Description
A homemade Church’s-style fried chicken meal featuring crispy, seasoned chicken with classic Southern-inspired flavor. Serve it with buttery biscuits, mashed potatoes, gravy, or your favorite sides for a hearty comfort-food meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 chicken pieces (such as thighs, drumsticks, or breasts)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Add the chicken pieces and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and dried thyme.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off.
- Dredge the chicken thoroughly in the seasoned flour, pressing the coating onto the chicken for a crispier crust.
- Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Carefully add the chicken in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Fry until golden brown and cooked through, turning occasionally. Depending on the size of the pieces, this usually takes about 12–18 minutes.
- Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving with your favorite Southern-style sides.
Notes
- For extra-crispy chicken, let the flour-coated chicken rest for 5–10 minutes before frying.
- Maintain the oil temperature around 350°F (175°C) while cooking.
- Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Add more or less cayenne pepper depending on your preferred level of heat.
- Serve with biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, or coleslaw.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Deep Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving1 serving
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 39 g
- Cholesterol: 155 mg
Keywords: Church’s Chicken, Church’s Chicken recipe, crispy fried chicken, Southern fried chicken, homemade fried chicken, copycat fried chicken