Granny’s Secret Fried Chicken Recipe
Granny’s Secret Fried Chicken Recipe
Sweet tea, sweet corn, mashed ‘taters & fried chicken. That was a traditional Sunday dinner for me growing up. Nothing fancy, nothing you couldn’t pronounce and nothing left over. I couldn’t wait to go to Granny’s house on Sunday’s just to eat ’til my belly popped.
I was about 10 years old when Granny taught me the secret to her fried chicken. Again, nothing fancy – but maybe a little unique. Granny’s secret fried chicken recipe used pancake flour. Aunt Jemima’s pancake flour to be exact.
I should have guessed that since she had a humongous collection of Aunt Jemima figurines. She collected them for years and got a pretty penny when she decided to start collecting light houses instead.
Looking back it was a little strange that she always had pancake mix in the pantry. She always made her pancakes from scratch; now I know why she had it. But wait, there’s more to the secret!
See, Granny didn’t stop at pancake batter to make her fried chicken the best. Her other secret was in the brine. She used a salt/water/honey brine for her chicken. It always came out perfectly tender and juicy. She let the chicken sit in the brine (covered in the refrigerator) for 3 ½ hours exactly.
Granny’s Brine:
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 Tablespoons salt
Simmer (don’t let it boil) the mixture on medium heat until the salt has dissolved, then let it cool. Pour it over the chicken (in a plastic or glass container) and refrigerate covered for 3½ hours.
Each time I make this chicken it comes out amazing, but can’t get it quite perfect. It comes close – but there’s always something missing. Either the salt or the juiciness is always a little off. It may be because everyone likes their chicken cooked different here. John likes his almost burnt, Dameon wants his barely brown and I like mine right in the middle. Talk about a lot of work, haha. But the end result is totally worth it.
Granny's Secret Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 chicken cut up & brined (see above for brine directions)
- 2 - 3 cups of Aunt Jemima Pancake Flour
- 1 tbsp. salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Mix pancake flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine egg, butter & milk.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse. Pat dry.
- Dip chicken pieces in the egg mixture and then dredge in the pancake mixture. Shake off any excess.
- Fry 3 - 4 pieces of chicken for 7 - 8 minutes (or until desired color is reached) and flip. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
October 28, 2015 @ 1:50 pm
It’s GREAT!! I discovered this recipe on my own about 3yrs ago…I was short of flour.so I used pancake mix for the second batch totally separate to TELL A DIFFERENCE AND Omg the pancake mix gives you such a perfect golden color with a nice crunch that gives you an AMAZING GOOD FRIED CHICKEN TASTE!! if you like fried chicken give pancake batter a try!!! Any brand I’ve tried several!!!
September 24, 2016 @ 5:28 pm
I use this recipe and always add a touch of chipotle powder to the brine (1/2) teaspoon and my guests just can’t get enough. They love the tiniest touch of spicy chiplotle flavor. People pay me to make it for their big events and occasions. I made over $11,000 last winter making this recipe. I guess that’s what they call Chicken Scratch – HA! Of course, I make a huge batch of buttermilk waffles and honey to go along with each serving of my giant boneless chicken breast.
January 30, 2017 @ 9:29 pm
Thanks for letting us in on the secret to perfect fried chicken!
July 18, 2017 @ 8:30 pm
What kind of oil do you fry the chicken in and at what temp.
September 4, 2017 @ 7:30 pm
This fried chicken is the best! I cant Thank you enough for sharing this recipe…we will make this for years to come.
October 7, 2017 @ 1:53 pm
Why do you rinse the chicken after you have brined it?
January 10, 2018 @ 12:17 am
What temp do you cook it at mine the batter turned black quick
February 22, 2018 @ 7:41 pm
How much oil and what kind?
March 28, 2018 @ 7:18 pm
Why does it have to be EXACTLY 3 1/2 hrs?
June 2, 2018 @ 11:39 pm
The chicken will stay crispier if it is placed on a wire rack instead of a paper towel.
IMO of course.
March 15, 2019 @ 8:30 pm
What kind of pan and oil is used?
December 10, 2018 @ 10:11 pm
Always drain on a wire rack not paper towels. Makes a huge difference.
December 15, 2018 @ 1:53 pm
What kind of oil please
February 23, 2019 @ 5:29 am
The chicken looks delicious! I haven’t fried chicken since I lost my husband almost 5 years ago. I would like to try a different better. I do have a concern about the gravy, does it have a sweet flavor, and also is the batter thick after its fried. Thank you for Sharon Granny’s recipe.
May 27, 2019 @ 1:33 am
I tried it, was too sweet for my family.
June 7, 2019 @ 4:58 am
Can’t wait to try!!
July 29, 2019 @ 1:31 am
You mentioned that there is something missing and I “may” know what it is.
My granny made the most delicious biscuits for us when we were growing up and she gave us all the recipe. Nobody could quite get it right, the little peaks that he’s had were flat on ours and the taste was a little off.
One day we watched her make them and that’s when we all said “oohhhh”, she what kind of oil she used. It turns out that the missing ingredient was Crisco.
I wonder if your Granny used Crisco to fry the chicken instead of the vegetable would we all use today.
August 30, 2019 @ 5:38 pm
I am a disabled senior citizen married 50years and have 9 grandchildren can you please send us some recipes for fried chicken and chicken dumplings and fish thanks
November 22, 2020 @ 8:14 am
Skin on or off?
November 27, 2022 @ 2:55 am
Brining basically eliminates the need for additional salt. I never rinse my chicken after brining, and it turns out perfectly seasoned; with the addition of herbs and spices. Peanut oil is the preferred oil of choice by southern cooks, at a maintained 325-350 degree temp for 8 to 10 minutes per side, keep in mind dark meat takes longer to cook fully.