Indiana Fried Chicken Recipe (2024)

May I humbly suggest a wire rack to let the oil drain off, instead of paper towels. Paper does absorb the oil, but then the chicken sits in the oil-saturated towel and the crust can lose some of that wonderful crunch.

This is exactly how I learned to fry chicken from my Grandma. Let me just say that I do not like canola oil. Certainly not for frying; it has an unpleasant smell when heated to the temp necessary for frying. Go for the lard or Crisco solid shortening in a iron skillet

Unlike the other comments I actually made this for dinner tonight. Yeah, I used a big pack of chicken thighs so everything cooks evenly. And sure, I used half lard and half canola. But bottom line? Delicious. There was much less splattering than usual with a cast iron skillet. Was it the lard? Dunno. Only advice? Don’t skimp on the salt or black pepper, and don’t try to get fancy with other spices. Enjoy it for what it is.

I grew up in Evansville, IN...this is perfect...someone asked fr a gravy recipe...couldn't be simpler. Remove all the oil from the pan, except about 2 Tablespoons; stir in 2 Tblspns of flour, brown lightly, then add in about 2 cups of milk, stirring with a whisk until thick and smooth. Salt, and lots of pepper to taste. We had this chicken and gravy every summer Sunday, along with fresh corn, cut off the cob (add tons off butter) and sliced tomatoes! YUM!

Yep. Pretty much as my mom fried chicken for our family including the breakdown of the chicken (though we also had the neck). We always added pepper to the flour as well. She used paper bags and the chicken never sat around long enough to become soggy,

I believe the key to this recipe is the lard and the frequent turning. I made this last week and it turn out perfectly. I salted the pieces and let then rest in the fridge for a few hours then tossed them in a paper bag with lightly seasoned flour. I let the cooked pieces rest in the oven on a wire rack in a 200 degree oven. It was perfect. My wife's new favorite recipe. I strained the lard and put in the fridge for next time.

My mother made wonderful fried chicken. We lived in southern Indiana, but south and west of the area described in the article. Mom used half margarine and half Crisco for the fat. She put flour in a brown paper sack and shook the chicken pieces in it. So these are variations to consider!

You really don’t need this much oil to fry chicken. My mother used the exact same dredge but pan-fried in little more than a few tablespoons of oil, in a large cast iron skillet that was very shallow, basically like a griddle.

For the gravy, my sainted mother took some of the flour from the paper bag previously used to shake the chicken. Of course the flour was already seasoned with salt and pepper. Thrifty, she was.

You forgot the gravy!Recipe, please.

My mother was from southern Indiana. She dredged the chicken pieces in a mixture of flour, salt, and a heavy amount of pepper, no additional spices. She fried the pieces in Crisco solid shortening (no subs) in a heavy Dutch oven - 10 minutes on high heat with the lid off, 20 minutes on medium with the lid on to "steam" it (no water added), then a final 10 minutes on high with the lid off. It was perfection!

I have had the pleasure of eating Wagner's Fried Chicken at Wagner's and it is fabulous! As is their German draft beer.Wagner's is one of about 22 locally-owned restaurants on the Hoosier Fried Chicken Trail running from the Ohio River North to at least Morristown in Shelby County. So far, I have only eaten at 4 and am waiting for the Rain to stop to begin this year's jaunts. You have heard of Indiana Fried Chicken before? You have. Col Harlan Sanders was born and cooked in Indiana!

Sho 'nuff. Family from Oklahoma and Texas by way of Arkansas and Mississippi. Paper bag for shaking, Crisco in a cast iron skillet but less than an inch. Add garlic powder generously to the chicken. Don't throw ANY leftover oil away. Make a truckload of gravy and use it on toast or biscuits for a week. I brown fast and put the chicken on a rack in a low oven to finish cooking so I can make the gravy. I do this with pork chops too.

I grew up in Southern Indiana and this chicken is the real deal. The key is to use a small, spring chicken not a supermarket behemoth. Now where is that pitcher of beer?

Lard is really a good fat. Yes, it is high in cholesterol, but has no trans fat and is one of the most easily digested fats on the planet. Better than many of the vegetable fats that are recommended. It was Crisco who advertised and campaigned against lard because they wanted to sell their product. ad the NPR story...https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/05/02/151868208/lard-is-back-in-the-larder-but-hold-the-health-claims

Pretty close to the Southern Fried chicken a good friend from the South taught me to make that has 40+ years of family rave reviews. Differences: one on hers--first stage seasoning was Lawry's Season Salt and also lots of pepper. Second, on this one, the little water trick (which works) is amazing. And, yes, I go with Joe's wire rack, which I place over newspapers. The recipe says serve at once, but it even remained crispy for picnic lunch 3 hours later. (Yeah, I can live with Canola.)

I don't get the water at the end...What does that do but make a mess? Article says it seals in the flavor? How...scientifically?

Sho 'nuff. Family from Oklahoma and Texas by way of Arkansas and Mississippi. Paper bag for shaking, Crisco in a cast iron skillet but less than an inch. Add garlic powder generously to the chicken. Don't throw ANY leftover oil away. Make a truckload of gravy and use it on toast or biscuits for a week. I brown fast and put the chicken on a rack in a low oven to finish cooking so I can make the gravy. I do this with pork chops too.

Great reviews at our house. Simple to prepare. The quintessence of fried chicken.

I made this tonight in my deep cast iron chicken fryer. I needed about 2 pints of lard, which I get from the butcher. It’s messier than fried chicken where you cover the skillet. The lard wasn’t hot enough in my first batch. About 320 degrees. It got up to speed with second batch. I prefer a crispier crust that you get from brining in buttermilk. Anyway it was tasty. The key is to get the fat up yo 350-360 degrees. I won’t make it again

I cannot imagine who in their right mind would give this anything other than a five star rating. Crisco solid shortening works well for us, as well as the paper bag method for the flour. Cooked on an outdoor stove to keep the splatters outside - and to make the neighbors jealous.

Southern Indiana? Our housekeeper was from Georgia and the only thing she did different was use Lawry's Seasoned Salt along with the fresh ground black pepper to coat the chicken, then it went into a paper bag with seasoned flour. Lard of course and always the water added at the end. The flour from the paper bag went into the pan to make a gravy to die for (nothing wasted) and the chicken rested on cut open paper bags. Great easy recipe.

This is exactly the way my mother made fried chicken in Virginia and it was always delicious. Nothing but Crisco will doDon’t get fancy with spices. Not necessary and it confuses the chickenOne thing. I don’t think you need 3 cups of flour. 2 cups. Should do it. With 3 cups you’ll have a lot of flour left over that you can’t use for anything else

What is the reason for adding water to the hot fat? What does it do?

What's with the water?

I grew up in Southern Indiana and this chicken is the real deal. The key is to use a small, spring chicken not a supermarket behemoth. Now where is that pitcher of beer?

One of the simplest, easy and most tasty fried chicken I have ever made...worth trying.

Use peanut oil. It really worked out for me and the chicken was very, very flavorful. Pair with shoe string French fries and fried Brussels and you've got yourself a good bar meal.

I grew up in western central Indiana, and my mother made the best fried chicken in the world. Shook up the pieces in flour & paprika/paper bag, and fried in solid Crisco in a Dutch oven. And she drained it, like everything she drained, on newspaper. (Yes, she grew up during the Depression. 😏)

I’m from Indiana and this is an oldie but goodie. I put a wire rack upside down on paper towels. That way chicken is in contact with paper towel to drain grease, but doesn’t sit on it and get soggy.