Crispy Crunchy Fried Chicken Breast

If you are looking for a fried chicken breast recipe that is simple and absolutely delicious, this is it! These chicken breasts are crispy, juicy, tender, and flavorful! Top with gravy, serve with mashed potatoes or dress it up how you please.

Fried Chicken Breast Recipe

Fried chicken can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as baking it in the oven or air frying it. However, a well-made fried chicken is defined by the result – juicy, succulent, and covered in a crispy crust that is not greasy. If possible, use cast iron to achieve the desired deep color without charring.

This chicken is dipped in a mixture of buttermilk and eggs, it is then dredged with seasoned flour and fried to perfection, and it comes out juicy every time. You only need a few pantry ingredients, and it’s novice-friendly. The chicken breasts also stay crispy even after they’ve gone cold, making it an excellent dish to make ahead.

What Makes This Fried Chicken So Crispy?

• The mixture of all-purpose flour and corn starch.
• Using a cast Iron pan helps to achieve the desired deep color without charring. It also helps with uniform heat because it is specifically designed for high-heat cooking.

Ingredients for Fried Chicken Breast

• Chicken breasts: I used boneless and skinless chicken breasts. It is a lean protein that everyone loves.
• Seasoning and spices: For this recipe, I used smoked paprika for a smoky flavor, cayenne pepper for a kick of heat, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and white pepper to enhance the taste and flavor, salt and chicken bouillon.
• Buttermilk: The acid in the buttermilk helps to tenderize the chicken. It also helps the flour mixture stick to the chicken. 
• Flour, Corn flour (corn starch): 
• Oil – use any oil of your choice that has a high smoke point.

How to make Fried Chicken Breast

• Step 1: Mix the flour and seasoning
• Step 2: Pound the chicken with a mallet and season
• Step 3: Mix the wet mixture. The buttermilk, eggs, salt, and pepper
• Step 4: Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture and dredge with the flour mixture
• Step 5: Fry till golden and crispy.

One word on paprika

This recipe calls for a lot of Paprika. Please don’t skimp on it. It’s a key ingredient in the recipe, which will add a lot of smoky flavor to the meat, and it also helps with browning.

Painless deep frying

Deep frying is a great way to cook chicken. But, many people tend to shy away from deep frying because of the mess, heat, and time involved. 

I’m here to tell you that frying isn’t difficult, but certain tips and techniques should always be adhered to for your chicken breasts to come out perfect every time. You can also cut down on the number of steps and reduce the amount of clean-up involved.

Read our guide to deep frying, including a list of equipment, the correct oil, and safety tips to ensure your confidence and success at deep frying in your very own kitchen.

1- Prepare the equipment: Make sure you’ve got everything you need before you start:

• A cast iron  – This pot is specially designed for high-heat cooking. 
• Thermometer – Nothing is worse than undercooked or overcooked chicken. The thermometer will tell you when the chicken is cooked to perfection
• Tongs – to lift and move the fried chicken
• Wire rack – The crust will stay crisper longer if you drain the chicken on a rack rather than a paper towel, plate, or paper bag.
• Splatter screen – for safety if needed

2- Clean as you go: Cleaning as you go is a great way to avoid a big mess. Cooking is simpler and more enjoyable when you clean as you go because the mess is less likely to overwhelm you.

3- Use oil with a neutral flavor and a high smoking point; Avoid frying with oils that have a strong flavor, such as olive oil. It can overpower the taste of your food. Good examples are vegetable or peanut oil.

4- Don’t skimp on oil: Never skimp on oil when deep frying. Simply fill the frying pan with enough oil to reach. This will ensure that all the chicken pieces cook evenly.

5- Don’t overcrowd the pan; frying in batches is okay because a crowded pan will cool down too quickly and cause your food to soak in the oil instead of being crisp and well-cooked.

Equipment Used

• Cast iron skillet or frying pan
• Meat mallet or rolling pin
• Cooking thermometer
• Tongs

FAQs about Fried Chicken Breast

How do you know that the oil is ready for frying?

You will know that the oil is ready when a drop of water dances in the oil. When you measure with a deep-fry thermometer, the oil will also be shiny, reaching a temperature of 350°F – 180°C. If you don’t have the thermometer, dip the end of a wooden spoon into the oil; once you notice a bubble around the wood, the oil is ready.

