Southern Pan-Fried Chicken

Name: Southern Pan-Fried Chicken
Total time: 1 d 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces; 1/4 cup kosher salt; 4 cups buttermilk; 1 pound lard; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/2 cup country ham pieces or 1 thick slice country ham cut into 1/2-inch strips; 1 cup flour; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Recipe from Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock

Adapted by Kim Severson

Updated May 1, 2024

Southern Pan-Fried Chicken — Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus about 24 hours for brining and soaking
Rating: 4(473)
Comments: Read comments

In this recipe, Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock call for an overnight brine for the chicken and a further buttermilk bath that should last for 8 to 12 hours. That’s a lot of unattended prep time before you get around to frying them in a slurry of lard and butter flavored with country ham. This is a time commitment, but the result — cooked in a cast-iron pan — is food to impress, and impress deeply, a dish made of humble ingredients that would be welcome on the finest china. Even better? It’s just as good cold as it is hot. —Kim Severson

Featured in: Chicken on the Plate, Family on the Side

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings.

13-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
¼cup kosher salt
4cups buttermilk
1pound lard
8tablespoons unsalted butter
½cup country ham pieces or 1 thick slice country ham cut into ½-inch strips
1cup flour
2tablespoons cornstarch
½teaspoon salt
½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
The night before serving: Place chicken in a large bowl and set aside. In a large pitcher, combine kosher salt with 6 cups of water and stir until the salt has dissolved. Pour salted water over chicken pieces until they are submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2
In the morning, drain chicken pieces and rinse chicken and bowl. Return chicken to bowl and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
Step 3
About 1¼ hours before serving, combine the lard, butter and ham in a large heavy skillet. Cook over low heat, skimming as needed, until ham is lightly browned, 30 to 45 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove ham and brown bits from fat. Increase heat to medium high to heat the fat to 335 degrees.
Step 4
In a shallow bowl combine flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper; mix well. Dredge chicken pieces thoroughly in flour mixture, then pat well to remove excess flour. Working in batches (do not crowd pan), place chicken pieces skin side down in fat. Cook 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Drain on crumpled paper towels. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

Ratings

4 out of 5

473 user ratings

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Comments

gale7 years ago

Check into LARD! before commenting. The real, non hydrogenated stuff is not nearly as horrid as you seem to think. Perhaps we all should lighten up about something we don't consume every day but adds greatly to one of life's great pleasures, eating.

Wade7 years ago

My family always covered the pan, with the cover slightly cocked to vent steam, up to the point of turning the pieces, after which it was left off. This eases the balancing act of maintaining frying temperature while ensuring the full cooking of the interior without over-browning the outside or drying the meat out. Leaving the cover off for the second act prevents smothering the freshly-formed crust.

Tammy7 years ago

Warning! Don't read if you are offended by authentic southern recipes!!

This is almost exactly like my Grandma's! Except a scoop of bacon grease is added instead of the ham step. This also make the best pan gravy in the world. Pour off all but 1/2 cup of fat being careful to keep most of 'brownouts' in pan. Add a little flour and cook for about one minute. Add WHOLE milk and salt and pepper (lots of pepper a must!) and you have an authentic Southern-fried gravy.

Name Ann1 year ago

Made with a few modifications. Sliced a semi frozen boneless, skinless chicken thigh into two thin slices. Coated with the breading made with buttermilk and other listed ingredients. Fried in skillet. Used remaining grease to make milk gravy for a nice fattening meal for Gunter. Good.

Anne K1 year ago

I learned to fry chicken from my born in the Ozarks dad, and over the years I’ve modified it. Here are some of my cooking tips: Always use an electric skillet, which takes the guess work out of watching a burner on the stovetop, which is unreliable. The skillet will actually keep your temperature fairly constant. (Tip subhead: if your electric skillet cooks unevenly, move chicken around to compensate.) I fry my chicken at around 375 or so. It takes at least 17 minutes on a side.

Deb Armstrong1 year ago

My mother always made fried chicken in an electric frying pan which makes maintaining the temperature easier than the stovetop. That's how I make this recipe and it never fails. I also use the bacon fat in place of rendering country ham. Once cool, I save the lard/bacon fat and refrigerate it and can reuse it several times. I also add a bit of hot sauce to the buttermilk marinade which kicks up the flavor to our liking.

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