Deep Fried Chicken Thighs
Want to know how long to deep fry chicken thighs? I found that there was a way to make perfectly crispy, juicy chicken thighs in just 30 minutes. They make an ideal choice for a quick weeknight dinner.
The secret to golden-brown perfection lies in the right temperature control. My chicken thighs turn out best when fried at 350°F and reach an internal temperature of 165°F. This ensures they’re both safe and delicious. The versatile chicken thighs never disappoint, whether you stick to a traditional recipe or adapt it for a low-carb diet without breading.
Let me share my tested approach that guarantees crispy skin and tender meat every time you fry chicken thighs.
Before You Get Starte:
Let me share some important prep steps that will help you make perfect deep-fried chicken thighs.
Key Tips:
We found that success in deep frying chicken thighs depends on good prep work and technique. Here are my tried-and-true tips:
- Oil Temperature Control: Keep your oil at a steady 350°F. I recommend using a deep-fry thermometer to be accurate.
- Oil Selection: Choose oils with high smoke points like peanut, canola, or vegetable oil
- Pat Dry: Remove excess moisture from chicken thighs with paper towels
- Room Temperature: Take the chicken out 30 minutes before cooking
- Safety First: Keep a fire extinguisher nearby and never leave hot oil unattended
A heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven works best to distribute heat evenly. You should also avoid overcrowding the pot and leave enough space between pieces to cook evenly.
Bone-in chicken thighs cook better when they reach room temperature first. This simple step keeps the outside from burning while the inside cooks really well.
Setting up your workstation makes everything easier. I like to arrange my breading station (if using) from left to right: seasoned flour, egg wash, and final coating. This setup keeps the process smooth and clean.
What Makes This Recipe So Good?
Perfect deep-fried chicken thighs depend on three key elements: the coating, the marinade, and the cooking temperature. A special mix of flour and cornstarch creates a crispy, craggy crust that shatters with each bite.
Chicken thighs excel at deep frying because they stay juicy across a wider temperature range. These dark meat pieces reach their best texture between 175°F and 200°F, though they’re safe to eat at 165°F. This makes them a great choice for home cooking.
Buttermilk marinade serves two purposes – it makes the meat tender and helps it stay moist. Each bite delivers juicy, flavorful chicken under that golden-brown crust. Marinating the chicken overnight will give you the most tender results.
Temperature control is the life-blood of great fried chicken thighs. A cast-iron pot helps maintain steady heat and minimizes temperature drops as you add chicken. This steady temperature ensures even cooking and creates that perfect crispy exterior without excess grease.
Seven different spices enrich the seasoned coating to create an aromatic crust you can’t resist. These elements combine with proper frying techniques to produce chicken that’s crispy outside, tender inside, and packed with flavor.
Why I Love This Recipe:
My passion for this deep-fried chicken thighs recipe comes from its remarkable way to achieve perfect balance – a craggy, golden-brown crust that protects tender meat. I’ve prepared this dish thousands of times in my 50-year career and seen how it delivers restaurant-quality results every time.
We discovered that versatility makes this recipe special. The chicken tastes amazing whether served piping hot, at room temperature, or even cold. This adaptability makes it ideal for family gatherings, picnics, or meal prep.
The recipe’s success shows in its impressive 4.5 million views and 91.5 thousand likes across social platforms. Of course, these numbers showcase the recipe’s reliability and how much people love it.
As with other comfort food classics, this dish means more than just its taste. It connects us to our culinary heritage and shows that simple preparations often give the most satisfying results. Chicken frying brings people together and creates lasting memories around the dinner table.
Without doubt, nothing beats watching others take that first bite – the satisfying crunch giving way to juicy, flavorful meat. The crispy exterior and tender interior create an almost primal satisfaction that surpasses cultural boundaries, making it a universally beloved dish.
Recipe Variations
Learning to make deep-fried chicken thighs opens doors to many more delicious variations. The oven works as an alternative cooking method, though the skin won’t be quite as crispy. Your air fryer delivers excellent results in just 7 minutes.
This recipe adapts well to dietary restrictions. A gluten-free version combines 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup millet flour, and 1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca starch. People following a low FODMAP diet can skip the onion and garlic powder.
You can try these proven seasoning combinations:
- Dried sage or parsley for an herbal note
- Garlic powder and paprika for classic flavor
- Chili powder for extra heat
This recipe works beautifully with other chicken cuts. Therefore, you can use legs, wings, or breasts. Boneless skinless thighs need an adjusted cooking time of 30 minutes.
We found that marination time affects the final flavor. A quick 45-minute marination at room temperature works in a pinch, but overnight delivers the best results. Some variations even benefit from two days of marination.
This chicken tastes excellent hot, at room temperature, or even cold. Make stock or broth from the bones to maximize your ingredients.
Equipment
The right equipment is the life-blood of perfectly fried chicken thighs. A 6-quart Dutch oven or larger will give a better heat distribution and high sides that reduce oil splatters.