Note that the oil shouldn’t be too hot or too cool. If it is too cool, the chicken can be soggy; if it is too hot, the chicken can burn.

Why is my fried chicken not crispy?

Nothing is worse than looking forward to having some deep-fried chicken and finding out it isn’t very crispy. If this happens, then you had your oil too cold. 

You must maintain the right temperature for your oil to achieve the right crispness for your chicken. The oil must remain at 350 degrees. Also, don’t overcrowd the chicken while frying because this will lower the temperature of the oil.

How long does it take to fry?

The frying time depends on the breast size, the oil’s temperature before frying, and the pan you use for frying. Typically, the frying process takes about 4 minutes on each side. You will know that the chicken is done when the middle meat is no longer pink or when the meat thermometer reads 165°F – 75°C. Note that the chicken breast has been pounded to about a half-inch thickness hence the short cooking time.

Will this recipe work for bone-in chicken?

I do not recommend frying bone-in chicken breast because it requires longer cooking time for thorough cooking. Frying will not be appropriate because it is a fast-cooking method. You will enjoy juicy baked chicken thighs if you use a bone-in recipe. See how to make golden fried chicken legs here.

How to store Fried Chicken Breast

Refrigerate or freeze the chicken in an airtight, freezer-safe container. In the refrigerator, it lasts up to 4 days; in the freezer, it lasts up to 3 months.

You can reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Allow frozen fried chicken to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you reheat it.

How to serve Fried Chicken Breast

• Potatoes: Many delicious potato recipes go well with this recipe, including air fryer breakfast potatoes, hot pot potatoes, rich and creamy mashed potatoes, and garlic roasted potatoes.
• Vegetables and Salad: Broccoli, Tomato Mozzarella Salad, Classic Creamy Potato Salad, Classic Tomato Cucumber Salad
• Rice: Rice and beans, Jollof rice, Jamaican rice and peas, and coconut fried rice

More Chicken Breast Recipes to try:

• Air fryer Chicken breast
• Baked Chicken breast
• Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
• Honey Mustard Chicken

Fried Chicken Breast

Fried Chicken breast is one of the fastest and easiest family-approved chicken recipes you can have anytime. This tender and the moist recipe is a sure companion that will always come through for you on busy weeknights—an excellent stand-alone entree and delicious sides for pasta, salads, rice, potatoes, and more.

4.67 from 9 votes

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Course: Lunch/Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, fried chicken, fried chicken breast

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 390.6kcal

Equipment

• Cast iron skillet or frying pan
• Meat mallet or rolling pin
• Cooking thermometer
• Tongs

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• ½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour plain
• ¾ cup cornflour corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Vegetable oil for frying

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Make the spice mix by combining the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, salt, and bouillon powder in a mixing bowl.
• Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a saucepan, lightly pound your chicken to about a half inch thickness until it is even in size between two pieces of cling film.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the spice mix evenly on both sides of the chicken pieces. Reserve the remaining spice for later use.
• In a mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, the eggs, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well.
• In another bowl, combine the remaining spice mix, all-purpose flour, corn starch, and baking powder. Mix well.
• Dip the spice-coated chicken one at a time into the buttermilk, then dip into the flour mixture.
• Heat your oil to about a temperature of 350°F – 180°C. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces to the oil. Fry both sides for about 4 minutes on each side until crispy and browned or when the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. (Fry in batches, don't overcrowd).
• Once done, remove from oil and place it on a wire rack so the fat can drip off.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCNsbzKhLE

Notes

• To get a golden-brown crusty chicken with a moist interior, ensure that the oil is preheated before frying.
• Use a heavy skillet like a cast iron pan to prevent the chicken from burning.
• Use an oil with a high smoke point. I used vegetable oil for this recipe, but you can also opt for canola, avocado, peanut, or grapeseed oil.
• Fry in batches if you are frying a lot. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
• Flip the chicken once to prevent the coating from falling off.

Nutrition

Calories: 390.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 35.4g | Protein: 29.5g | Fat: 13.8g | Saturated Fat: 4.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 131.3mg | Sodium: 993.6mg | Potassium: 490.8mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 2.4g | Vitamin A: 1628IU | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2.9mg

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