Experience the warmth and comfort of Cracker Barrel’s beloved Sunday Homestyle Chicken in your own kitchen with this authentic copycat recipe. This isn’t just ordinary fried chicken; it’s the special Sunday-only dish that draws families to Cracker Barrel week after week. With its signature buttermilk batter creating an incredibly crispy exterior and juicy, tender interior, this homestyle chicken captures all the down-home goodness that makes Cracker Barrel’s Sunday dinner so memorable.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Cracker Barrel Sunday Chicken
Cracker Barrel is well known for its down-home menu; this chicken recipe is no exception. I know I have made a point to go there on a Sunday to try this delicious homestyle chicken.
This chicken is easy to make and will remind you of the excellent fried chicken the ladies in your family used to make. This recipe has boneless chicken breasts hand-dipped in Cracker Barrel’s special buttermilk batter. The result is a flavorful and crispy fried chicken.
Why you should try this copycat recipe from Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
The magic lies in Cracker Barrel’s signature buttermilk batter, creating layers of crispy texture while keeping the chicken moist and flavorful. Unlike standard fried chicken, this recipe employs a double-dredging technique that builds substantial coating thickness, resulting in that distinctive crunch that makes each bite satisfying. The buttermilk’s natural acidity tenderizes the chicken while contributing a tangy flavor that perfectly balances the rich, crispy exterior.
Recipe Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – Lean protein that cooks evenly and absorbs flavors beautifully
- All-purpose flour – Creates the coating base that develops into a crispy, golden crust
- Salt and ground black pepper – Essential seasonings that enhance natural chicken flavor
- Buttermilk – Tangy dairy that tenderizes meat and creates a signature flavor profile
- Water – Thins buttermilk to optimal consistency for even coating coverage
- Oil for frying – High-heat cooking medium that creates a crispy exterior texture
Ingredient Notes
Buttermilk gives this dish its unique taste. If you can get it, I love Borden’s Country Style buttermilk; this recipe is rich and thick buttermilk.
I tried making this with the powdered buttermilk that you rehydrate with water, but it didn’t give me good results. This is one of the few times I specifically buy buttermilk for cooking. You can always make some buttermilk biscuits with this to help use up all of the buttermilk.
The chicken is deep-fried in oil. In this order, I recommend oil for deep frying: peanut oil, cottonseed oil, Crisco brand shortening, then generic vegetable oil.
I like how peanut oil crisps everything up, and if you are clean with your batter by shaking all of the excess loose flour off, you can reuse the oil later. Again, this is my preference, but I often get asked this
How to Make Cracker Barrel Sunday Homestyle Chicken
- Pour enough oil into a deep fryer or large pot 3 to 4 inches deep. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.
- Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- In another bowl, combine buttermilk and water.
- Pound chicken breasts between wax paper or plastic wrap until uniform in thickness.
- Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper.
- Dredge chicken in seasoned flour and shake off excess.
- Dip floured chicken into the buttermilk mixture.
- Dredge the chicken again in the flour.
- Deep-fry the chicken pieces in the hot oil until golden brown and done, about 7 to 8 minutes (internal temperature is 165°F). Turn the chicken over while frying.
- Remove the fried chicken from the oil and drain it on a wire rack.
This chicken is prepared quickly so that you can have this on your dinner table in about 20 minutes. So this is a perfect main dish for any night of the week.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator Storage: Store cooled chicken in airtight containers for 3 days. The coating maintains much of its texture even when refrigerated.
- Reheating Methods: To restore crispiness, use an air fryer at 375°F for 7-8 minutes. Oven reheating at 350°F for 10-12 minutes also works well. Microwave reheating is quick but reduces crispiness.
- Freezing: Store in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating for best texture and flavor.
Popular Cracker Barrel Copycat Recipes
- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Hamburger Steak
- Hashbrown Casserole Recipe Cracker Barrel
- Easy Meatloaf Recipe with Crackers
- Southern Breakfast Casserole
Easy Chicken Recipes
- Roast Chicken Leg Quarters
- PF Chang Lettuce Wraps Recipe
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe
- Whataburger Chicken Sandwich
- Chicken and Black Bean Crockpot Recipe
- How to Make Chicken Nuggets like Chick Fil A
- Japanese Fried Chicken Cutlet
- Alice Chicken Outback Steakhouse
- Chicken Crispers at Chilis
Be sure to take a look at more of my Cracker Barrel copycat recipes and the best chicken restaurant recipes.
