8 Fried Chicken Recipes To Help You Get Through Summer (2024)

ARNOLD'S COUNTRY KITCHEN FRIED CHICKEN

If there’s one place you absolutely must visit in Nashville, it’s Arnold’s Country Kitchen, a humble meat-and-three that brings the entire community to the table. It was founded by North Carolina native Jack Arnold in 1983; his eldest son, Khalil, now serves as chef and is constantly tweaking family recipes, like using horseradish and wasabi powder for heat and a touch of sugar to enhance the natural sweetness of his turnip greens. A line forms outside the long, narrow brick structure long before the doors open at 10:30 AM. From that moment until they close for the day at 2:30, the queue simply never lets up, inside snaking past shelves stacked with upside-down take-out containers waiting to be filled with the restaurant’s famous sides.

MICHAEL SOLOMONOV of FEDERAL DONUTS' FRIED CHICKEN and SAUCE

James Beard Award–winning Chef Michael Solomonov’s Korean-style fried chicken has pretty much bested the Philly competition since day one. Its thin, shell-like coating and spicy-sweet sauce made with Malaysian kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) are virtually irresistible. At Solomonov’s restaurant, Federal Donuts, the chicken sells out early, but thankfully you can make the recipe at home any time you like. In a whimsical take on chicken and waffles, the chicken is served with Federal’s house-made cake doughnuts—but feel free to sub in your store-bought variety of choice. If you can’t find the kecap manis, mix two parts hoisin sauce to one part soy sauce as a substitute.

VANESSA WILLIAMS' CAJUN MOON FUNKY FRIED CHICKEN

Not just anyone gets the honor of feeding Mardi Gras’s fiercest krewe, but New Orleans caterer Venessa Williams, a lifetime Louisiana resident and accomplished singer who sometimes performs with Kermit Ruffins is one of the lucky few. Commissioned yearly to feed the crowd at the Zulu Social Aide and Pleasure Club’s annual parade party, she prepares thousands of pieces of her famous bird in giant, mobile, jerry-rigged fryers she designed herself. That chicken—accompanied by her tender, beautifully seasoned (and totally vegetarian) red beans and rice—have made her the go-to girl for church suppers, funerals, and Super Bowl parties alike. Williams’s subtly spicy chicken is easy to replicate at home. She insists on using chilled chicken parts, an essential step for developing the crispest crust possible.

THOMAS KELLER'S AD-HOC BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

He may be known as one of the world’s most celebrated chefs, but these days my friend Thomas Keller is equally beloved for the fried chicken he serves at Ad Hoc, his bistro in Yountville, California. The herb-lemon brine helps keep the meat moist, and a double dip in seasoned flour between a buttermilk bath creates a feathery, crispy crust.

MICHELLE BERNSTEIN'S FRIED CHICKEN and WATERMELON SALAD

Whoever thought a Jewish girl from Argentina could produce one of the best takes on an American favorite? But Michy—as everyone affectionately refers to beloved Miami restaurateur Michelle Bernstein— does exactly that. On summer Wednesdays she serves an incredible all you- can-eat fried chicken buffet—the chicken gilded with an impossibly crisp coating—that calls to mind my meals as a kid at our local Howard Johnson’s. Michy herself is a dark-meat aficionado, so feel free to swap out the white meat with more thighs and legs. The cool, refreshing salad is almost an optical illusion, the tomatoes and watermelon mimicking one another until they hit the tongue.

MARK ROMANO'S HIGHLAND KITCHEN’S FRIED CHICKEN

With a two-day brining process and a super-crunchy coating coaxed into crispness in part by the addition of Maseca—a finely milled variation on masa harina found at Mexican markets—it’s no wonder Chef Mark Romano preps for a large crowd at Boston’s Highland Kitchen.

TYLER FLORENCE'S FRIED CHICKEN

I love nothing more than a simple, delicious, down-to-earth meal, and virtually all of Tyler Florence’s food fits the bill . . . especially his fried chicken, which will always have a place at the top of my list. He may now live on the West Coast, but one bite of his chicken reminds you that his heart still resides in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. As part of a dinner he hosted at the 2012 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, he served this dish, which brings together many of the best elements of the genre: brining, buttermilk batter, and doubledip in a heavily seasoned dredge. But what takes it over the edge is the oil he perfumes with fresh herbs and garlic—and the squeeze of fresh lemon—which infuses every bite with an extra layer of flavor.

KERMIT RUFFINS AND RAY BOOM BOOM'S HARD-FRIED CHICKEN

Only in New Orleans would you find an award-winning jazz musician with his own club, complete with a secret-weapon cook named Boom Boom who fries up some of the best-tasting chicken in town. Perhaps because the chicken is deeply chilled before frying, Boom Boom cooks his chicken a little longer than most; it emerges with the signature “hard-fried” brittle crust, notable for its perfectly salty seasoning.

For dozens of other Fried Chicken recipes from across America, check out The Fried & True Cookbook.

It's loaded with over 50 recipes for delicious and inventive fried chicken and sides pulled from everywhere from roadside chicken fry joints to four-star fusion restaurants.