Recipe >> The Best Homemade Fried Chicken You'll Ever Have

This post is part of our 'Sweet and Sour' food series, written by my little sis Morgan.  You can read the story behind the series here.  Want to learn how to make some of her other amazing goodies?  Check out the recipes for dark chocolate cupcakes w/peanut butter frosting, homemade cinnamon rolls, homemade peanut brittle, french onion soup, cajun grilled shrimp, chocolate custard pie, black bean and sweet potato tacos, and homemade dog treats!  xo, melissa 

I know, I know - it's been a long time since I've provided you guys with a new recipe.  But I have an excuse!  As I mentioned in a previous post, last January, my husband decided to challenge himself with a very difficult task: no meat for an entire year.  I am proud to say he made it! But because he is so picky, we ate a lot of bean tacos and veggie pizzas, so there just wasn't a whole lot of new and exciting things to share with you. We did experiment here and there over the course of the year, and ultimately, he learned that he didn't need meat in every meal after all. While he knew that he'd definitely start eating meat again, he decided that he would limit his intake to only a few days a week.

As it turned out, Super Bowl Sunday was his official first day back to meat. We dubbed it "Meatox Day."  I was especially excited to cook, and told him I'd make him anything he'd like (even if it meant cooking up an entire package of bacon). In the end, he chose my family recipe for fried chicken.  Melissa's and my dad started making this fried chicken when we were young.  It's not the healthiest thing in the world, and Melissa became a vegetarian in her preteens (and is still veg today!), so we didn't have it very often.  But I always chose it as my birthday dinner!  This recipe is a bit different from your usual fried chicken, but it's also incredibly simple and has very few ingredients - and is by far the best fried chicken I've ever had.  The main flavor comes from one of my favorite staple seasoning blends, Old Bay. You can find it at virtually any grocery store nowadays, and if you're lucky enough, you can even find their variations like 'Garlic and Herb' and 'Blackened.'  Yum.

• The cooking time in the instructions may seem like over-kill, but we actually prefer our white meats a little dried out. Your timing truly depends on the size you cut your strips and the type of cooking device you use. Please check for doneness and clean up well (my husband and I have both gotten sick from uncooked chicken in restaurants!). The current standard for chicken is an internal temperature of about 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
• I always make a huge batch of fried chicken (the package I bought was almost 3 pounds). We eat it cold for the next day or two. You can always reduce or increase all the ingredients in this recipe depending on how much you want.
• For you veggies out there, Melissa uses this same recipe to make fried tofu!  Just substitute extra firm tofu for the chicken, and deduct 5-10 minutes from the frying time

Serves 6-10
Time required depends on quantity.  This batch (3 pounds) took about 3 hours total. 

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 quart buttermilk
• boneless, skinless chicken breast (I use about 3 pounds)
• canola or vegetable oil for frying
• one large 1-gallon zip-top plastic bag

1. Pour buttermilk into a large bowl and whisk in 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning. Set aside.
2. Slice chicken breasts into strips and place raw chicken into the buttermilk mixture.
3. Pour oil into a pan, pot, or electric skillet. You will want about 1.5 inches of oil to fry the strips. Heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a large one gallon zip-top bag, add the flour, 2 Tablespoons Old Bay, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Close the top and shake to combine dry ingredients.
5. Using tongs, pull a few strips at a time out of the bowl, letting the excess buttermilk drip off.

6. Place strips in zip-top bag, close bag, and shake like crazy! Once coated, remove each piece and gently shake off excess flour.
7. Carefully place coated chicken strips one at a time into the heated oil, making sure they’re not crowded.
8. Every few minutes, turn the chicken strips until they are golden brown and thoroughly cooked through. I cook mine anywhere from 15-20 minutes total per batch, but you may choose to cook yours for slightly less time (see 'A Few Tips + Suggestions' above).

9. Once thoroughly cooked (have I gotten my point across yet?), remove strips and place on a wire rack placed over paper towels or newspaper to remove excess oil, and cool.
10. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.
11. EAT!

For this dinner I also whipped up some mashed potatoes, corn, and cheddar-garlic biscuits. We were stuffed at the end of the night, but it was well worth it. I hope you guys enjoy this official recipe for Baswell Family Fried Chicken as much as my family has!  Be sure to let us know what you think if you try it.