so you're not eating breadcrumbs instead of a crispy shell.
  • Oil temperature is not a suggestion, it's a requirement, so invest in a kitchen thermometer if you don't have one because guessing will let you down every single time.
03 -
  • Let the dredged chicken sit for ten minutes before frying—this tiny pause is the difference between coating that sticks and coating that disappointingly falls off.
  • If you want an extra flavor dimension, add a pinch more cayenne or a dash more hot sauce to both the buttermilk and the dry coating, building heat rather than dumping it all in one place.
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