33 Irresistible Fried Chicken Recipes

For extra-juicy—and flavorful—fried chicken, chef Rupam Bhagat of Ritu Indian Soul Food (formerly known as Dum Indian Soul Food) in San Francisco marinates his meat using the traditional two-step tandoori process: He first lets the chicken sit in a blend of aromatic spices for 12 hours and then folds in yogurt that helps tenderize the meat and caramelize the crust when it's fried.

This fried chicken from chef Shaun Doty of Bantam + Biddy in Atlanta is a no-fail, no-fuss version of classic fried chicken with a perfectly crunchy seasoned crust—the trick is the cornstarch—and juicy meat.

Instead of deep-frying chicken in a vat of oil, Angie Mosier prefers pan-frying, which creates delightfully crunchy and moist chicken without using as much oil.

To make this juicy and delectably crisp chicken, chef Thomas Keller soaks it in a lemony brine, then coats and fries it.

Here, chef Marcus Samuelsson marinates chicken in a mixture of buttermilk, coconut milk, and minced garlic, and then coats the cutlets in shredded coconut and panko. They're fried in a skillet until crispy and paired with collard greens that have a touch of heat, thanks to pickled jalapeños.

Linda Meyers serves these pounded, breaded and fried chicken cutlets with her own butter sauce, made with fresh sage and lemon.

"I admit that nothing can stand in for good fried chicken," says John Currence. "But this is a hell of an impostor." He adds sweet tea to his marinade; the tannins help tenderize the poultry while the sugar gives it a light cure. The accompanying gravy gets a ton of flavor from strips of caramelized onion.

Thick-cut potato chips in this crust stay more crispy than the standard kind. Salt-and-pepper is delicious here, but any flavor works beautifully—even barbecue.

To make his phenomenal fried chicken, Tyler Florence first bakes it low and slow, so it's juicy. Then he coats the chicken pieces in seasoned flour and fries them in oil that's been flavored with garlic and herbs.

Chef JJ Johnson of Fieldtrip in New York City (formerly of The Cecil) marinates the chicken thighs for his fried chicken sandwich in Piri Piri, a spicy Portuguese sauce, for an extra layer of flavor before breading and pan frying.

Bobby Flay's crispy fried chicken stays tender and juicy for two reasons: First, the tangy yogurt marinade and second, the fact that the chicken is roasted first, then quick-fried just before serving.

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best: Chef Scott Peacock first met the venerable Edna Lewis when they cooked a fundraising dinner together in Georgia in 1990. The two shared a love for Southern cuisine and went on to forge a deep friendship, eventually publishing a book together called The Gift of Southern Cooking. Taste and authenticity were paramount for both cooks, and this spectacular fried chicken speaks to that. The bird is double brined; dredged in a mix of flour, cornstarch, and potato starch; and fried in a trinity of lard, butter, and bacon fat. Serve it with Lewis' light, fluffy, irresistible biscuits.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre infuses his fried chicken with multiple layers of seasoning. Before the bird touches the richly flavored duck fat oil, it gets marinated overnight in a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Lefebvre then serves it with his homemade spicy-tangy-sweet ketchup for dipping.

At the 21c Museum Hotel in Nashville, former chef Levon Wallace made buckets of his old-school fried chicken, which is extra-crispy, extra-crunchy and just the right amount of salty. If you want to get really fancy, he says, drizzle the chicken with honey and your favorite spice blend, or serve it alongside some bubbly.

The first step in chef Eric Johnson's incredibly moist, incredibly crisp fried chicken isn't a spice rub or batter, but rather a whole-bird simmer in an aromatic, umami-rich broth. This allows the fat beneath the skin to render as the meat gently cooks. Once dried and fried, the chicken skin becomes lacquered and shatteringly crisp.

This spectacularly delicious fried chicken is a variation of the much-loved dish served at NYC's iconic Blue Ribbon Brasserie. This version is brined in water, salt, honey, lemon and herbs, then coated in a mix of matzo meal and flour before it's fried to crunchy perfection. To make it even more luxurious, chefs Bruce and Eric Bromberg toss it in luscious foie gras fat with crispy chiles and herbs just before it's served.

"I love this style of cooking chicken for both its flavor and its ease," says cookbook author Naomi Duguid. "The chicken is cut into pieces and rubbed with salt and lemon juice, kind of a quick marinade, before being shallow-fried until golden. But there's no worry about whether the frying cooks the chicken completely, because it then simmers in water with a little onion, turmeric, and cumin until tender and cooked through."

Chefs Erik Anderson and Josh Habiger make their chicken brine with sweet tea and thyme, a recipe inspired by chef Joseph Lenn of Tennessee's Blackberry Farm; the brine gives the chicken a delicate, sweet flavor. After frying the chicken until it's extra-crispy, they toss it in a sweet-and-spicy sauce of molasses and gochujang.

