lisa's original herbed fried chicken mix -updated!

Name: Lisa's Original Herbed Fried Chicken Mix--UPDATED!
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 5 - 6 cup(s) all-purpose or whole wheat flour (or a combination the two) - updated! for a gluten-free option, which i do now, i make a blend of 2-3 cups almond meal, 2 cups brown rice flour, and 1 cup tapioca flour; 2 tablespoon(s) (heaping) mrs. dash original or table blend (table blend works best as a mix, but i've used both kinds); 1/3 cup(s) parsley flakes; 1/2 tablespoon(s) black pepper; 1/2 tablespoon(s) salt (more or less to taste, or you can omit altogether); 1/2 - 1 teaspoon(s) cayenne or ground red pepper, or to taste (sometimes i substitute chipotle powder! yum!); 1 teaspoon(s) celery salt; 1 teaspoon(s) paprika; 1 tablespoon(s) granulated garlic or garlic powder (not garlic salt); 1/3 - 1/2 cup(s) onion powder (not onion salt); 1 teaspoon(s) thyme, dried; 1 teaspoon(s) crushed rosemary; 1 tablespoon(s) baking powder; 1/2 cup(s) apple cider vinegar; 4 cup(s) buttermilk (whole is better, or you can use plain or greek yogurt); 6 ounce(s) frank's red hot sauce; 2 large eggs, beaten; 1 bottle(s) vegetable oil for frying

(5 ratings)

A platter of Lisa's Original Herbed Fried Chicken.

review

Blue Ribbon Recipe by

Lisa Crum

@lisacrum

Delbarton, WV

I get a lot of compliments on my fried chicken. I've adjusted and experimented a lot over the years, but the central idea hasn't varied. There's not a thing wrong with just plain salt, pepper, and flour, like my Granny Gladys used to make (sooooo good!) but I think you'll like the flavorful kick that comes from adding the other ingredients. My rendition of a country classic is a little more rustic-looking than the chicken tender trays you get at the local supermarket; but if you want to wow someone with a party-worthy chicken tray, send them some of these!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Serve this fried chicken with your favorite dipping sauce, and you will feel like you're eating take-out from a popular chicken restaurant. The way Lisa marinates the chicken makes it super juicy. It adds extra flavor to the meat without heat. A wonderful blend of herbs and spices is added to the flour for coating. Once fried, that helps to create a flavorful and crispy golden brown crust. Inside, the chicken is nice and juicy. This fried chicken disappeared fast in the kitchen.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew

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(5 ratings)

yield serving(s)

prep time 30 Min

cook time 30 Min

method Deep Fry

Ingredients For lisa's original herbed fried chicken mix -updated!

5 - 6 c

all-purpose or whole wheat flour (or a combination the two) - updated! for a gluten-free option, which i do now, i make a blend of 2-3 cups almond meal, 2 cups brown rice flour, and 1 cup tapioca flour
2 Tbsp

(heaping) mrs. dash original or table blend (table blend works best as a mix, but i've used both kinds)
1/3 c

parsley flakes
1/2 Tbsp

black pepper
1/2 Tbsp

salt (more or less to taste, or you can omit altogether)
1/2 - 1 tsp

cayenne or ground red pepper, or to taste (sometimes i substitute chipotle powder! yum!)
1 tsp

celery salt
1 tsp

paprika
1 Tbsp

granulated garlic or garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1/3 - 1/2 c

onion powder (not onion salt)
1 tsp

thyme, dried
1 tsp

crushed rosemary
1 Tbsp

baking powder
1/2 c

apple cider vinegar
4 c

buttermilk (whole is better, or you can use plain or greek yogurt)
6 oz

frank's red hot sauce
2 lg

eggs, beaten
1 bottle

vegetable oil for frying

How To Make lisa's original herbed fried chicken mix -updated!

1
Mix dry ingredients together in a Ziploc bag or bowl. I separate into portions so that I don’t get the whole batch all messy! I store the unused portion in the freezer for the next time around. This will probably be enough for you to fry up multiple batches, and it’s great to keep a bag on hand for last-minute cravings for chicken!

2
The way I do my fried chicken is this. I either buy boneless thighs and breasts (chicken tenders are also great) and chunk them up into chicken strips. Or, I cut up, skin and bone a whole chicken and cut into strips and bite-side pieces. (The leftover carcass is awfully good to make chicken stock!) Keeping the chicken boneless makes it fry faster and is a lot more kid-friendly, but there’s nothing wrong at all with doing it bone-in, the good old-fashioned way either! I’ve done it that way too! If you're like me, you generally look for what's the better bargain at the time. There IS no bad fried chicken… some’s just better than others!
3
If you're interested in how I actually marinate my chicken prior to frying, I soak my cut-up chicken pieces several hours or overnight (refrigerated) in a mixture of about 4 cups whole buttermilk (I've also used Greek yogurt when out of buttermilk), 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, and about 6 oz (3/4 c) of Frank’s Red Hot (you can half this... when I fry, it's usually for a crowd, and the marinade goes a long way). Don't be fooled by the hot pepper sauce... this chicken is not "Cajun spicy" as you might imagine... just very flavorful instead of hot.
4
When ready to fry, I add a couple of beaten eggs to the buttermilk and chicken with about a cup of the coating flour mix. I stir it with my hands. It should be about the consistency of pancake batter.
5
Lift the chicken out of buttermilk marinade. Drain off excess and dredge in a plate of the coating to thoroughly coat. (If you'll gradually add the dry coating to the dredging plate, you won't waste your whole bag of coating by getting it wet and clumpy.)
6
Fry the way you normally prefer to fry your own--deep-fried at 350 degrees, or low and slow in a cast iron skillet. When it's tender on the inside and deep, golden brown on the outside, you're there. There is no wrong way to do this... marinated or just washed and rolled in the dry mix. Before the buttermilk kick we got on, I just washed and cut up the chicken and left to soak in a light brine mixture... but if you do this, don't add too much salt or your chicken will be too salty. The Kosher salt is good to get excess blood out of the chicken (I hate that white gunk that forms on chicken when it's not bled well), but the chicken does absorb some of the saltiness. Just be aware of that and adjust accordingly! Some folks also prefer to do an egg dip instead. I've done that and it's good too. Fix this the way YOU like it!
7
Drain fried chicken on paper towels and serve. It’s good hot, it’s good cold. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll have a few pieces leftover for a midnight icebox raid!
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