Do you love a good fried chicken? Are you a fan of the “Colonel’s” famous KFC chicken? If the answer is yes to both, look no further. This is your recipe!

My friend Maria from Maria’s Mixing Bowl, posted the original recipe for this on her Facebook page. I don’t know where it originates since it wasn’t Maria’s personal recipe and there was no mention of the source. Probably just “one of those recipes” that makes the rounds from time to time.

I recently bought a professional-style deep fryer that I’d coveted for a long time, but that necessitated an electrical upgrade and heavy-load wiring in my kitchen. I recently had all the electrical work done and now I can use these kind of appliances. And guess what the first thing I wanted to make was? Uh huh So finding Maria’s recipe was really timely!

This coating is the bomb! OK, it’s slightly more labor intensive because there’s quite a few herbs and spices involved here and it is recommended that you crush them all together using a mortar and pestle before adding to the flour. Doing that will release the oils and the flavor, but if you don’t have a mortar and pestle, then rub the spice combo well with your hands.

A deep-fat fryer will produce a much crispier chicken, but you can do it stovetop. Keep in mind you need quite a bit of oil.  Ditch the skillet and use a Dutch oven if you’re going to fry stovetop. And I can’t stress this enough–and this goes for an electric deep-fat fryer as well–don’t overcrowd the pan and don’t let the pieces touch!!! It’s much better to fry in shifts than try to do too much at one time.

Also your oil temperature is extremely important. Chicken pieces should be fried at 350 degrees F. If your temperature is correct, your chicken (or any food) will NOT absorb oil and be greasy. It’s actually a scientific principle that has to do with external vs. internal pressure. Lastly, olive oil is out for deep frying. You need an oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut or canola oil. Vegetable oil is OK too, but the others are better.

Another tip to keep this crispy–don’t drain on paper towels. This causes steam to accumulate. It’s better to take a cooling rack–like you’d use for cookies–and place the chicken on that. I use a baking sheet underneath the rack because I keep the completed pieces in a 200 degree F oven to keep them warm whilst frying the other batches.

This chicken is pure heaven! While I don’t plan to make this a weekly indulgence, it’s now my go-to recipe for proper fried chicken. Serve it up with some Kicked Up Coleslaw–perfection!

EDIT: Several people have contacted me about the red ceramic baker. It is available from Allora in UK (they ship internationally) and is handmade by Ceramiche Tapinassi.

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KFC Copycat Fried Chicken

Looking for a recipe that tastes like KFC? This fried chicken recipe is for you then.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time17 minutes mins

Total Time37 minutes mins

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fried chicken

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 698kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces (or pre-cut parts--i used thighs and drumsticks)
• 3 beaten eggs
• oil for frying
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp chives
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp celery salt

Instructions

• Grind all the herbs and spices with a mortar and pestle (if you don't have one rub very well with your hands.
• Place the flour in a large plastic bag and add the ground herbs/spices. Shake the bag well to blend.
• Heat the oil (if not using an electric deep fryer, the oil level should be about 2-inches) to 350 degrees F. Deep-fry thermometer is strongly recommeded
• Dip the chicken in the beaten egg, letting excess run off, then place in the bag of flour and toss until well coated.
• Place coated chicken in the hot oil, making sure NOT to crowd the pan and maintain proper oil temperature.
• Turn half-way through cook time (approximate cook times given below). Always check with an insta-read meat thermometer. Chicken should cook to 160-165 degrees F.
• Drumsticks will require about 12 minutes total
• Small to medium thighs require about 15-17 minutes total
• Breasts require about 14-16 minutes total

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 698kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 266mg | Sodium: 1056mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1599IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 6mg

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Just about the crispiest, juiciest fried chicken you’ll ever eat. Move over KFC!

I’ve never been all that successful with making REAL fried chicken.

Most of the time, the coating has fallen off but mostly, it was never completely cooked.  I don’t much care for rare chicken and it’s not safe either.  Not to mention that deep frying makes a LOT of mess and I really hate cleaning up after.

However, I have found not only the perfect chicken, but a good solution to the mess as well–I use a deep 5 quart dutch oven.  There’s some splattering, but nothing like it is when I use my cast iron frying pan.

Can you say–crrrrispy?

The batter is just about as simple as you can get.  Flour, beer and seasonings. Period.  But oh boy, is this batter crispy!

