Fried Chicken for Two

 March 2025

Recipe from Cook's Country, October 2014

I was attracted to this recipe because it promised fried chicken with less oil than other recipes. Dealing with large quantities of used cooking oil is one of the reasons for not deep frying chicken, or other foods, at home. I have tried several recipes for making fried chicken at home, some with and some without the oil-mess problem. Why not try another.

I used frozen buttermilk; after thawing it was whisked as the components had separated. The resulting buttermilk was not as thick as it had been originally. Four bone-in chicken thighs were trimmed and seasoned with salt and pepper. Flour, baking powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper were combined in a shallow dish. A little buttermilk was added to the flour mixture and rubbed with fingers to form shaggy pieces. Buttermilk was also placed in a separate shallow dish. The chicken pieces were dipped in the buttermilk, dredged in the seasoned flour, placed on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, and chilled in the refrigerator for a little over half an hour. Vegetable oil was added to a non-stick, 10" skillet to a depth of ½ inch and heated over medium heat to 350°. The chicken was added skin-side down, covered, and fried until deep golden brown. The cover was removed from the pan, the chicken turned over, and fried to an internal temperature of 175°. Two smaller pieces were done sooner than the two larger pieces. During cooking the burner was adjusted several times to maintain an oil temperature around 300°. The finished chicken rested on paper towels for about five minutes. Total time, including 30+ minutes chilling, was 1 hour 20 minutes.

This is good fried chicken. The coating is crisp without being tough, adheres well to the chicken, and tastes good. The chicken is not too salty or too spicy and is well seasoned with a nice hint of garlic. This recipe provided two meals for the two of us. However the oil did overflow the pan when the chicken and lid were added. If I make this again I might try our other 10" skillet or perhaps use a little less oil. Cleanup was easier because of the availability of an empty oil bottle: I could ladle the used oil into the bottle and then discard it.