The 5 Best Fried Chicken Recipes

1. Crispy Honey-glazed Fried Chicken

Ingredients
for 8 servings

2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons cayenne powder
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and drumsticks
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups buttermilk
oil, for frying
honey, for serving
Preparation
In a medium bowl, add the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, and cayenne and mix until combined.
Pour half of the spice mix into the flour, mixing until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
Add the chicken to a bowl, and sprinkle the remaining spice blend over it. Mix until all the chicken pieces are evenly coated.
Pour the buttermilk over the chicken, and stir until the residual spices from the chicken have blended in with the buttermilk to create a light orange color.
Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2 to 8 hours.
Heat oil to about 325°F (170°C) in a large cast iron skillet.
Dredge each piece of chicken into the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip them back into the buttermilk mixture, then back into the flour. Make sure to shake off excess flour or it’ll burn while frying.
Fry 3-4 chicken pieces at a time, occasionally turning the pieces over. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Rest the chicken pieces on a wire rack to let excess oil drain off.
Drizzle with honey, then serve!
Enjoy!

2. Cheddar Ranch Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients
for 4 servings

2 chicken breasts
2 cups buttermilk
1 packet ranch dressing mix
2 cups cheese cracker
oil, for frying
Preparation
Chop chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, buttermilk, and ranch packet.
Refrigerate for 2 hours.
In a large ziplock bag, crumble the cheese crackers into desired crumbs (to replace bread crumbs).
Place cracker crumbs into a medium bowl and coat each piece of chicken until fully covered.
Heat oil to 350°F (180°C) and fry chicken until crackers turn golden brown (3 minutes).
Place on a paper towel to dry.
Serve with a side of ranch or any sauce.
Enjoy!

3. Orange Chicken (Inspired By Panda Express)

Ingredients
for 2 servings

1 egg
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 chicken breasts, cubed
½ cup cornstarch
¼ cup flour
vegetable oil, for frying
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
½ teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons water
3 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
scallions, chopped, for garnish
CORNSTARCH SLURRY

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Preparation
Combine the egg, white pepper and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed chicken breast, make sure it’s coated with the egg mixture.
In another bowl, combine corn starch and flour. Add the coated chicken to the flour mixture. Stir to coat.
Working in batches, fry the coated chicken until golden and done. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In a large pan or wok, add oil, garlic, ginger and red chili flakes. Stir fry until fragrant.
Add rice wine and stir for a few seconds. Proceed to add all of the other sauce ingredients, including soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar and orange zest.
Add the fried chicken. Stir to coat in sauce. Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch slurry.
Garnish with chopped scallions and serve with rice.
Enjoy!

4. Crispy, Creamy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients
for 6 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
16 slices swiss cheese
½ lb ham, sliced
1 cup flour
4 eggs
2 cups panko breadcrumb
CREAMY DIJON SAUCE

3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
¼ cup dijon mustard
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Preparation
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, tossing to coat evenly.
On a cutting board, place a chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound until about ½ inch (1 cm) thick with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or heavy pan.
Remove the plastic wrap and place a layer of Swiss cheese, then ham, then one more layer of Swiss cheese.
Evenly roll the chicken, and place onto a new sheet of plastic wrap.
Wrap the chicken in the plastic wrap, twist the excess plastic, and roll the chicken while twisting the sides in to tighten and firm up the roll of chicken cordon bleu. Tie the excess and chill in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
After the rolls are set, prepare large, wide dishes with flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs.
Dredge the chicken in the flour, egg, and then bread crumbs.
Place the breaded chicken cordon bleu in a 325°F (170°C) pot of oil, and cook about 5 minutes per side or until the outside is an even golden brown. If a good color is achieved and the chicken’s center is still not 165°F (74°C), you can finish the chicken in an oven at 325°F (170°C) until that temperature is reached.
In a 1.5-quart saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and cook the garlic until soft.
Add in flour, and whisk for 1 minute.
Add in the milk, and whisk until fully combined with the roux. Continue whisking until the mixture comes to a simmer and has thickened.
Add in the Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
Slice chicken and serve drizzled with Dijon sauce.
Enjoy!

5. Spicy Korean Chicken

Ingredients
for 2 servings

10 chicken wings, or drumettes
1 cup cornstarch
oil, for frying
sesame seeds, to serve
BATTER

½ cup cornstarch
½ cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water
SAUCE

2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons gochujang, (Korean chili paste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
Preparation
Mix the ingredients for the batter in a bowl until smooth with no lumps.
Heat oil in a pot to 340°F.
Dip a chicken wing into the cornstarch, shaking off excess, then dredge the wing into the batter, dripping off excess.
Fry half of the wings at a time for about 5-7 minutes, until light golden. The oil will drop to about 320°F.
Drain the wings and increase the heat. Heat oil to about 375°F.
Heat oil to about 375°F.
Fry the wings a second time until golden brown and crispy. Drain and set aside.
In a pan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and stir until bubbling. Toss in the wings.
Enjoy!