Whether prepared in a frying pan or an oven, at its most basic the recipe for fried chicken only calls for flour, salt and pepper, a generous amount of oil or butter for frying, and a cook time of under an hour. Most of us know that coating the meat in breadcrumbs results in extra crispy chicken, or that adding spices gives it a southern flavour, or that marinating it in buttermilk makes it extra juicy. But here are 20 other recipes, many of them international, for even more amazing fried chicken!
Crispy Crunchy Korean Fried Chicken Wings
The other KFC is especially delicious for being twice-fried and coated in a sweet, sticky spicy sauce. The basic steps are to trim the chicken wings, cover in salt, pepper, ginger, and potato starch, and fry in hot oil. Remove from oil and let the wings sit before refrying them. Then coat in a heated seasoning sauce made from oil, garlic, dried red chili pepper, soy sauce, rice syrup, vinegar, mustard sauce, and brown sugar. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. Recipe
Popcorn Chicken![Popcorn Chicken]()
Wash and drain chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces. Mix well with red chili powder, ginger garlic paste or powder, onion powder, pepper powder, and salt. Then add egg, corn flour, and breadcrumbs, in that order. Set aside for a few minutes so that the bread can stick well to the chicken. Drop into heated oil one piece at a time, and stir for even browning. Serve with ketchup or your favourite sauce. Recipe
Copycat KFC Original-Style Chicken
If you can’t make it to your nearest KFC when the craving hits for that unique taste, you can attempt to recreate it yourself, and make your home kitchen into a southern kitchen. The key, of course, is that famous blend of 11 herbs and spices, once a secret but no more. Get ready with 1 chicken, oil, an egg, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and salt. Recipe
Buttermilk Fried Chicken![Buttermilk Fried Chicken]()
What sets this recipe apart is the use of buttermilk instead of regular milk, and a dash of garlic powder. Otherwise the steps are simple: put the chicken, buttermilk and salt in a bowl, toss it all together, and let cool in the fridge for an hour. When the oil in the skillet reaches 360 F (180 C), take out the chicken, shake off the excess buttermilk, and coat it in a mix of flour, paprika, pepper and garlic powder, and drop it in the heat! Recipe
Country Fried Chicken
A simpler version of its Kentucky cousin, this fried chicken can be eaten cold, making it ideal for a summer picnic. Along with the cut-up chicken, flour, salt and pepper, and paprika, you’ll need some poultry seasoning, an egg, milk, and of course plenty of oil for frying! Recipe
Southern Fried Chicken![Southern Fried Chicken]()
This recipe uses a mix of flour, paprika, ground thyme and granulated garlic to coat the chicken, pre-moistened in a blend of eggs, milk and water. Shake the chicken in a plastic bag of the flour mix until it is well coated. Fry in hot oil heated to the standard 350 F (175 C), allowing more time, approximately 20 minutes, for the heavier parts of the meat, and about five minutes less for the lighter parts such as wings. Recipe
Ayam Penyet (Indonesian Fried Chicken)
A recipe native to Central Java, this recipe calls for the preparation of a purée of garlic, coriander, turmeric, salt, ginger, and galangal. In a pot, boil the seasonings with the chicken in water. Then fry the chicken in hot oil. Create a chili sauce by blending shallots, red chili, shrimp paste, salt, lime leaves, basil, and brown sugar. Set the fried chicken on a bed of the sauce and serve! Recipe
Kerala Chicken Fry![Kerala Chicken Fry]()
This recipe works best with chicken drumsticks. Remove the skin and soak in lemon water, then drain. Slice each drumstick 2 or 3 times. Prepare a marinade of Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder, chicken masala powder, lemon juice, and salt. If you have time, let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. Otherwise, go straight to frying in medium heat. Recipe
Nashville-Style Hot Chicken
What makes this recipe hot is that not only is the floured chicken dipped in a liquid mixture that includes two tablespoons of hot sauce before being fried, but it is then brushed with a spicy oil made from six tablespoons of cayenne pepper, two tablespoons of brown sugar, and a teaspoon each of chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Good thing it is served with nicely cooling white bread and sliced pickles! Recipe
Vegan Fried Chicken with Satan ![Vegan Fried Chicken with Seitan]()