You can use whatever seasonings you like.  I used seasoned salt and a touch of cayenne because I like a little zip in stuff like this, so suit your personal taste. Leaving out the cayenne makes this something like KFC–only I thought it tasted way better! And like KFC, serve this with some kicked up coleslaw!

I did let my chicken parts sit out for the 30 minutes that the batter was steeping because stone cold chicken will take a lot longer to cook.  And not to worry–that oil is so hot, it kills any bacteria that may have started to grow.

You’ll get up close and personal with this chicken

I also made this in my new Ninja–the insert is deep enough that it doesn’t cause a mess, but I will say that if you want to cook this in a multi-function cooker like the Ninja, then cover your work surface with newspapers to catch any splatters. The setting on the Ninja would be STOVETOP/HIGH. However, standard cooking directions are given for those who don’t have a special appliance.

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Beer Batter Dipt Fried Chicken

Just about the crispiest, juiciest fried chicken you’ll ever eat. Move over KFC!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beer batter chicken, fried chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 647kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 small frying chicken cut into 8 pieces -OR- pre-cut chicken parts (drums, thighs, breasts)
• Oil for frying

BATTER

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tbsp seasoned salt*
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
• 1 12 oz beer

Instructions

• *You may substitute 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic or onion powder, 1/4 tsp paprika
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, seasoned salt and cayenne pepper (if using).
• Gradually pour beer into flour mixture while whisking with a wire whisk. Beat until there are no lumps. Let the batter stand for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add oil to a deep heavy frying pan or dutch oven (I used the dutch oven because it kept the stove cleaner). Oil should come at least 1-inch up the side of the pan. This will be around a quart of oil for a 5-cup dutch oven.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees F. I use a deep fry/candy thermometer, but you can do the bread cube test for oil temp--a 1-inch cube of bread will get golden brown in 1 minute. However, I strongly suggest using the thermometer so you can keep the oil at a constant temp.
• Pat chicken parts dry with paper towels. Dip each piece into the batter, and let excess batter drain back in the bowl. Place chicken in fryer--you will have to fry in batches. NEVER overload the pan. In the dutch oven, I was able to fry 4 pieces at once.
• Cook chicken a total of 30 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking.
• Remove and let excess oil drain back in the pan. Place on a plate lined with paper towels.
• Chicken may be kept warm in a 250 degrees F oven while frying the next batch.
• Serves 4.

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1882mg | Potassium: 442mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 4mg

Beer Batter Dipt Fried Chicken

Copyright © Judith Hannemann aka The Midnight Baker 2014. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without The Midnight Baker’s express consent.

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Spicy Oven Fried Chicken tastes like KFC, but without the fat! Crunchy too with no need to fry.

Love the taste of KFC?  You’ll love this then!  This chicken is just as good–if not better!

One thing is, the fat is definitely cut down because this is baked, not fried.  There’s no extra fat or oils used as there are in some other “oven fried” chicken recipes.

Lower fat, great taste

Of course this chicken may be conventionally fried.  However, a couple of substitutions (besides fat for the deep frying) are in order.  First, substitute about 2 cups of flour or baking mix, such as Bisquick, for the corn flake crumbs.  Instead of rinsing and shaking off the water, pat the chicken dry, beat 2 eggs with 1 tbs water and dip the chicken in the egg before coating.

You can also use the flour method if you follow the basic directions for baking my Ranch Chicken.

The baking dish is Gingham Gardens from Temp-tations by Tara in red.  This set is available in this color and several others on QVC.com.

Crunch and yummy

The chicken may also be prepared skinless.  The crumbs should hold with just shaking off the excess water, but it may be a good idea to dip in beaten egg and coat with crumbs. Either way, great tasting.

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Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken tastes like KFC, but without the fat! Crunchy too with no need to fry.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Everyday Meals

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fried chicken, oven-fried chicken, spicy chicken

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 447kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 frying chickens about 3 lbs each, cut up

SEASONING MIX

• 3 cups cornflake crumbs
• 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp smoky paprika
• 1 tspp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dry ground mustard
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking pan (I used a large cookie sheet with sides (a jelly-roll pan) with foil. Spray foil lining with non-stick spray.
• Mix cornflake crumbs with the seasoning mix and place in a plastic bag. Rinse chicken and shake off excess water. Place 1 or 2 pieces at a time in bag with crumbs. Shake to coat.
• Place skin side up on pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes (depends on size of chicken parts).
• Serves 6-8

Nutrition

Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 2611mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4467IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 36mg

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

Copyright © Judith Hannemann aka The Midnight Baker 2014. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without The Midnight Baker’s express consent.

