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Recipes
June 2021

Barbara’s Picnic Fried Chicken

By Kwame Alexander

4.5

(65)

Fried chicken pieces in a brown bag
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by D'Mytrek Brown

Unlike many fried chicken recipes that use a combination of wet and dry coatings, this one, passed down from the author’s mother, Barbara Alexander, employs just generously spiced and seasoned flour. This allows for a thinner but still super-crispy coating. “My late mother’s fried chicken recipe was a link to my past—and to my daughter’s future. Frying chicken right can feel like riding a bike backward. Or writing a sonnet. It’s hard, sometimes elusive. But there is a form to guide you, and with practice you can find the flow.” Read more about this fried chicken recipe and it’s significance to Kwame here.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

¾

tsp. ground cumin

¼

tsp. smoked paprika

5

tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided

2¾

tsp. garlic powder, divided

2½

tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

1

3-lb. chicken, cut into 10 pieces (2 wings, 4 breasts, 2 thighs, and 2 drumsticks)

2

cups all-purpose flour

1

Tbsp. mild curry powder

1

tsp. paprika

Vegetable oil (for frying; 4–5 cups)

special equipment

A deep-fry thermometer; a brown paper bag

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix together cumin, smoked paprika, 3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¾ tsp. garlic powder, and ½ tsp. pepper in a small bowl.

    Step 2

    Arrange chicken on a rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle all over with spice mixture. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes, or chill, uncovered, up to 12 hours.

    Step 3

    Combine flour, curry powder, paprika, and remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. garlic powder, and 2 tsp. pepper in a medium paper bag. Close bag and shake well to combine. Add chicken to bag, close, and shake well to coat.

    Step 4

    Pour oil into a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven to come 1" up sides; clip thermometer to sides of pan and heat oil over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°. Working in 2 batches and returning oil to 350° between batches, cook chicken pieces, turning halfway through, until deep golden brown, 10–15 minutes per batch (an instant-read thermometer inserted into each piece should register 160° for light meat and 165° for dark). Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack and let cool slightly before serving.

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