The first thing I need to tell you is that I have been trying to make a simple to make, truly great pan-fried chicken for decades. Decades.

At first, I blamed the chicken. Totally unfair. I grew up on a chicken farm and many after church Sunday dinners (about 2:00 pm) consisted of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. Heaven! Then we would have a light supper around 7:00 pm. Maybe waffles or an omelet, that sort of thing.

But fried chicken was, and still is, one of my top 10 favorite foods. Good fried chicken, that is! And yes, I am mighty picky about my fried chicken. What took me years to figure out was that the fried chicken of my youth was made with home raised, well-fed young chickens that had just been slaughtered. And then they were probably fried in lard. Hello! I simply couldn’t replicate that in today’s world. Unless of course I started raising chickens, and that just wasn’t going to happen. In Bellevue. In these shoes! I don’t think so!

So, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t satisfied with the results. Oh, the chicken was edible. But not up to my childhood standards. (And you know how persnickety children can be!)    

I do have 2 fabulous recipes for fried chicken already – (Spicy Fried Chicken Thighs and Smothered Fried Chicken), but they are both fairly time consuming. But what I have tried to make unsuccessfully all these years is a truly tasty fried chicken that does not require too many ingredients, a lot of time to sit in a buttermilk bath in the fridge, or to be cooked in a quart of cooking oil in a deep fat fryer. Until now.

So, this recipe, after numerous “this is OK, but not good enough” tries, is now my “I can do it, I can now make quick and easy fried chicken.” (Maybe even better than my grandmas!)

So, if you too love fried chicken, but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, I suggest you give this recipe a try. I truly was pleased with this recipe after waiting 60 years to find one that satisfied my “quick and easy (but delicious) fried chicken” stipulation! The crust is crisp and very tasty, and the chicken is tender and juicy. Who could ask for anything more?

And with that happy thought to leave you with – peace and love to all.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ c. – 2/3 c. buttermilk

2/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

1½ tsp. granulated garlic 

1½ tsp. granulated onion

¾ tsp. paprika

1 egg

1 c. cooking oil (I use canola oil)

Cut each breast into 4-5 equal sized strips (or pieces) depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Place the pieces in a glass bowl with a lid. Pour in enough buttermilk to coat the chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. (2-3 hours is even better.)

Whisk the flour, kosher salt, seasoned salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and paprika together in a shallow dish.

Whisk the egg in another shallow dish.   

After the chicken pieces have spent some time in the fridge, remove each piece from the buttermilk, and roll the chicken strips in the flour mixture until they are lightly coated with flour.

Then, dip each piece in the beaten egg and return to the seasoned flour. Roll in the flour again until each strip/piece is coated, and transfer to a platter.

Just before frying the chicken, sprinkle the pieces one last time with any remaining seasoned flour.

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet (cast iron is best) to 325-degrees.   

Gently place each strip in the hot oil and cook for 4 minutes or until nicely browned. Using a pair of tongs or a spatula, gently flip each strip, and cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until the chicken reaches at least 160-degrees at the thickest part. (Do not overcook. That leads to dry chicken.)

When fully cooked, transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel lined platter.

Serve immediately or keep warm until served.