The Best Crispy and Juicy Fried Chicken without Buttermilk
This Crispy Fried Chicken recipe is made without Buttermilk and it is unbelievably juicy and delicious all while skipping a traditional buttermilk marinade. Whether you ran out of buttermilk or you’re dairy-free, this fried chicken recipe gives you the best and juiciest chicken every time. It is so good and always a family favorite!
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Why This Recipe is So Good
The secret to the best southern fried chicken is double drenching it and frying it in a cast iron skillet for extra crispiness. Instead of buttermilk, the chicken is coated in flour, an egg mixture, then the flour mixture one more time to create a thick, crispy outer crust that seals in the juices. The egg helps to keep the chicken moist and juicy as it cooks and you won’t even miss the dairy because it is so flavorful!
This will be your favorite fried chicken recipe. There’s no buttermilk or dairy at all so you can make it at anytime and it makes the best southern dinner served with Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Homemade Gravy without Pan Drippings, Southern Turnip Greens with Turkey Bacon or this Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread and Creamy Sugar Free Coleslaw.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken – You’ll need 2lb of chicken parts. Use whichever combination of chicken parts you like. Chicken wings, chicken breast cut into 2-inch nuggets, or boneless thighs. Taking the bone out of the thighs helps it to cook faster and more evenly. You could also fry legs too. Just keep in mind that they will take the longest to cook. I like to make cuts in the legs to help them to cook better.
- Eggs – Used to bind the flour to the chicken to create a crispy crust and it keeps the chicken very moist while frying. I used the Happy Eggs they are pasture-raised eggs with great flavor and a rich yellow yolk.
- Seasonings – The seasoning process is two-fold. Season the chicken with salt before battering, because no one wants unsalted chicken and the rest of the seasonings like dried rosemary, thyme and onion powder, get added to the flour.
- Vegetable oil – Used to fry the chicken. I used organic cold-pressed avocado oil, but any neutral-flavored oil will work as well.
How to Make No Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Set up your drenching stations. Have one bowl or plate for the eggs, one for the seasoned flour, and one for the rinsed chicken pieces. Also, have your two sheet pans with wire racks nearby. This will make frying the chicken sooo much easier.
Drench chicken. Sprinkle chicken with a bit of salt to season it. Then using a pair of tongs or gloved hands coat it in the seasoned flour mixture first, shake off any extra flour then dip it into the egg mixture then finally back into the flour mixture. Transfer the chicken to one of the sheet pans with the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium heat with 2 – 3 inches of vegetable oil. Add a carrot to help keep the oil clean if you like. Once it starts to sizzle, carefully add the chicken into the hot oil away from you using a fork or pair of tongs.
Fry chicken on each side for 5 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown color. Using a fork or slotted spoon transfer the cooked chicken to the second sheet pan with a wire rack. Repeat with remaining chicken. Enjoy this dairy free fried chicken hot served with your favorite sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
The acid in the buttermilk is used to make the chicken more tender and moist and to add additional flavor. We really don’t find that it makes that much of a difference and double drenching works to keep the chicken perfectly moist. This fried chicken recipe is made without buttermilk or any dairy so it’s super convenient especially if you don’t have buttermilk on hand.
Start by dipping the chicken into the flour before dipping in the egg. This will allow you to get a thicker crust and it will stick to the chicken so much better. If you start with the egg, the crust won’t have anything to stick onto causing it to slide right off the chicken after frying.
Avocado oil is my favorite oil to use for frying. It has a high smoke point and doesn’t give the chicken a weird taste or leave your home smelling like burnt oil.
Looking For More Fried Chicken Recipes?
