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Tender inside and crispy outside, this copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Chicken is easy to make with simple ingredients! Any home chef can easily whip up a perfect batch of golden brown Southern fried chicken.
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This amazing fried chicken tastes like it came right off the Cracker Barrel menu! Perfectly seasoned and fried, the whole family will love the tender and juicy goodness of this classic dish.
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A Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅ Recipe: ~Copycat Cracker Barrel Southern Fried Chicken
- ⏱️ Ready: ~3 hours
- 👨👩👧👦 Serves: ~8
- 🍽️ Calories: ~553 (est.)
- 🥣 Ingredients: ~chicken, buttermilk, flour, egg, seasoning, oil
- 👌 Difficulty: ~Easy
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Why this Recipe Works
Craving fried chicken? Don’t bother going out and spending an arm and a leg to eat at a restaurant–you can deep fry chicken in your own kitchen!
Thanks to a simple brine and an easy but flavorful coating, this chicken comes together without stress and results in delicious, restaurant-quality food every time. You’ll love the juicy, tender interior paired with the crispy and golden brown exterior.
Can’t get enough copycat recipes? Try my Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and serve these Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes for dessert!
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken: Feel free to use your choice of chicken parts, but I like to fry a variety of chicken breast, wings, and drumsticks.
- Buttermilk: Helps to tenderize and make the chicken juicy.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and paprika are all you’ll need to add flavor to the crispy exterior.
- All Purpose Flour: Coats the chicken and ensures that it ends up golden brown and crispy.
- Frying Oil: I typically go for vegetable oil or canola oil, but any oil that has a high smoke point works well for deep frying.
How to Make this Cracker Barrel Fried Chicken
- Step 1: Combine buttermilk with water, salt, and pepper.
- Step 2: Place the chicken in a large bowl and cover with the buttermilk mixture. Rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better).
- Step 3: When it’s time to fry the chicken, in a separate large mixing bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Step 4: Take the brined chicken and coat is well in the flour mixture.
- Step 5: Once the chicken is breaded, whisk the egg into the buttermilk mixture.
- Step 6: Coat the chicken pieces in the egg and buttermilk.
- Step 7: Re-coat in the flour mixture.
- Step 8: Heat oil up to 350 degrees F.
- Step 9: Place the chicken in the oil and cook for 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the size and type of each piece. You may need to work in small batches.
- Step 10: Allow fried chicken to drain slightly on a wire rack, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Serve this fried chicken with classic sides like buttermilk biscuits, corn muffins, mashed potatoes, green beans, or steamed corn.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the thickest part of each piece of chicken for an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F to ensure everything is properly cooked.
- The temperature of the oil is also important. Too hot and your chicken will be burnt on the outside and underdone inside, but if it’s not hot enough the chicken will end up greasy and soggy.
- Allow the chicken to soak in the buttermilk for as long as possible to ensure tender, juicy chicken with lots of flavor.
- Crowding the fryer with chicken may result in uneven cooking, so work in smaller batches.