You need two types of thermometers to cook with precision. A deep-fry thermometer helps you watch the oil temperature and prevents burning or undercooking. A digital probe thermometer makes sure your chicken reaches the right internal temperature.
Two sets of long tongs help you handle the food safely – one set for raw chicken and another for cooked pieces. A bamboo skimmer or spider strainer helps you manage oil splashes when you move chicken pieces.
Your drying setup should have two wire cooling racks placed inside rimmed baking sheets with paper towels. This setup lets air flow around the chicken and keeps it crispy.
Your preparation tools should include:
- Measuring cups and spoons to portion ingredients
- Large and medium bowls to set up breading stations
- Whisk to mix ingredients
- Paper towels to pat chicken dry
Neutral oils like vegetable, peanut, canola, or sunflower are best to deep fry chicken. These oils have high smoke points around 440-450°F. Keep these oils in food-safe containers to maintain quality and avoid contamination.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering ingredients to make perfectly crispy fried chicken thighs.
For the Buttermilk Marinade:
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
For the Chicken: 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will give the most succulent results. The skin creates that irresistible crispy exterior and the bones enhance the flavor.
For the Seasoned Coating:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
High-quality neutral oil with a high smoke point is vital to this recipe’s success. You can choose from canola, vegetable, avocado, safflower, peanut, or corn oil to deep fry.
Buttermilk acts as a natural tenderizer that breaks down proteins and creates extra juicy chicken. The combination of seasonings builds a bold flavor profile that complements the crispy exterior perfectly.
Bone-in, skin-on thighs play a significant role in achieving that perfect texture contrast between crispy exterior and juicy interior. The flour coating with its measured seasonings will give each bite an ideal balance of flavors.
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Deep Fried Chicken Thighs
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Turn up the flavor with deep-fried chicken thighs! Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and seasoned to perfection for any occasion.
Ingredients
For the Buttermilk Marinade:
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
For the Chicken: 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will give the most succulent results. The skin creates that irresistible crispy exterior and the bones enhance the flavor.
For the Seasoned Coating:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
You’ll need to marinate the chicken thighs in buttermilk mixture at least 8 hours or overnight. This long soak will give a super tender chicken with amazing flavor.
Heat oil to exactly 350°F in your Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. You should set up your dredging station while the oil heats. Mix flour with seasonings in one bowl and whisk buttermilk with egg whites in another.
Take one piece at a time from the marinade and coat it really well in the seasoned flour mixture. Make sure to press the coating firmly onto each piece so it sticks properly. Let your coated pieces sit for 10-30 minutes – this helps the coating set just right.
The oil temperature should hit the mark before you carefully drop 3 pieces of chicken in the pot. Keep the oil between 325-350°F as you cook. Give the pieces a flip every 3-4 minutes to get that even golden brown color.
Your chicken needs about 20-25 minutes to cook perfectly. Stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part, avoiding the bone – it should read 165°F. Move the finished pieces to a wire rack over paper towels and let them rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Boneless thighs need only 15 minutes to cook. Whatever cut you choose, let the oil temperature bounce back between batches.
Notes
Your deep-fried chicken thighs will taste just as delicious when you store and reheat them correctly. We let the chicken cool completely before placing it in an airtight container with paper towels.
The fried chicken thighs stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them in an airtight freezer bag for up to 4 months. The seasoning blend remains good at room temperature for up to 5 days when stored separately.
The best way to keep your chicken crispy while reheating starts with letting it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Place the pieces on a wire rack over a baking sheet and heat them at 400°F for 15-20 minutes. Hot chicken should not rest on paper towels because trapped steam will make the coating soggy.
The oil temperature plays a vital role throughout the cooking process. Low oil temperature leads to greasy, oil-logged breading. The breading might become clumpy during coating, but this creates amazing texture variations in the final crispy coating.
To name just one example, see the double-fry method: after the original frying, put the chicken back in the oil for 30-60 seconds. This simple trick gives you an extra crunchy exterior while keeping the inside juicy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Deep Frying
- Cuisine: American
FAQs
Deep fry chicken thighs for about 13-20 minutes, until they are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165°F. The exact time may vary depending on the size of the thighs and oil temperature.
The key to crispy fried chicken is using oil with a high smoke point, maintaining a consistent oil temperature around 350°F, and double-dredging the chicken in seasoned flour with a buttermilk coating in between.
To make the breading stick, first marinate the chicken in buttermilk, then dredge it in seasoned flour. Dip it in an egg wash or buttermilk mixture, then coat it again in flour. Press the coating firmly onto the chicken and let it rest before frying.
Use oils with high smoke points for frying chicken thighs, such as peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil. These oils can withstand the high temperatures needed for deep frying without burning.
To prevent the breading from falling off, make sure to shake off excess flour, let the coated chicken rest for 10-30 minutes before frying, and avoid moving the chicken too much in the first few minutes of frying to allow the crust to set.