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Why go to those fast-food joints for chicken tenders?  Make it better at home and with real breast-meat chicken.  No anonymous meat in here!

I was intrigued by this brand of hot sauce ever since a fellow blogger used it for a wing recipe.

Have to say, I am definitely NOT a fan of hot HOT food or sauces.  I like a nice hot sauce, but it has to have good flavor, not just tons of heat.

I found the original variety in both my stores, but I really wanted their “flavors.” Especially this chili garlic and chipolte. Those varieties are not to be found here so I had to go to my pals at Amazon–these guys always come through for me LOL.  I could get a variety pack at the same price per bottle that they want in the grocery store.

I got the idea for this off of Cholula’s website in their recipes. Naturally I always have to change stuff, and I thought the introduction of some panko crumbs would improve this. Funny thing is, I had no club soda or seltzer and all I could get in my local convenience store was an assortment of regular sodas (pops).  I just guessed that ginger ale or lemon-lime would be a good substitute.  Beer would be too, but the rest of that would go to waste where the other options wouldn’t, so I chose the lemon-lime variety.  But the original club soda/seltzer or beer, etc., would make a nice and tasty change.


My chicken breasts were about 8 oz each.  They were bigger ones, but you’d need about 1 pound to serve 2 for a dinner, and more if you are doing this as an appetizer for a party.

Use any flavor hot sauce you wish.  I just liked the flavor of the chili garlic with this.

A nice dipping sauce would go well here.  Offhand I’d use some mayo with some of the chili garlic hot sauce, a shake or 2 of dehydrated onion and some dry ranch dressing mix.




Cholula Chicken Strips

Cholula Chili Garlic Chicken Strips

Cholula Chili Garlic Chicken Strips

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Orange Chicken

This one is the real deal.  Many recipes floating around, but this one is authentic.

Authentic Chinese Orange Chicken

Lately any recipe I see for this uses chicken breast.  That’s OK I guess but Chinese don’t use it in this dish or most “red” stews or anything with soy sauce.

Breast meat is reserved for lighter, “white” dishes that are quickly cooked.  In stews or anything “twice-cooked” the poultry used is thighs.  Breast is too light in flavor to handle this sauce–it gets lost in the taste of it.  This dish requires a bolder flavor in the meat.  I learned a great deal about Chinese cuisine way back in college.  A friend’s sister managed a restaurant in Chinatown and gave up a few secrets…lucky for me!!!

Yes, the dish is a bit fussy, but it’s well worth the effort AND it’s cheaper than take-out and better than the stuff from your grocer’s freezer.

Reader Tip

This tip comes from Betty–she found the batter too thick and thinned it down with a splash of milk. She said it was perfect with that addition. Thanks Betty!

 The Recipe

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Orange Chicken

This one is the real deal.  Many recipes floating around, but this one is authentic.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Chicken

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: orange chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 505kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• oil for deep frying

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion reserve some for garnish--about 1 tbs
• 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp mirin or saki
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• zest of 1 whole orange

Instructions

• Cut chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Mix the 1/2 cup cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper. Beat the egg in a small bowl with the 1 tbs oil. Mix in the cornstarch mixture. Add the cornstarch/egg mixture to the chicken in the bowl. Coat well.
• Heat enough oil to deep fry in a large, deep skillet or wok. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry chicken in batches so there is plenty of room around the chicken. Maybe 6-8 pieces at a time. Fry on each side 5-7 minutes or until crisp and beginning to brown. Drain with slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
• Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and orange zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Remove oil from wok and wipe out. Heat over high heat for about 10 seconds and add the other 1 tbs of oil. Toss in the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until very aromatic--maybe 15 seconds. Put the broccoli in and stir fry for 15 seconds. Add the green onion and the pepper flakes and stir fry for 10 seconds. Stir the sauce in the bowl and add it to the wok. Bring sauce to boil. Add the mirin/saki and the sesame oil. Mix the 1/4 cup water and 1 tbs cornstarch and add to the boiling sauce, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened and bubbling. Add cooked chicken coating well with sauce.
• Serve immediately over rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 256mg | Sodium: 1511mg | Potassium: 689mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 411IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken

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