Three pieces of cornmeal-crusted fried chicken on a white plate.

4.80 / 10 votes

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Chicken

This cornmeal-crusted fried chicken from Sydney Meers, thanks to a quick brine and an easy dredge in flour and cornmeal, turns out tender, juicy meat, and shatteringly crisp skin. Here's how to make it.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 937

Ingredients

For the fry

▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
▢ 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal, (it doesn't matter if it's yellow or white)
▢ Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
▢ Lard or bacon drippings, for frying

US - Metric

Instructions

Brine the chicken

In a large bowl, combine the water, salt, bay leaves, and rosemary, and stir until the salt is dissolved. Pat the chicken dry. Place the chicken pieces in the brine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes but no more than 1 hour.

Fry the chicken

Sift the flour and cornmeal together in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the chicken pieces from the brine, flicking off any pieces of herbs that may cling to the skin. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, flipping and flouring the meat until it’s completely coated.
Heat about a 1/2 inch (12 mm) of lard or bacon drippings in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-highish heat until it bubbles and the sound it makes shifts from a sizzle to a gurgle. If you want a more foolproof indicator, it's ready when you drop a pinch of flour in the oil and it hisses.
Using tongs, snuggle the chicken, skin side up, into the skillet, being careful to handle only the big ends of the bones. You may need to work in batches and adjust the heat slightly so the chicken doesn't brown too quickly. Fry the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until all the chicken pieces are a shimmering golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and let rest a spell on paper towels before diving in.

Nutrition