Growing up in the South, chicken fried chicken was the dish everyone waited for at Sunday dinners. The crunchy exterior, the juicy center, and the rich country gravy always meant comfort. Cracker Barrel serves a version that captures everything people love about classic Southern cooking. With this Easy Copycat Recipe, you can recreate that golden crust and tender chicken at home in less than 40 minutes. The double breading gives the chicken a satisfying crisp, while buttermilk keeps every bite moist and flavorful. This recipe offers a nostalgic, comforting meal that tastes as if it came straight from a Southern kitchen.
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What Makes Cracker Barrel Chicken Fried Chicken So Good?
There probably isn’t a better chicken dish than chicken fried chicken on the planet. The pinnacle of down-home cooking is the light, crispy crust and moist, perfectly cooked boneless white meat drenched in creamy gravy.
While Cracker Barrel’s chicken fried chicken isn’t as good as the version prepared by Southern grandmas, it is pretty darn close.
Why This Is the Chicken Fried Chicken Recipe You Must Try
Don’t be put off by the calorie count in this traditional Southern classic; you must try this meal at least once. And although bacon grease and heavy cream may not be the most diet-friendly ingredients, they are delicious-friendly!
So, if you plan to try this recipe for chicken fried chicken, make it as tasty as possible.
DID YOU KNOW? – Chicken fried chicken got its name because it’s prepared like chicken fried steak – The double-breading technique creates extra crispiness – Using buttermilk helps tenderize the meat while adding tang
Ingredients For This Cracker Barrel Chicken Fried Chicken Recipe
Chicken Fried Chicken
- Chicken breasts – Provide tender, lean meat that cooks evenly
- All-purpose flour – Helps form the crispy coating
- Salt – Enhances overall flavor
- Ground black pepper – Adds gentle heat
- Buttermilk – Tenderizes the chicken and adds tang
- Water – Thins the buttermilk for dipping
- Vegetable oil – Used for frying and crisping the coating
Country Gravy
- Bacon grease – Adds depth and savory richness
- All-purpose flour – Creates the roux that thickens the gravy
- Whole milk – Produces a creamy, smooth texture
- Ground black pepper – Seasons the gravy
- Salt – Balances flavors
Bacon grease adds a lot to this recipe, but if you absolutely won’t use it or don’t have any on hand, you can use cold butter.
For spicier chicken or additional flavor, you can add a little cayenne pepper or garlic powder to the flour to bread the chicken.
How To Cook Chicken Fried Chicken Cracker Barrel Style
To flatten out the chicken:
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Place one boneless chicken breast on it, then cover it with another sheet of plastic wrap.
- Use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to gently pound out the chicken to an even thickness of about half an inch.
- Put the chicken aside, and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
To bread the chicken:
- Sift the flour, salt, and pepper into a wide shallow bowl.
- Whisk together the buttermilk and water in another wide bowl.
- Coat the chicken pieces with seasoned flour mixture and shake off any excess.
- Dip the chicken into the buttermilk mixture.
- Return the chicken to the bowl of seasoned flour for one more coating, then place the chicken breasts on a wire rack or baking sheet lined with parchment paper to set.
- Repeat with the other pieces of chicken.
To make the gravy for chicken-fried chicken:
- While the chicken is resting, heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. If you don’t have a cast-iron pan, use any non-stick pan with a heavy bottom.
- Sprinkle the flour over the grease and whisk to combine.
- Continue whisking for about a minute until you notice a baked pie-crust smell.
- Pour in the whole milk or heavy cream while whisking.
- When the gravy thickens, turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To fry the chicken:
- Pour at least four inches of vegetable or canola oil into a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. You can use an electric fryer if you have one.
- Heat the oil to 350°F. Double-check the oil temperature with a clip-on thermometer to ensure it is at the correct temperature.
- Deep-fry one or two pieces of the breaded chicken for about 3 minutes. The internal temperature needs to be at least 165°F.
- Drain the chicken on paper towels.
- Repeat until you fry all the chicken.
Serve the chicken fried chicken with gravy, either on top or on the side.
What Goes With This Cracker Barrel Chicken Fried Chicken Recipe
Mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, corn, and mac and cheese are classic sides for chicken-fried chicken, but diners may appreciate a refreshing wedge salad or Greek salad.
How To Store Leftover Homemade Chicken Fried Chicken
- Refrigerator Storage: Store chicken and gravy separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
- Reheating Method: Reheat chicken in an air fryer or oven until warmed through. Reheat gravy gently on low heat and whisk until smooth.
- Freezing: Freeze cooked chicken only. Place cooled chicken in an airtight container and store for up to 2 months.
More Cracker Barrel Copycat Recipes
- Baked Beans with Bacon
- Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings
- Cornbread Chicken Casserole
- Cracker Barrel Meatloaf
- Hamburger Steak and Gravy
- Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad
Favorite Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Bryan
- Chicken Croquettes
- Chicken Romano
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Ritz Cracker Chicken
- Rosemary Chicken
- Stuffed Chicken Marsala
Check out even more of my tasty chicken recipes and the best copycat Cracker Barrel recipes on CopyKat!
Cracker Barrel Chicken Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Sawmill Gravy
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chicken Fried Chicken
- Oil for frying
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
Sawmill Gravy
- Melt the bacon grease in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When it melts, add the flour and cook for approximately 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes fragrant like pie dough.
- Add the milk or heavy cream, and whisk until the gravy thickens. Season with salt and black pepper.
Chicken Fried Chicken
- Pour 3 to 4 inches of oil into a deep fryer or large pot and heat the oil to 350°F.
- Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and water.
- If your chicken breasts are not uniform in size, place them between two pieces of wax paper and gently pound them with a meat pounder until they are more uniform. Then pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour, dip them in the buttermilk, and then dredge again in the seasoned flour.
- Deep-fry the chicken in the hot oil until done, about 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over while frying to make sure both sides are golden brown. Then remove the chicken from the oil and let it drain on a wire rack.
- To serve, place two chicken breasts onto a plate and pour some sawmill gravy on top.
You did not say how many minutes to fry chicken in oil! Give an approximate time and then I can check internal temp at that point to see if done or needs more time!
I appreciate your comment, I will add some general guide, but some of this will depend upon the size of your chicken breast. I have seen them range from 6 to 8 ounces to over a pound. I will try to give you a starting point.
Love this recipe; it came out so good! Could ain fryer be used to cook the chicken?
You could do it, but the texture of the crust will not be the same. I try to make the recipes as close to the real thing as I can, air frying misses the mark.
These were good, I served them with the sawmill gravy.
Delicious!