- Chicken Fried Turkey Cutlets
- Fried Chicken Nuggets without Buttermilk
- Chicken Fried Chicken with Homemade Pan Gravy
- Fried Chicken Tenders Recipe Without Buttermilk
- How To Make Chicken Fried Steak without Buttermilk
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer
- Fried Chicken Sandwich with Coleslaw
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Crispy Fried Chicken without Buttermilk
Equipment
- 2 Sheet pans with wire racks
- 2 Pairs of tongs one for wet steps and one for dry steps
- Plastic gloves if you don't like touching raw meat
- Spider strainer spoon for frying
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lb chicken parts thighs, legs, breasts, or wings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 – 4 large eggs whisked
Seasonings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 – 3 inches vegetable oil I used avocado oil
Instructions
Prepare dredging stations
- Start by setting up your chicken dredging stations, this will make preparing the chicken much easier.
- Have one shallow bowl or plate for the eggs, one for the seasoned flour, and one for the chicken. Also, have your two sheet pans nearby. One sheet pan with a wire rack for the cooked chicken and sheet pan for the raw chicken.
Prep and drench chicken
- Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels then place it into a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt, mixing to combine. In a shallow baking dish whisk 3 eggs together.2 lb chicken parts, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 – 4 large eggs
- In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients – flour, 2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme, rosemary, and onion powder. Mix until everything is well incorporated.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons ground paprika, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon onion powder
Cooking chicken
- Using a pair of tongs or gloved hands, add the chicken to the flour. Mix until well coated then add it to the egg mixture. Completely coat, allow excess egg to drip off then transfer the chicken back to the flour mixture. Shake off any of the excess flour, then set the chicken onto the sheet pan. (I like to do this step in batches with similar pieces of meat and separate tongs for the wet and dry steps)
- Repeat until all the chicken has been coated in the egg and flour mixture.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet until hot, then add 2 – 3 inches of vegetable oil. Check if the oil is hot by sprinkling a pinch of flour on the surface, seeing if it sizzles at lot then it's ready. Carefully add the chicken to the oil away from you so the oil doesn't splatter. Fry chicken for 5 minutes per side or until the crust is nicely golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.2 – 3 inches vegetable oil
- Once done, using a slotted spoon or clean pair of tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to the wire rack to drain. (Don't place fried chicken on paper towels because it will steam and the crust will get soggy). Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Storage Instructions
- How to store leftovers: store in an airtight plastic bag or container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes until heated through.
- In the freezer: store in a freezer-safe plastic bag for several weeks. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through.
Tips and Tricks
- Adjust cooking time for meat with or without bones: Wings and breast nuggets take about 3-5 minutes per side. I like to take the bones out of the thighs so they’ll cook faster (5 minutes per side), and the legs take the longest, about 7- 9 minutes per side.
- Batter and fry like parts of chicken: Cook all the white meat together and all the dark meat together. This will help everything cook at the same rate.
- Finish cooking in the oven if needed: It’s ok if the meat – particularly the legs, isn’t all the way done by the time the crust is golden brown. Simply take the fried chicken out of the oil and pop it into a 375-degree oven for a few minutes so the meat can completely cook through to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Recoat raw drenched chicken in flour before frying if needed: I like to drench all the chicken with flour and egg before I start the frying process. So by the time I finish cooking one batch the raw chicken will have absorbed the flour coating. If the flour on the outside of the chicken starts to look a little wet give the chicken a quick dusting in flour before frying it so it gets as crispy as possible.
Omg never wash your chicken. It doesn’t have any benefits and it just sprays raw meat juices all over your kitchen
Thanks Amber, but I’m very careful!
Awesome, DELISH! Love it, and it’s so simple. Thanks for a classic <3
Ps. We *dredge* the chicken in flour mixture
You're the best!
Thank you for commenting James! I always love hearing others enjoying our family favorite recipes!
Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome James! Hope you enjoyed it!
So good its a master peace :3
Aaaaww thank you so much, Makaylah! It’s our absolute favorite!
Great job, Tonya! Buttermilk Fried Chicken is a comfort dish for me! The bone-in, skin-on chicken is brined in buttermilk, coated, then fried till golden crispy! However, I’ve heard that there are several methods to replace buttermilk in fried chicken, and I wanted to try them. I admired how you coated the chicken with flour and egg combination and then again with flour mixture to keep it moist and flavorful.
Thank you so much!