Crispy Fried Chicken Without Buttermilk (Southern Style)

Close up of golden Crispy Southern Fried Chicken on a wire rack with steam rising from the seasoned crust.

Crispy Fried Chicken Without Buttermilk (Southern Style)

Crispy Fried Chicken Without Buttermilk (Southern Style) gets a shatteringly golden crust from a quick egg wash spiked with buffalo sauce and seasoned self rising flour. Done in 24 minutes start to platter, no overnight buttermilk soak required.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Southern

Keyword southern fried chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 14

Total Time 24

Servings pieces

Calories 342kcal

Author Jason Decker

Ingredients

3 eggs
⅓ cup water
¼ cup buffalo sauce
1 whole chicken cut up into parts or 8 pieces of your favorite parts
1 teaspoon kosher salt
25 cracks black pepper divided
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 cups self-rising flour
Peanut oil for frying

Instructions

Preheat oil temperature to 350°F. I used a deep fryer, you can also use a heavy-bottomed skillet or dutch oven with at least 3 inches of oil up the sides of the pan. DO NOT OVERFILL YOUR PAN.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and buffalo sauce. Set aside.
3 eggs
Season chicken on all sides with salt, 5 cracks of pepper, garlic, and onion powders. Set aside.
3 eggs
In a large bowl, mix the flour and remaining pepper together. Set aside.
When the oil is heated, take the chicken piece by piece and dip it in the egg mixture.
Let any excess egg fall off. Place chicken in the flour mixture and coat on all sides. Shaking off any excess flour.
Slowly and carefully place the chicken in the hot oil, do not overcrowd the pan. You will need to do this in batches. Dark meat takes 13-14 minutes, white meat takes 8-10 minutes. If needed, turn the chicken halfway through for an even golden brown. Chicken is done when internal temperature reaches 165°F degrees you will have a crispy crust and juicy meat.
Place cooked chicken on a sheet tray topped with a wire rack, this will help keep the chicken crisp and not absorb excess oil. Sprinkle a little more kosher salt on top right out of the oil. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

I ALWAYS recommend reading through the recipe in full a couple times before starting. That way you know exactly what to expect and you aren't running around like crazy.
Gather all your ingredients before cooking. Believe me, I have forgotten to add an item here or there in my cooking adventures before because of this.
I can get that this recipe can be a little daunting, especially if you are frying for the first time. That is why I love using a deep fryer but for this recipe we made it in a pan on the stove, since it has a lid you can just drop the chicken, add the lid and you don't have to worry about splatters.
When dropping any kind of food into the hot oil, you have to be careful. I have seen thousands of times people are scared of the oil and drop food into it from high above, what do you think will happen? That is going to create waves and splatter everywhere. Yes, the oil is hot but it's not going to jump up and bite you, carefully place the item into the oil, just make sure your fingers don't hit the oil. It's that simple. Especially with larger pieces like southern fried chicken, place the piece of chicken into the oil away from you.
Once the chicken is done frying, blot off any excess oil and then place it directly on to a wire rack. This will ensure the chicken stays crispy all over. DO NOT PLACE IT ONTO PAPER TOWEL LINED PLATE AND JUST LEAVE IT THERE. The chicken will then steam and the bottom of it will become soggy.
Use your favorite chicken pieces, we use a whole cut up chicken for this recipe.
Easily double this recipe to serve more people.

Nutrition