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These crispy Fried Chicken Thighs have a golden, crunchy breading with a juicy flavorful center. This easy chicken recipe is sure to become a family favorite after your first bite!
This fried chicken recipe goes great with classic sides like Classic Macaroni Salad or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes!
How to Make the Best Fried Chicken Thighs
Fried chicken might seem like an intimidating dish to make but you won’t believe how easy it comes together. Follow these 3 simple steps and you’ll get the most delicious juicy and crispy chicken thighs ever!
While we are using chicken thighs today, this recipe will work for chicken breasts, drumsticks and even wings. The amount of frying time will vary so I recommend using a meat thermometer to test doneness. Any cut of chicken should register 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer. Read my Meat Temperature Chart for more information.
Recipe Walk-Through
How to Fry Chicken Thighs
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Pour a good amount of oil into a deep pot, preferably one with a heavy bottom like a cast iron or dutch oven. Bring it to medium heat and fry the chicken thighs until golden brown. Then finish them off in the oven as instructed in the recipe card below.
Buttermilk Marinade
This is where all the delicious flavor comes in. All you need to do here is pour the buttermilk with the spices in a bowl and let the chicken marinate for about 4 hours. Buttermilk also keeps your chicken moist, making it incredibly juicy with every bite.
The Breading
The “breading” is actually just a seasoned flour mixture that combined with the skin get nice and crispy when dipped into the hot oil and fried.
- When making the flour coating you want to make sure to use only dried spices here (so dried onion, dried garlic, cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper). Avoid fresh spices because they will burn during frying.
- After your chicken has marinated, make sure to tap off the extra buttermilk and thoroughly coat them in the flour mixture (do this one at a time).
Serving Suggestions
Fried Chicken is a classic picnic staple or Sunday dinner favorite. When I make fried chicken thighs for dinner, I make it a hearty meal served with Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Green Beans and Homemade Biscuits.
These crispy fried chicken thighs are perfect for potlucks and picnics because they are delicious hot or cold. Serve with classic American sides like Frito Corn Salad, Fruit Salad, Red Potato Salad, Green Bean Salad and Cornbread Casserole.
Fried Chicken Tips
- Let it rest – One of the most common methods to keep the breading from falling off of fried chicken is by letting it rest on a baking sheet so that the breading sticks to the chicken better.
- Dust and pat – Make sure to dust off the extra buttermilk and flour when dredging the chicken. And lightly pat the chicken after you’ve dusted off the extra flour.
- Don’t overcrowd – When frying the chicken you want to make sure the pot is not overcrowded. Overcrowding will cause the temperature to drop and you won’t get that beautiful golden crunchy exterior. And having too many chicken thighs can cause you to accidentally knock off the breading when flipping the one next to it.
- Best oil for frying chicken – Whenever you’re frying any kind of meat, you want to make sure to use a high smoke point oil. My favorite is corn oil since it’s affordable and tasty. But you can also use vegetable oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, and safflower oil.
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store and Reheat Fried Chicken
Fridge: Store leftover fried chicken in an airtight container or plastic bag. They will remain fresh for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Cool chicken completely and store in an airtight container or freezer bag. For best quality, use within 4 months of freezing. Thaw completely overnight in the fridge and follow the instructions below to reheat.
Reheat: The best way to reheat fried chicken is in the oven. Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 20 minutes before reheating. Place chicken pieces on a wire rack over a baking sheet and bake at 400℉ for about 15-20 minutes. The higher heat will help retain the crispiness.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Baked Chicken Breasts
- Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Chicken Marinade
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Boneless Chicken Wings
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Barbecue Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- KFC Mashed Potato Bowls
Fried Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
For the buttermilk marinade
- 1 pint Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1/2 Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 3 pounds Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
For the flour breading
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- Corn oil for frying
Instructions
Marinate
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel.
- In a large bowl add the buttermilk, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Whisk together until well combined.
- Place the chicken thighs into the buttermilk mixture and submerge them for about 30 minutes or up to 4 hours (the longer, the better).
Dredge
- Meanwhile, make the flour dredge by combining all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, and paprika in a large bowl.
- Dredge the chicken thighs into the flour mixture and gently shake off any excess. Place them on a baking sheet to rest for about 30 minutes. This will give an adequate amount of time for the flour coating to adhere to the chicken thighs.
Fry and Finish in the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 380℉. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and set aside.
- Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a few inches of corn oil and place over medium-high heat. Bring to 350℉ (use a deep-fry thermometer for accuracy)
- Fry chicken thighs for several minutes, until golden brown on both sides. Place them on the wire rack over the baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉. I highly recommend checking for doneness with a meat thermometer.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
I don’t hav buttermilk, what else can I use?plan to make this tonight
You can make your own buttermilk with milk and either white vinegar or lemon juice. Try this: How to Make Buttermilk
I love this recipe! A little work but we’ll worth it for the moist tender delicious chicken! I added a little cayenne pepper to the marinate as we little a little heat. I also brined my bone in chicken thighs before marinating with the buttermilk. Dab all water before doing this. Also, I made my own buttermilk using half & half and vinegar. Yummy!!
Great tips – so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This is a good recipe, if you plan ahead with the time needed. I only marinated for one hour, and had to fake the buttermilk with milk/lemon juice. I used about a half inch of avocado oil for frying. My 6 thighs were quite large so I baked at 375 for 30 minutes. They came out at 165 degrees on the thermometer and skins were very dark brown. Still crunchy but just shy of burned. They tasted very moist and juicy. I would do it again, but lower the heat to 350 (maybe my oven runs hot). This is an easier recipe than just frying the chicken on the stove! Definitely a keeper. My husband loved them, and he usually is the one frying them only on the stove.
Awesome feedback RB! Thanks for stopping by to share.
Anyone have suggestions what to do with the leftover buttermilk marinade??
You would need to discard it. With chicken, any leftover marinade is considered contaminated and would be unsafe to reuse.
I come from a family that loves fried foods, but I am never the one cooking. The recipe was easy to follow, which I did. My goodness the chicken was tender and juicy inside and crispy golden brown on the outside. Finishing off in the oven worked well. The chicken was a hit !
That’s awesome Skittles! Thanks for stopping by.
Can you fry the chicken thighs in Crisco Shortning?
I haven’t used it, but yes you can.
I’m sad the directions weren’t more clear that i was supposed to bake them ON the wire rack. For a first time fried chicken maker that would have been good to know. My thighs stuck to my baking sheet and i lost my fried coating. Tastes great though !
Has this been done without the oven step. I’m currently without one
That would be an important step to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked. It’s possible that it could be fully cooked with just the frying, but sometimes frying isn’t enough and you don’t want to burn the outside.
This was fantastic! Easy to follow! Thank you!
You are so welcome Kimberly! Thanks for stopping by.
Loved this recipe! My husband says it was better than a local well-known restaurant’s fried chicken!
High praise – thank you!
This recipe caught my eye because the seasoning was so close to one I have been using for about 20 or so years. But the resting after the flowering was not something I did in the past. I will admit I used my two big cast iron skillets with only about 1/4 inch oil. If you are skilled at this type of frying it works beautifully. Finished in the oven until internal temp was 165. Fantastic recipe, and even an old dog learned a few new tricks.
Well done Kristin, Thank you!
You are so welcome Wayne! Fantastic feedback, thanks for stopping by.
I’m planning to make this chicken recipe with thighs and drumsticks for a picnic this week. I will make the day before and then serve it cold at the picnic. Do you have any experience on what this chicken will be like if served cold? I can’t imagine it will be as crispy as if served right away, but will it still be good? Thanks.
Hi Karen, No it won’t be crispy once refrigerated, but it will still taste good. I would try and keep the breading from getting too thick.
You deserve some kind of award for this recipe. I am so dang impressed that I could cry! I’ve attempted many ‘fried chicken’ recipes before and none were to the standard I was expecting. This one was foolproof. I followed your recipe to a T. I fried the chicken in Canola Oil (I am in Australia) and made sure the oil was at 190degCelcius before adding the chicken, fried for around 2-3mins each side before putting into oven. I also used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Huge thumbs up from my family of five. Thankyou so much.
You are so welcome Ellen! Awesome feedback! Thank you for the kind words.
You are so welcome Ellen! Thanks for stopping by.
Isn’t 10 mins prep time and 1 hour cook time 1hr 10 mins?
Where does the 2hrs 10mins come from
If you read through the recipe, there are two times that you let the chicken marinate or rest. Those two 30-minute periods add up to one hour. Hence the total time of 2 hours and 10 minutes. The recipe card doesn’t have a place to add that additional time period.
I made this recipe exactly as written and the thighs definitely were crispy. However in my oven 380 degrees for 40 minutes was too hot, the coating was overdone. Next time I will try 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Love the feedback Ferg! Thanks for stopping by.