Cast Iron Fried Chicken Recipe

Deep frying Chicken in a Cast Iron Pan is the most traditional way this dish is cooked in the South. Delicious pieces of Chicken are breaded in a heavily seasoned coating and then fried in a large Cast Iron Skillet until crispy and golden-brown. This technique of cooking is, in our opinion, not only the easiest way to make Fried Chicken, but also the tastiest. Cast Iron Fried Chicken is simply loaded with flavor, and the Chicken itself will come out so tender and juicy. Simply put, this is a recipe you just have to try!

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Why is a Cast Iron Skillet so good for frying?

Every kitchen should own a Cast Iron Skillet. They are unbelievably sturdy and will last a lifetime if taken care of properly. They’re easily one of the most important items in any kitchen because of their versatility

Cast Iron is not only incredibly durable, but it conducts heat better than any other material. Whichi s perfect when it comes to cooking dishes on the stovetop. The heat will stay constant and even throughout the pan, ensuring a good, even cook throughout. It’s heavy material also allows for frying with no risk of damaging the pan, making it a perfect tool for Fried Chicken

Frying Chicken in Cast Iron Pan — A Cast Iron Pan is perfect for frying Chicken, and is a classic way this dish is prepared in the South

While not used in this recipe, Cast Iron Skillets are also oven safe. So, if you’ve got a dish that requires pan frying and then finishing off in the oven (like a thick cut piece of Ribeye for instance), you can’t beat using a Cast Iron

They’re incredibly cheap to purchase too and given they’ll last a lifetime if properly taken care of, it will be one of the best purchases you make for your home!

How to make Cast Iron Fried Chicken

Like any good Fried Chicken recipe, we start things off by preparing the Chicken! For this recipe we recommend that you use a Whole Chicken that you can butcher at home. This is by far and away the most cost-effective way to buy Chicken, and it’s perfect for this recipe as we use every piece of the Chicken

There are lots of different videos out there on how to properly butcher a Chicken at home, however this video here is the one I recommend. Follow this video and use the sharpest knife you have, and the process will be simple

One your Chicken is butchered, let it brine in Buttermilk

The classic way to prepare Southern style Fried Chicken is soaking the Chicken pieces in a Buttermilk Brine. Now, you can buy Buttermilk from the store, or just do what we do and make your own. All you need to do is mix regular Whole Milk with some Lemon Juice and you’re set!

Be sure to season the Buttermilk! This is the first step in infusing as much flavor into the Chicken as possible. Fried Chicken can take a load of seasoning, so be sure to aggressively season the Buttermilk Brine. For our Cast Iron Fried Chicken, we season the Buttermilk Brine with Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Hot Sauce

Butchering Chicken for Frying — Butchering a Whole Chicken is simple and is a lot more cost effective than buying individual pieces

Add the Chicken pieces, ensuring they’re all completely submerged in the Buttermilk and allow it to sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. I recommend leaving it overnight for the best flavor. When you’re ready to cook, remove from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for about 2 hours before cooking

Breading the Chicken

To make the Chicken breading, fill a separate large bowl with All Purpose Flour and, like the Brine, season it well. We use similar seasoning in the breading that we used in the Brine, so a combination of Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder. You can also add some Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper if you want your Chicken spicy!

To bread the Chicken, remove it from the Buttermilk Brine and immediately place it into the flour mixture (one piece at a time). Coat well then tap off any excess flour before dipping it back into the Brine, before coating it one last time in the Flour

Crispy Cast Iron Fried Chicken — For the perfect amount of crunch and crispiness, double coat your Cast Iron Fried Chicken in breading

The ‘double-dip’ method is a popular technique for Fried Chicken connoisseurs and it’s one we absolutely recommend. Coating the Chicken twice in breading gives it a much better coat and will result in the crispiest Fried Chicken you’ve ever eaten!

Frying the Chicken in the Cast Iron Pan

Fill up your large Cast Iron Pan with frying oil about halfway full. Use a neutral frying Oil with a high burn point. We usually go for Vegetable or Canola Oil which works great for frying. It’s important that you don’t fill your Cast Iron pan any higher than halfway up

This is for safety reasons. When the Chicken is added to the pan the Oil is going to get higher, so you want to absolutely avoid the Oil getting anywhere near the top of the pan and potentially overflow. To be safe, never fill the pan any higher than halfway full of Oil

Using tongs, carefully place your Chicken pieces into the pan. For a Whole Chicken you will likely need to batch cook it into at least 2 cooks, as the Whole Chicken won’t all fit in the pan. Crank the heat of the Oil so it’s sitting at around 320 – 350F then add the Chicken

Avoid overcrowding the pan and ensure that there is ample room left after the Oil is added. Also note that certain pieces of Chicken will take longer to cook (eg the Breast) than others (eg the Wings)

Timing when the Chicken Pieces will be ready

Chicken pieces will be cooked at different times. You can add all the Chicken at once and simply remove them at different times when they’re done. Alternatively, you can cook the larger pieces first, and then gradually add other pieces later to try and time everything to be ready at the same time

Honestly, I find trying to time everything to be ready at the same time almost impossible. The Chicken is going to stay hot for ages once cooked, so you don’t need to be too fussy about what pieces to add, and when

In terms of cooking times, the Chicken Breasts are going to take the longest, followed by the Thighs. Drumsticks will be next, and the Wings will have the least amount of cooking time required. I recommend using a meat thermometer to check the temperature of each piece to ensure you’re cooking them all to perfection

Cast Iron Fried Chicken takes longer to cook than regular deep frying

Naturally, this process is going to take longer to cook because only half the Chicken will be submerged in Oil. So, you’ll need to be turning the Chicken a few times as it cooks. You’re probably looking at around 10 – 15 minutes cooking time for the larger Chicken pieces, but the cooking time will depend on the temperature of the Oil and the size of the Chicken

Cast Iron Fried Chicken Recipe — Cast Iron Fried Chicken takes a little longer to cook than regular deep frying, but the results are worth it. Beautifully tender pieces of Chicken with a crispy seasoned coating

Once the Chicken is cooked, remove it carefully from the pan using tongs and place it on an elevated wire rack. This will help remove any excess Oil. Immediately season the Chicken with Salt once it’s out of the Oil. The hot Oil will help the Salt stick to the Chicken, and seasoning the coating is critical for the best flavor

At this point your Chicken is done! You can batch cook the remaining pieces and then serve everything at once. Or, if you’re like us, start eating the cooked pieces while the second batch is being fried up! The smell of Fried Chicken in the house is so good it’ll be impossible to not dive in immediately!

Recipe Details

Servings

2 – 4 people

Prep time

4 hours (for brine)

Cooking time

15 minutes

Total time

4 hours+