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Leite's Culinaria

My Fried Chicken Rankings. Let's Settle This.

Published 4 days ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,

I have opinions about fried chicken, and I have had them challenged at more than one family table where everyone else also had opinions.
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Buttermilk or no buttermilk. Flour or cornmeal. Cast iron or a deep pot. Plain or Nashville-hot enough to make your eyes water.
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Every version is a slightly different argument about crunch and seasoning and how much heat is too much, and I am happy to make all of them to find out.

Rules Before Rankings

  • Brine or buttermilk-soak first, no shortcuts. A few hours in salted buttermilk is the difference between juicy and dry. This is the step people skip and regret.
  • Season the flour, not just the chicken. A bland coating ruins a well-seasoned bird. Salt and spice the dredge until it tastes like something on its own.
  • Hold the oil at a steady temperature. Too cool and it is greasy; too hot and it burns before it cooks. A thermometer in the oil earns its keep.
  • Rest the chicken on a rack, never paper towels. A rack keeps the bottom crisp; paper steams it soft. Salt it the second it comes out.
  • Pick your fight and fry it. Classic, cornmeal, or Nashville-hot, they are all below. Settle it at your own table.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

​Batter-Fried Chicken (Easy & Extra-Crispy)​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.75 from 178 votes

This batter-fried chicken calls for the pieces to be quickly brined and then dipped in a seasoned batter for a crisp Southern-style crust. Simple as can be. This is the real deal. Includes secrets for that crunchy crust.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Bourbon Buttermilk Fried Chicken​

This bourbon buttermilk fried chicken has that incredibly satisfying combination of mind-bogglingly crisp skin and meltingly tender meat with an ever-so-subtle hint of bourbon. The hardest part is letting it marinate for 2 days.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Cajun Fried Chicken​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.64 from 11 votes

This Cajun fried chicken is bathed in buttermilk and turns out crisp, slightly spicy, perfectly deep-fried loveliness thanks to its Southern charm and Louisiana personality. Quite literally the best we've had.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Cornmeal Crusted Fried Chicken​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 from 10 votes

This cornmeal-crusted fried chicken from Sydney Meers, thanks to a quick brine and an easy dredge in flour and cornmeal, turns out tender, juicy meat, and shatteringly crisp skin. Here's how to make it.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Cornmeal-Crusted Fried Chicken With White Barbecue Sauce​

This cornmeal-crusted fried chicken with white barbecue sauce has a crispy exterior thanks to its breading and tender, juicy meat, which pairs beautifully with a creamy, tangy mayonnaise-based white barbecue sauce.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Nashville Hot Fried Chicken​

Nashville hot fried chicken boasts just the right level of heat which it takes from a bath of buttermilk and habanero sauce. It's the style served at Prince's Hot Chicken down South. Here's how to make it at home.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken​

If you've never tried pickle-brined fried chicken, it needs to go to the top of your must-make list. Now.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Breaded Oven Fried Chicken Thighs​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.56 from 18 votes

These breaded oven fried chicken thighs come together quickly with just a handful of pantry ingredients. They have all the crispy goodness of fried chicken, without the mess and hassle of deep frying.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Pan-Fried Chicken Tenders​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.88 from 16 votes

Pan-fried chicken tenders are an easy and tasty way to get dinner on the table in a hurry. Covered in a crisp batter, the toothsome filets of white meat beg to be dipped and devoured.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Northern Fried Chicken​

Our Northern fried chicken is coated in a mix of matzo meal and flour, giving it a crust that's worlds away from your typical fried chicken. Lighter and crisp in a way that brings to mind a cornmeal crust. And don't skip the fried chicken seasoning--it adds a ton of flavor.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

Leite's Culinaria

David Leite

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