This recipe uses seitan steaks and egg replacers. Mix flour, yeast, salt, paprika, onion and garlic powder and pepper. Separately, mix mustard, water, and egg replacers. Add a third of the flour mix into the mustard mix and blend into smoothness. Coat the drained seitan pieces: first in the mustard mix, then in the flour mix. Wrap the pieces in foil and freeze for up to 24 hours before deep-frying. Recipe
Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken
Combine potato flakes, salt, paprika, garlic powder and pepper in a bowl. Mix well with butter. Beat egg and water in a separate bowl. Dip pieces of chicken in the egg mixture first, then in the potato mixture. Place chicken skin-side up in pre-greased baking pan, and bake at 400 F (205 C) for about an hour. Recipe
Fried Chicken Meatballs![Fried Chicken Meatballs]()
For the ‘meatball’ portion, you’ll need about a pound and a half of ground chicken, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. The coating is a bit more sophisticated, calling for a mix of nine herbs and spices and a few tablespoons of tapioca starch. Combine the coating with a fork, and roll a rounded tablespoon of the chicken mix in the coating. Fry the balls in single layers until evenly browned. Best served on a bed of seasoned greens. Recipe
Japanese Fried Chicken
This fairly minimalist recipe works best with boneless, skin-on chicken thighs cut into small pieces, fresh grated ginger and garlic, soy sauce, sake, granulated sugar, potato starch, and vegetable oil and lemon for frying. Marinate the chicken in the other ingredients for an hour. Coat each piece evenly with potato starch before frying, and serve with lemon wedges. Recipe
Bacon-Wrapped Fried Chicken![Bacon-Wrapped Fried Chicken]()
Coat chicken drumsticks in batter made from buttermilk, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper, and refrigerate for 4-24 hours. Combine flour, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion powder, and salt and pepper in a dish, and let the chicken rest in the flour mixture for 10 minutes. Wrap chicken in slices of bacon and fry until golden brown. Sprinkle with green onion and serve with ranch dipping sauce. Recipe
Thai Fried Chicken
Rub the chicken in a marinade mix of oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, and a paste made from lemongrass, garlic, ginger, shallots, and sugar. Let the chicken marinate covered overnight in the fridge. Create a batter from egg, cornstarch, rice flour, and baking soda and dip the marinated chicken in the batter and fry in a wok or large pan. Recipe
Brazilian Fried Chicken Balls![20 delicious fried chicken recipes]()
Boil chicken breasts in chicken broth, carrot, and onion. Remove when cooked, but set aside the broth. Shred the chicken and mix it with cream cheese and lime juice. Add onions and garlic sautéed in butter. Create a dough by mixing flour with some of the broth. Chill this stiff dough and the chicken mix for an hour or overnight. To prep for frying, roll balls of the chicken mix in dough, shape them into drumsticks, coat with egg, and cover them with breadcrumbs. Recipe
Bonafide Popeye’s Spicy Chicken
The key ingredient here is one bottle of Louisiana brand hot sauce and, not to be outdone by KFC, a 14-ingredient seasoning mix. Coat the chicken with the hot sauce. Sprinkle with the seasoning and allow to marinate for a couple of hours. For the batter, beat eggs with pepper, salt, sugar, and Accent seasoning. Dip the chicken in the batter, coat with flour. Let the chicken sit for 15 minutes before frying each piece one at a time by lowering into heated deep-frying fat, for 10 minutes. Recipe
Crispy Fried Chicken Skin![Crispy Fried Chicken Skin]()
This is a very simple recipe that will no doubt result in a dream meal for those who prefer the crispy fried skin of fried chicken over the meat itself. Simply heat your choice of fat or oil in a cast-iron pan, and drop the skins in and fry on both sides until golden brown in colour. Douse generously with hot sauce and/or honey before serving. Recipe
Fried Chicken Feet
Naturally, the first thing to do is to trim the calloused bits and the nails off the feet. Simmer them in water until tender. Save the water. Once cooled, dip in a mixture of egg and flour, and fry in a wok. Alternately, you can skim the batter, instead frying the feet directly in oil, and seasoning with chili sauce and soy sauce afterwards. Recipe
Fried Chicken Butt![Fried Chicken Butt]()
Contrary to common belief, yes, chickens do have backsides and they make for good eating! It goes without saying that you need to clean the chicken butts, about a pound of them, very well first. Marinate them for one hour in lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Roll in flour, deep-fry until golden brown, and enjoy! Can be served stacked on a skewer. Recipe
