Looking for the crispiest southern fried chicken? Look no further because we’re sharing our secret ingredient to make the crispiest chicken!
The Crispiest Spicy Fried Chicken
In the south, we are known for a few things: southern charm, BBQ, and fried chicken! Like seriously the south does fried chicken so well!
I remember when we moved here about 4 years ago we quickly adapted to how friendly everyone was, and Ty fit right in with his awesome BBQing, but no matter what, we could not cook a good southern fried chicken.
After many attempts and lots of soggy fried chicken, I finally asked, “How? How are you making your fried chicken so crispy?”
My friend said, “With my secret ingredient, Argo® Corn Starch!”
After I heard this, I literally ran home and altered my spicy fried chicken and added Argo® Corn Starch to the recipe, and can I tell you that it made literally the best fried chicken I have ever tasted!
The Secret Ingredient to the Perfectly Crispiest Fried Chicken
Like with any recipe, the secret ingredient is what makes the recipe and becomes the most important part because it is what sets your recipe stand out from every other recipe out there.
When my friend told me that she used Argo® Corn Starch as her secret ingredient, I shouldn’t have been surprised! I mean, Argo® Corn Starch has been the leader in corn starch brands with over 100 years of quality and trust!
I mean, Argo® Corn Starch is the secret ingredient you have been searching for – not only for making the perfect most crispy fried chicken but also for your worry-free solution to thickening sauces, adjusting textures, and elevating your cooking and baking.
So to make the crispiest chicken in the town, Argo® Corn Starch is who we turn to when it comes to making a crispy coating batter. When you use it in your batter, it helps create a crispy chicken with a super airy delicious texture!
How to Cook Fried Chicken
Personally, I love a good old fashioned fried chicken! So I love cooking mine in oil in a pan on the stove, but this is not the only way to get the crispiest fried chicken.
Other great options are baking it, air frying it, of course, deep-frying it. The possibilities are endless.
So How Do You Make the Crispiest Chicken?
The Crispiest Southern Fried Chicken
- Yield: 6-8
- Prep Time: 1-hour marinade, about 10 minutes of other prep
- Cook Time: 8-13 minutes
Ingredients for Spicy Southern Fried Chicken:
- 2-3 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and breasts
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 3 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
_____
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ cups Argo® Corn Starch
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Oil for frying
Directions for the Crispiest Southern Fried Chicken
- Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish and set aside. I find that 1 pound of chicken will feed 2-3 people.
- In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least one hour. If you know that you are making fried chicken the next day, you can absolutely marinate the chicken in this mixture overnight in the fridge.
- In a second large bowl, whisk together flour, Argo® Corn Starch, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. If you are not in the mood for spicy chicken, you can omit the cayenne pepper or adjust it up or down based on what you prefer.
- Remove the chicken pieces, one at a time, from the buttermilk mixture, allowing access to drip off. Coat the chicken completely in the flour mixture and set aside. For the ultimate CRUNCH FACTOR, you can double dip the chicken in the flour mixture.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, until the oil, reaches 350 degrees.
- When the oil is heated, place chicken pieces in the pan, being careful not to overcrowd.
- Cook the chicken pieces until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, turning once about halfway through cooking time. Total cooking time is about 8-10 minutes for a large breast and about 13 minutes for a thigh.
- Remove chicken from oil and place on a cooling rack or on paper towels.
Serving suggestions: Side of ranch and celery and coleslaw.
Tell me how your crispy fried chicken turns out using your Argo® Corn Starch in the comments!
Looking for more great dinner ideas? Check out these related posts!
The Crispiest Southern Fried Chicken
Looking for the crispiest southern fried chicken? Look no further because we’re sharing our secret ingredient to make the crispiest chicken!
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and breasts
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 3 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
- _____
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ cups ARGO cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, hot sauce and cayenne pepper.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and let marinade in the fridge for at least one hour.
- In a second large bowl, whisk together flour, ARGO cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Remove the chicken pieces, one at a time, from the buttermilk mixture allowing access to drip off. Coat the chicken completely in the flour mixture and set aside.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat, until the oil reaches 350 degrees.
- When oil is heated, place chicken pieces in the pan being careful not to overcrowd.
- Cook the chicken pieces until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, turning once about halfway through cooking time. Total cooking time is about 8-10 minutes for a large breast, and about 13 minutes for a thigh.
- Remove chicken from oil and place on a cooling rack or on paper towels.
Serving suggestions: Side of ranch and celery and coleslaw.
Michele Tripple is a renowned author and expert in the fields of parenting, relationships, and personal development. With her degree in marriage and family studies, her experience as a Family Life Educator, and over a decade of experience as a professional writer, Michele has authored books that provide practical advice and insights into improving family dynamics and personal growth. Her work is celebrated for its blend of research-driven information and relatable, real-world applications. Michele has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has contributed to numerous publications and media outlets, solidifying her reputation as an authoritative voice in her field and helping families build relationships.
I just came across your website and this chicken sounds awesome. I’m wondering if it would work if I removed the skin or is that an essential part of the recipe? Thanks.
It might not get as crispy if you remove the skin, but it should still work fine! Let us know what you think of it if you try it without skin 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I love fried chicken and can’t wait to try this recipe.
You had me at “crispiest!” omg this recipe looks and sounds so delicious!!! I am adding this to our list of things to make!! YUM!!!
Isn’t crispy fried chicken the BEST?! You will love this recipe, I promise!
This chicken looks absolutely delicious
This southern fried chicken is so good! You’ve got to try it and let me know how you like it. 🙂
I love me some fried chicken. Out of all of my years I’ve never used cornstarch. I’m definitely going to try this out. That’s chicken looks so crispy and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
My mouth is drooling reading this post. That chicken looks delicious. Thank you for sharing
It really is the most delicious crisipiest southern fried chicken! You’ve gotta try it! 🙂
YUUUUMMMMY!!! This sounds so delicious!!! We love making our own homemade crispy chicken!
Mmmm. This looks and sounds soo good, my husband would love this. I’m marking it in my pinterest to try sometime soon!
Crispy fried chicken, definitely the call of the south. We’ve been in the south for 6 years and I’ve eaten some great fried chicken but never attempted to make any. Need to try this tip with the corn starch.
while we are vegetarians, the concept of crispy fried anything is always yummy so i am going to try this out with a veg alternative
I did not know this brand! These pieces of chicken look crispy!
Uhm, yes please! I think I might be making this tonight!
I have recently figured out that corn starch is key in cooking. It is something I always have on hand.
i love crispy fried chicken, the crunchier the better!!