Chef Felipe Riccio likes to top these crispy hot chicken tacos with spicy, chorizo-studded braised collards and bread-and-butter pickles. Use the best-quality corn tortillas you can find, such as those from Masienda brand.

This is a damn-good sandwich from Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman. The chicken is tender and crisp, and it's topped with a crunchy, tangy slaw and spicy aioli. It's messy and delicious and completely irresistible.

NYC chef John DeLucie uses tangy and crispy sourdough pretzels to guarantee the best-ever crunchy at-home fried chicken.

Food & Wine's Justin Chapple likes making extra-crispy chicken that retains its crunch in the fridge, so it's ideal for picnics or just eating right out of the icebox.

Punchy rémoulade cuts through the richness of the crispy buttermilk fried chicken, which is served over a salad of pickled fennel and peaches in this recipe from Top Chef Season 16 winner Kelsey Barnard Clark. Seek out underripe, firmer peaches for the salad—they'll hold up to the pickling best.

This recipe for stuffed and fried chicken wings from F&W Best New Chef Junghyun Park features chicken wings dredged in a crackling breading and stuffed with spicy, savory doubanjiang fried rice. (They're a lot of fun to eat, so when preparing them, take the time to get the hang of carefully removing the bones without piercing the skin.) The final touch is a tongue-tingling spice blend of Szechuan peppercorn, salt, sugar, and powdered vinegar. Make extra of the spice blend—it's great on everything from popcorn to tater tots.

Adding pickle brine to a traditional buttermilk marinade helps infuse every bite with flavor and a gentle sweetness. Bonus? You can serve the pickles left in the jar alongside the fried chicken. Patience is essential to guarantee the crunchiest, juiciest results, so be sure to marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours so it has a chance to fully permeate the bird, and allow the breaded chicken to rest before frying so that coating adheres to the skin.

Seasoning boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a classic, Southern fried chicken spice blend and dill pickle juice makes for the juiciest, crunchiest fried chicken sandwiches. Choose a dill pickle brine without much sugar, which can burn during cooking.

Chef Meherwan Irani's Parsi-style fried chicken is first marinated with an aromatic mix of ginger, garlic, chiles, and spices, and then dredged in flour and dipped in fluffy beaten egg for a crispy, golden crust. Basting the chicken while it cooks helps to crisp the outside while keeping the inside juicy and evenly cooked. He serves this dish with a quick slaw of shredded cabbage and carrots, chopped cilantro, and healthy dashes of vinegar and lime juice.

A sticky glaze of soy sauce and brown sugar gets subtle heat from fresh jalapeños to give these fried wings the perfect level of spice, sweetness, and salt. Potato starch creates a shatteringly crisp exterior on the wings and stays crunchy for hours—even after they have cooled.

Who needs a deep fryer to make fried chicken when you can get such delicious results from an air-fryer? Here, we start with a hot sauce and buttermilk soak, and then coat the chicken with a well-seasoned flour mixture. Next comes a dip in beaten eggs, then back into the flour mixture to ensure a crispy coating. The air-fryer will take it from there. This chicken is equally delicious the next day.

2019 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Glover butterflies chicken breast for a quick and even cook in her buttermilk-marinated chicken breast recipe. To ensure a clean cut, pat the meat dry, and then place a clean paper towel under the chicken while you cut through the breast. Glover gives butterflied chicken breast an initial soak in a simple brine and a second soak in buttermilk to deliver juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken that fries up incredibly crispy. This recipe is delicious all by itself. If you like, take it to the next level by using it in her recipe for Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Anchovy-Garlic Dressing or her recipe for Fried Chicken with Root Vegetable Escabeche.

Crispy fried chicken tops 2019 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Glover's salad made with bitter greens tossed with cilantro dressing and escabeche, or pickled vegetables. The longer the vegetables sit in the pickling liquid, the more flavorful they will be. The salad doesn't use all of the escabeche; use up the leftovers on a cheese plate, or tuck into sandwiches.

2019 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Glover's crispy fried chicken sandwich starts with her Ultimate Buttermilk-Marinated Fried Chicken Breasts, which get drizzled with a creamy homemade anchovy-garlic dressing, fresh radicchio, Castelvetrano olives, and spicy Calabrian chiles. The dressing gets an additional umami boost from Parmesan cheese and a balancing touch of acidity from white wine vinegar. It all adds up to make one incredibly flavor-packed, satisfying sandwich.

Cookbook author Molly Stevens fillets chicken breast for crispy grown-up chicken nuggets dredged in panko and fried in olive oil and butter. Flattening chicken to even thickness (1/3 inch) is paramount. If the chicken is too thick, it takes too long to cook, and you risk scorching the coating before the interior is done; if too thin, it'll dry out before the breading has time to brown.