Chicken Fried Chicken with Country Gravy is a true family favorite! Crisp fried chicken smothered in a spicy, creamy gravy. Dinner never looked or tasted so good!
Chicken Fried Chicken
This is one of my favorite comfort meals! The chicken is crisp and juicy, the gravy creamy and spicy. Ah, this meal just makes me feel happy. We serve this dish with a big scoop of our Perfect Mashed Potatoes and whatever vegetable we happen to have on hand. No matter what, this down home dinner is a family favorite and one of our most requested recipes!
Tips for the Perfect Chicken Fried Chicken
- This chicken recipe really isn’t that different from regular fried chicken. The method of breading and frying are the same, but this meal is usually served with country gravy, just like chicken fried steak.
- One thing I love about this recipe is you don’t have to fry it for as long as you would have to fry whole chicken pieces. It only takes a few short minutes on each side to cook these chicken pieces all the way through. Make sure to butterfly (slice in half) large chicken breasts or pound them with a mallet until the breasts are about a half inch thick and they’ll cook up in no time!
- Marinate or soak your chicken in the buttermilk mixture outlined in the recipe card below for at least three hours, preferably overnight. This ensures your chicken is full of tenderness and flavor.
- This Chicken Fried Chicken tastes delicious with fresh or frozen corn (check out how to cook frozen corn the right way, green beans or peas, as well as a side salad. But you could add a side of asparagus, broccoli, our Oven Roasted Vegetables.
Homemade Country Gravy
Country gravy is really simple to make! No need to buy those powdered packets from the store. Use the drippings and excess breading from your frying pan, that’s where the good stuff is! Scrape all those brown bits off the pan with a little chicken broth and then whisk in flour and bring to a boil. The whole mixture will thicken up and become a creamy, hearty gravy that is to die for!
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
Chicken is what’s for dinner! Versatile and inexpensive, ordinary chicken can be turned into something extraordinary with just a few simple ingredients and some imagination. Here are some more of our favorite chicken recipes:
- Top 10 Best Chicken Recipes of 2019
- Best Chicken Breast Recipes
- Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken
- Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
- Honey BBQ Chicken
- Malibu Chicken
How to Make Chicken Fried Chicken with Country Gravy
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts halved
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more if you like spicy
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil for frying
For the gravy:
- 1/4 cup reserved pan drippings
- 4 tablespoons reserved flour mixture
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pound each chicken breast half flat so it is even in thickness, do this carefully, you want it flat but not so thin that it tear (each chicken piece should be about the size of your hand or slightly smaller).Place chicken pieces in a gallon-sized Ziploc back and pour buttermilk over. Press as much air as you can out of the bag, seal, and place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
- In a shallow dish, whisk together eggs and milk, set aside.In a separate shallow dish combine flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Stir until well combined and then remove about 4 Tbsp. of the dry mixture and set aside (this will be used for the gravy later).
- Remove chicken from Ziploc, shake off excess buttermilk, and dredge each piece evenly with four mixture. Once coated with flour, lightly shake off excess, dip in egg/milk mixture, then place in back in flour mixture, giving it a double coating of flour.Set chicken aside on a platter or on wax paper until ready to fry.
- Add oil to a large skillet until it is about 1/4-inch full. Heat oil on medium-high heat until it reaches 350-degrees.Add each piece of chicken to the oil without overcrowding (you may have to do this in batches) for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through and crispy and golden on the outside. Place cooked chicken on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet to catch excess oil. Place in warm oven (about 200-degrees) to keep warm until the rest of the chicken is done and you are ready to serve.
For the gravy:
- Drain off all but about 1/4 c. of the oil from the pan. Whisk reserved flour mixture into the oil until the four has absorbed the oil. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Whisk constantly and reduce heat to a simmer. Once the gravy starts to thicken, slowly add milk (you may not need all of it) to thin to desired consistency, whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over chicken.
Linda Magotch says
My family and I love this recipe
Bryson says
This was d*mn good dare I say even better then Texas roadhouse? Yes it was great and easy !!
Paula says
Fantastic! This was such an easy and delicious meal. I have to admit, I was nervous to try it but I am so glad I did.. the chicken was juicy and tender inside and crispy outside. Mashed potatoes and gravy and sautéed zucchini with onions and green chiles, and a biscuit to top it off. My family loved it. I definitely recommend this recipe.
Lynn says
Can you use low-fat buttermilk it’s all I could find ?
Thank you
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried it that way! Let us know how it turns out if you try it!
Jocelyn says
Sure, it’s often all that’s available, and works just fine.
John says
This recipe came out amazing..My family also loves chicken thighs..can it be used with boneless, skinless thighs, also??
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried it that way, but I think it would! Sounds yummy!
Natalie says
This is a family favorite!! It’s such a comforting meal..it’s nice & crispy & the gravy is amazing!
Jen says
This looks like pure comfort food! Such a great way for us to change up our normal chicken dinner routine, thanks!
Allyson Zea says
This looks amazingly delicious, and so hearty! Thank you for the easy recipe
Amanda P says
What did I do wrong? The breading fell off the chicken and was not crispy. ☹️
Favorite Family Recipes says
I am so sorry this didn’t turn out! Usually if breading falls off the chicken, its is because there was too much liquid on the chicken when you add the breading. In step 3 where it says to shake off excess buttermilk, that is a really important step. There should just be enough liquid to attach the breading, but not so much that it slips off.
Mary W says
I have made this recipe several times before and am going to make it again tonight for dinner. This is so good and easy to make I just wanted to let you know. Thank you for sharing.
Jan Burns says
Could this chicken fried chicken recipe be prepared and frozen for future use (using fresh chicken breasts)?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried freezing it before so I’m not sure! Let us know how it turns out if you try it!
Vandalay says
Very yummy! Instructions were easy to follow and it made for a delicious dinner for my family. I now have this saved as my go-to Chicken Fried Chicken recipe.
Gchae says
This recipe is so delicious! First time attempting chicken fried chicken and everything came out so good! The gravy was really good! We didn’t have buttermilk, so I saw a comment using milk and lemon. The chicken came out so juicy! Will keep this recipe forever! Thank you!
Andie Thueson says
Oh man, my mouth is watering – This looks like the perfect thing to make for dinner tonight!
Sara Welch says
Gave this a try for dinner last night and it didn’t disappoint! Easily, a new favorite recipe in my home; the whole family loved it!
katerina @ diethood.com says
WOW! This is incredibly delicious!! The perfect weeknight dinner!
Troy says
Do you have a recipe for chicken fried chicken from Rock Bottom Bar and Grill
Favorite Family Recipes says
We don’t, I haven’t been there before. What’s it like?
Sarah says
Amazing. Great flavor and a little crispy, perfect. My husband prefers fried chicken without bones, so this was a great way for us both to enjoy fried chicken. I’ve made it twice. The gravy turned out better the second time when I made sure to get every bit of brown bits on the bottom of the fry pan, in addition to the 1/4 cup oil. The brown bits definitely add to the flavor. Oh, also, I didn’t want to buy buttermilk so I looked up online how to make buttermilk, and I got two cups of regular milk and added 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and let it sit a few minutes. Turned out great. Wonderful recipe that I’ll definitely add to my regular rotation.
Catherine H says
Fabulous! Yummy 😋!
Kara says
This was amazing! I was super impressed. Turned out perfect.
Hayley says
This recipe was absolutely delicious! The chicken was super moist and it tasted very similar to Chick-Fil-A! The only changes I made were that I didn’t have time to marinate the chicken in the buttermilk so I substituted the buttermilk in for the plain milk that you mix with eggs to batter the chicken. I also used smoked paprika instead of regular.