Simple Homemade Fried Chicken
Simple and delicious fried chicken doesn’t get much better than this.
There are so many delicious recipes for fried chicken out there.
They vary based on the spices and coatings used, as well as the methods applied for coating the chicken.
This recipe is the exact same one that my grandmother made only she used vegetable oil.
The only change I made is that I use canola oil.
About the Ingredients
Her recipe only has 5 ingredients (chicken, salt, pepper, flour and oil).
Sometimes I just can’t resist, and I’ll add some more spices but I’m always sorry I did.
It just doesn’t taste as good as when only using salt and pepper.
It’s just one of those recipes where less is more.
About Serving
This fried chicken is so delicious served warm or chilled right out of the fridge.
The crunchy bits in the bottom of the skillet make the most delicious gravy too.
Let’s check out the ingredients.
Cut up whole chicken fryer, salt, pepper, flour and canola oil
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.
For the Chicken:
Salt and Pepper…
Sprinkle the pepper,
and,
salt on each side of the chicken.
Flour:
Add the flour to a shallow bowl and dredge a piece of the chicken in flour…or two pieces if your bowl is large enough.
Generously coat the chicken in flour on all sides.
This piece of chicken looks so comfy cozy in the flour.
Canola Oil:
Next,
…heat a large skillet on medium heat and add the oil so that it’s about 1/2 inch deep in the skillet.
Depending on the diameter of the skillet, you may need 1-1/2 to 2 cups of oil.
Fry:
Sprinkle a tiny bit of the flour in the oil and if it sizzles, add the pieces of flour-coated chicken.
Continue to dredge as many pieces of chicken in the flour that will fit in the skillet without crowding.
Depending on the size of the skillet a second batch may be needed to finish frying the remaining pieces of the chicken.
Using a cooking or carving fork, turn the chicken regularly as it turns a golden color.
Try to poke the fork into the outside edges of the skin when turning the chicken rather than in the middle of the meat (so the juices don’t run out).
When turning the chicken, a cooking fork tends to keep the crispy skin looking nicer, than when using tongs.
If the oil starts to bubble quickly or splatter out of the skillet, turn the heat down just a bit.
Keep an eye on the chicken to see if it’s turning a dark brown color (rather than a golden color) or cooking too quickly.
If so, turn the heat down just a bit.
Lay a small cooling rack over a large plate.
Continue to let the chicken cook until all sides are a medium to dark golden color (about 30 to 40 minutes).
Cool:
As the pieces of chicken are done cooking, remove them from the skillet and lay them on top of the cooling rack.
The larger pieces of chicken like the breasts, may take the longest time to cook.
Serve:
Serve warm or cold right out of the fridge.
It’s delicious served warm with mashed potatoes and gravy, or cold for lunch, or as a late-night snack.
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Simple Homemade Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole cut-up fryer chicken
- 1 tablespoon (heaping) ground black pepper
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 to 2 cups canola oil (amount depends on the skillet size and number of batches)
Instructions
- Lay a small cooling rack over a large plate and set aside. (This will be where the cooked chicken is transferred to).
- Sprinkle pepper and salt on each side of the chicken. Set aside.
- Add flour to a shallow bowl and dredge a piece of the chicken in flour, or two pieces if your bowl is large enough. Generously coat the chicken in flour on all sides. Set aside for a moment.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add the oil so that it’s about ½ inch deep in the skillet. Depending on the diameter of the skillet you may need 1-½ to 2 cups of oil.
- Sprinkle a tiny bit of the flour in the oil and if it sizzles add the pieces of flour-coated chicken to the oil (be careful not to crowd the pan). Continue to dredge as many pieces of chicken in the flour that will fit in the skillet without crowding. Depending on the size of the skillet, some of the chicken may need to be cooked in a second batch.
- Using a cooking or carving fork, turn the chicken regularly as it turns a golden color. Try to poke the fork into the outside edges of the skin when turning the chicken rather than in the middle of the meat (so the juices don’t run out). When turning the chicken, a cooking fork tends to keep the crispy skin looking nicer than when using tongs.
- If the oil starts to bubble quickly or splatter out of the skillet, turn the heat down just a bit. Keep an eye on the chicken to see if it’s turning a dark brown color (rather than a golden color) or cooking too quickly. If so, turn the heat down just a bit.
