Chicken Fried Chicken

THIS is Classic Southern Chicken Fried Chicken! Crispy outside, tender inside, and smothered in a peppery country gravy. Comfort food at its best!

What Is Chicken Fried Chicken?

Also sometimes called country fried chicken, it all started in Texas with German immigrants who brought with them their love of schnitzels. Schnitzels are an Austrian dish with meat pounded thin, breaded, and then fried to get crispy and crunchy. The preferred meat of the German immigrants in Texas was beef and became chicken fried steak, but veal or chicken can be used for schnitzel as well.

Thanks to the method of pounding the meat thin, the cook time is just a couple of minutes per side which means that dinner can be on the table in less time than traditional fried chicken. 

Chicken Fried Chicken Vs. Fried Chicken

Now, chicken fried chicken isn’t exactly the same as fried chicken but there are a lot of similarities. 

Cut of Chicken. Lots of fried chicken recipes use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. For this chicken fried chicken, we’ll be using boneless skinless chicken breast that has been cut and pounded thin into chicken cutlets. If you prefer thighs, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs that have been unrolled flat and pounded to an even thickness. Nothing about the recipe has to change if you make this substitution.

Marinade. Just like with our Classic Fried Chicken recipe, we’re starting off by marinating the chicken in a buttermilk marinade. The marinade also contains an egg, which thickens it and helps the breading set later. And, there’s a tasty seasoning blend, reminiscent of Creole Seasoning and Cajun Seasoning that is used here, and in the breading and gravy as well.

Breading. While sometimes panko is used, like in this Panko Fried Chicken, with both schnitzel and fried chicken, a flour breading is usually used like we’re doing for this recipe.

Sauce. Fried chicken tends to be served with a dipping sauce, or occasionally tossed in sauce before serving, like with Nashville Hot Chicken. Chicken fried chicken however, gets served with a white country-style gravy – Yum!

Turning Chicken Breasts Into Cutlets

For this chicken fried chicken recipe, we’re turning two chicken breasts into four chicken cutlets. These thin pieces will cook quickly and evenly for deliciously crispy chicken. You can buy chicken breast cutlets that are ready-to-go, or make them yourself from boneless skinless chicken breasts, as explained here.

First step is to cut each chicken breast in half horizontally. To do this, place the chicken breast on a cutting board, hold it flat with your palm, and cut through the middle with a sharp knife, parallel to the cutting board, to create two even pieces.

Next, use a flat meat mallet to gently pound the chicken into cutlets. You can put the chicken in between pieces of plastic wrap or in zip-top bags which have a thicker plastic. This will stop the meat juices from spattering your kitchen. Go slow and steady, you just want the chicken cutlets to be of an even thickness, around 1/4 inch thick. If you don’t have a flat meat mallet, you can use a rolling pin instead.

How To Make Chicken Fried Chicken

First, I like to marinate the chicken breasts in the spiced buttermilk mixture for about 4 hours. You could go up to 8 hours if you wanted to start the marinating process in the morning. Or if you really don’t have the time, a minimum of 30 minutes in the buttermilk will add to the flavor and tenderness of the dish.

Once you’re ready to cook, dredge the chicken cutlets in a mixture of flour, baking powder, and spices, coating both sides.

The chicken gets fried in vegetable or peanut oil, or any other cooking oil with a high smoke point. You’ll need enough to have about 1/2 inch of oil covering the bottom of your skillet. And you need a nice big skillet to fit all four cutlets in there. If your skillet is smaller, you’ll want to cook the cutlets two at a time, keeping the first two warm in the oven while the second two cook.

Once the oil is heated to 350°F, you can start frying the chicken. It’s just a few minutes per side to get it golden brown on the outside. And since the chicken was pounded thin, it will be fully cooked in that time. It’s always a good idea to cut into a piece and make sure it’s no longer pink though.

Transfer the cooked chicken to some paper towel to blot off excess oil. And then set it on a wire rack over a baking sheet and put it in the oven to stay warm while you make the gravy.

Making The Country Gravy

You could drain off the oil and then use 4 tablespoons of butter for the gravy instead. But I was always taught to use the oil that you fried with. So, discard all but 1/4 cup of the oil from the skillet.

To the oil, add a quarter cup of flour and more of the spice blend that we’re using. Stir that all up. Then while stirring continuously, you’ll add in some chicken stock. I like to use low-sodium chicken stock because we have a lot of salt in this recipe already. Once the chicken stock is in, you’ll go in with a bit of heavy cream for richness.

Stir that often until it’s bubbling and thickened, then serve it over your chicken, and keep that comfort food going with some mashed potatoes, corn, or green beans on the side.

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