Southern Fried Chicken….there is nothing like it! This chicken recipe was shared over a back yard fence one Sunday afternoon after my husband and I smell the fragrance wafting from a neighbor’s kitchen. This is chicken that touches your nose, your pallet and your soul. Our daughter, Megan, has sensitivity to gluten, so I revised our recipe using a gluten free flour blend so she can enjoy it also. I have included that option in the recipe.

The key is the marinade and the inclusion of hot sauce. I use wing sauce, but you don’t get a hot wing taste. Instead, you get a rich flavor to build upon by adding traditional herbs…pepper, garlic, poultry seasoning. I like a bit more thyme in mine. You can tune spices to your taste. Once you combine the marinade, let the chicken soak in that spa of goodness for at least 2-4 hours.

Use a Dutch oven or an iron skillet to fry chicken, and the cooking oil should fill the pan to point where your chicken is about 2/3rds covered with the oil. We were cooking 24 tenderloins when writing this post, so we used the 12” skillet and about one inch oil. It cooked pretty quickly, and eight tenderloins fit in the pan at a time.

Important: Chicken needs to reach 165 degrees in the center of the filet or at the bone. If cooking whole bone-in pieces, you will need to reduce the heat some to cook all the way through. Undercooked poultry can cause illness.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:

2 Dozen Chicken Tenderloins or 8 Whole Pieces

2 Cups All Purpose Flour or Gluten Free Flour Blend (we like Pillsbury GF Flour Blend)

1 Egg

2 Cups Buttermilk

1/2 Cup Hot Sauce or Wing Sauce

1 Teaspoon Thyme

1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1 1/2 Teaspoons Black Pepper (divided)

1 1/2 Teaspoons garlic powder or granulated garlic (divided)

2 Teaspoons Salt (divided)

1 1/2 Teaspoons Poultry Seasoning (divided)

Cooking Oil (enough to fill the pan/Dutch oven 1” if cooking tenderloins and 2” if cooking whole pieces of chicken) – we use a low cholesterol healthy cooking oil. Note: We recycle our cooking oil by pouring the cooled oil into a separate container and storing it in the refrigerator. For those who are gluten intolerant, make sure the stored oil was not previously used to cook an item containing or battered with regular flour or self rising cornmeal or other gluten containing ingredients.

Directions–

Prepare marinade: In a large bowl combine buttermilk, wing sauce, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, smoked paprika, thyme, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and mix together. Add chicken. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 – 4 hours.

Prepare dry ingredients: In a separate bowl combine the flour or gluten free flour blend, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon each of pepper and garlic powder.

Heat cooking oil in skillet or Dutch oven on medium high heat. While the oil heats, remove chicken from refrigerator and remove the chicken from the marinade. Add egg to the marinade and stir well. Place the chicken back into the marinade, and turn over to coat well with marinade egg mixture.

Once oil is hot (test by dropping a bit of flour into the oil) move each piece of chicken from the marinade into the flour mixture. Turn it over to coat evenly and place it in the cooking oil. Don’t crowd the pan, or it will slow down cooking and cause the coating to absorb more oil. Cook until browned on one side, then flip. Once the other side is browned, insert meat thermometer to insure that tenderloin reaches 165 degrees in the center. Don’t forget that you may have to reduce heat slightly for bone-in chicken. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and drain on a paper towel.

Dipping Sauce for Tenderloins: This chicken has plenty of flavor but, if desired, serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Our daughter, Megan, loves traditional ranch dressing, and here is a Smoked Paprika Aioli that I love.

3 Tablespoons of Mayo

1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

A pinch of pepper

A few drops of lemon juice

I look forward to hearing what you think of this dish. What are you cooking in your iron skillet? Would really like to hear your favorite dish in the comments.

Thank you so much for reading and cooking with me.

Buon Appetito!

Kim Orsini

Iron Maiden – Black Skillet Cooking