- Continue to let the chicken cook until all sides are a medium to dark golden color and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. As the pieces of chicken are done cooking (about 30 to 40 minutes), remove them from the skillet and lay them on top of the cooling rack (that is laying on a large plate). The larger pieces of chicken like the breasts may take the longest time to cook.
- Serve warm or cold right out of the fridge. Delicious served warm with mashed potatoes and gravy, or cold for lunch, or as a late-night snack.
Video
Notes
TIPS:
- The amount of cook time may vary depending on the size of skillet used and number of batches.
- The crispy crumbles left in the bottom of the pan make the most delicious gravy.
- This recipe post entitled "Fried Chicken and Bacon Gravy Sliders" shows how to make the gravy after frying the chicken.
Serving Suggestions
This fried chicken tastes wonderful served with vegetables and potatoes and, or macaroni and cheese.
Recipe for Making Gravy from Fried Chicken Drippings
Here’s a recipe showing how to make the gravy…”Fried Chicken and Bacon Gravy Sliders“, it’s really good even without the bacon.
Mashed Potato Recipes
And here are some mashed potato recipes “Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes” and “Smoked Gouda and Garlic Mashed Potatoes“.
Comfort Food Recipes
Comfort Food Recipes you may like:
Candied Yams (Sweet Potatoes) with Pecans and Marshmallows
Candied Sweet Potatoes (Canned Yams), with Walnuts and Marshmallows
Baked Herb and Parmesan Potato Slices
Biscoff Cookie Butter Blondie Brownies
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Easy Skillet Smoked Sausage with Caramelized Barbecue Sauce
Delicious!!!
Thank you!
This is the easiest yet most delicious fried chicken I ever made. Tastes like my mom cooked it! She used the same simple ingredients. What I loved most is that there was no spattering of oil anywhere, especially on my arms, except in the skillet. Thanks for each step by step direction! Thanks to this recipe, I am able to fry chicken without a mess & know it will be delicious!
Hi Tanya, I’m so glad you liked this fried chicken! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you too!
Hey thank you for the recipy i have only wet the chicken with water and the threw them in a bag with flour and seasoning will that work i was told it would and didnt find out your method till now just askimg looks real good
Thank you!
This is the recipe my mom, and her mom, etc. used back in the day. With cast iron skillets. My mom used gobs of Crisco shortening. It tasted just like this recipe. I keep coming back to this recipe, even though I know it by heart now, because everthing about this presentation is so wonderful and “homey”. The tone, the photography, that red and white checked cloth. Very Americana. I just love visiting this page. : )
Hi Susan, my grandmother used gobs of Crisco shortening too for this recipe! There is a certain taste to this chicken isn’t there, and it smells so good when it’s cooking. I’m so glad you like this page and you noticed the red and white checked cloth! I like to use that for my home-cooking kind of posts. I really appreciate your very nice comment. Thank you so much for your visits. Now I’m hungry for this chicken just thinking about it!
Hi There, thank you for letting me know and so glad you liked it!
Haha no problem 🙂 And again no problem 😛 Do you have any more recipes with photos or just any other recipes?
Hi Amy, here’s an easy recipe for chicken nuggets cooked with similar ingredients. Have a great week! https://www.couponclippingcook.com/simple-chicken-nuggets/
Thank you soo much for this recipe. I have looked online and saw other recipes but they had some stupid nonsense like lard etc but yours was perfect. It had simple instructions and ingredients that was perfect as we had it at home 🙂
THANK U! For adding pics to demonstrate how its supposed to be luike so none of us get confused 🙂 THANKS ALOT. That really helped 🙂
Hi Amy, I’m so glad you liked this recipe. It’s exactly how my Grandmother made it as I was growing up. I can just picture her hands making it when I think of this recipe. Thank you so much for stopping by and for letting me know how it turned out!
Made fried chicken inspired by your recipe! Thanks for posting it. 🙂 Tastes great! Always good to have a very simple recipe.
Hi There, I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for letting me know. Yes, I do like simple recipes too. Have a nice rest of the weekend!
You could never go wrong with fried chicken ! Yum.
ratedkb.wordpress.com
Hi There, thank you so much for stopping by!
Wow! That looks absolutely delicious! One of my favorite dishes that I seldom make….you make it look easy and doable! Thanks!
Hi Ann! Thank you very much!