Cracker Barrel Sunday Chicken – Easy Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 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
- Pour 3 to 4 inches of oil into a deep fryer or large pot and heat the oil to 350 degrees.
- Prepare seasoned flour by combining the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and water.
- If your chicken breasts are not fairly uniform in size, place them between two pieces of wax paper and gently pound them out with a meat pounder until they are more uniform in size. This will help with even cooking times.
- Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then dredge them in the seasoned flour.
- Dip floured chicken in buttermilk.
- Dredge the chicken again in the seasoned flour.
- Deep-fry the chicken pieces in the hot oil until done, about 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over while frying to make sure both sides of the chicken are golden brown.
- When the chicken is done, remove it from the oil and drain on a wire rack.
ACTUAL CRACKER BARREL COOK! Actually, we use a premade chicken breader that was made for us with a bunch of spices already in it, and water. The closest breader available at the store is Auntie Anne’s chicken breader. Use boneless skinless breast. Coat in the dry breader. Coat in the wet batter (thin batter made of the breader and water). Coat in the dry breader again, and fry in 350-375 degree oil for 4 minutes.
very disappointed. the chicken wasn’t very flavourful and the breading didn’t stay on the breast.
These should have been boneless chicken breasts.
i enjoy this , not sure if it tastes like Cracker barrel chicken , but its still good.
Could this be cooked in an air fryer? Would anything have to be changed?
I would change the breading to panko crumbs and air fry this.
just found this site love it! Will be sharing some of my old recipes and my moms and grandmas!
I’d like a recipe for Alice Springs Chicken @ Out Back restaurants. I always order & would love to make at home for the whole family. Thank you.
Soaking instead of just dipping in buttermilk and letting the,pieces rest made ALL the difference! Thank you!
Took a looooong time for the chicken to cook through even pounded thin. The coating makes the breasts quite thick and at that high of temp. If you don’t watch them very carefully the coating will burn quickly and end up a mess. Resist the temptation to flip, the coating falls off. I marinated them in buttermilk for 3 hours. Tasted good but the cooking was very time comsuming.
I fry them long enough to brown them and finish them off in the oven
You have to let some of the buttermilk drain off the chicken, I fry the chicken till golden brown and finish them off in the oven
How long and at what temperature do you cook them in the oven?
what temperature should the chicken be at when fully cooked?
Chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees F.
Little Caesars Garlic Parmesan wings????
I didn’t know they had wings.
I like to put my chicken in buttermilk and Frank’s hot sauce and sit for a while. I’m going to try this recipe. Sounds great
This was delicious! I used boneless, skinless checken thighs. Was not sure how it would come out as I have not fried chicken in over 10 years! Was crispy and flavorful (added SLap Your Mama to the buttermilk and flour too as we like things spicy). Thanks for sharing.
I don’t have any buttermilk available. Is there a substitute? Thank You!
You can use regular milk and either 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes
I should have watched the video before making this meal 🙂 I didn’t see the tip for letting the chicken sit for a while dredged in flour. When I fried it, the batter came off in bits and pieces. But the flavor was still amazing and I’m looking forward to making it again soon. My family loved it, even with patches of batter missing 😉
Thanks for the recipe!!
Letting the chicken sit in the buttermilk for about an hour before dredging will make the chicken more tender and juicy.
Stephanie; I just read all the comments on this video and recipe for Cracker Barrel fried chicken. Sounds yummy. But what I really want to say is that I like the way you answer the questions right away. Some chefs don’t answer as promptly or not at all. I want to subscribe. You’re great.cthickstun @sbcglobal.net
Caroly
Thank you very much 😉 I try to answer most of the questions.
I received an air fryer for Christmas which lets me “fry” without oil. Do you have any suggestions for modifying recipes like this for an air fryer? I may try it as is. Perhaps spraying a light coat of peanut oil to ensure crispiness.
I think I would stick with items that are breaded and not battered. The batter may slip off long before it cooks. I have had one, but I haven’t really done a lot with it. I have used mine mostly to make things like fish sticks or potatoes.
Like recipe, thank you.
Do you have a great recipe for carrot cake ??? Love to have it
https://www.google.com/amp/s/allrecipes.com/recipe/8270/sams-famous-carrot-cake/amp/?client=safari
I have made this carrot cake recipe several times and it’s really good!