Crispy Fried Chicken Breast

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This is going to be your go-to fried chicken breast recipe! This is the perfect fried chicken to enjoy on the side of a mash potato, over pasta or to make a super crispy chicken sandwich.

Prep Time30

Cook Time12

Total Time42

Course: Dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 407kcal

Author: Stephenie

Ingredients

Brine

1 chicken breast
2 cups water
1 ½ tablespoons salt
½ tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Breading

1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups oil (for frying)

Instructions

Cutting the chicken

First, cut the tenderloin of the chicken breast. Then cut the chicken breast so that the thinnest part of the chicken is about 2 third of the cut. The smaller side of the chicken should be the thickest part of the chicken breast. (See step image in post for reference).
Place the chicken pieces flat on a surface and cover with plastic wrap or a Ziploc bag. Pound the chicken until each piece is about ½ inch thick.

Brining the chicken

In a big bowl, add the water, 1 ½ tablespoons of salt, ½ tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and mix. Then add the chicken and let it sit for only 15 minutes.
Rinse the chicken 2 times with cold water and remove any excess water.

Breading the chicken

In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, garlic and onion powder, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix until all the flour and the seasonings are well combined.
Prepare an extra bowl of water to dip the chicken in.
First, bread your chicken and remove any excess flour. Quickly dip the chicken in the water and then dip it in the breading to cover it again with the flour mixture. Press down on the chicken and flour so it can stick better to the meat. Do this on both sides of the chicken. Repeat with the other piece of chicken.

Frying

In a medium-size pan, add the oil and set the heat to medium-high. Wait for the oil to get hot, and then add both chicken pieces. Fry for 12 minutes while flipping a couple of times.
Remove the chicken onto a baking rack so it can drip and excess oil. Buen provecho!

Notes

Cutting the chicken- I like to cut the chicken crosswise, but this is just a preference and more of a visual thing. But you can cut your chicken lengthwise. Since we flatten our chicken to the same thickness, it should cook the same even if you cut your chicken lengthwise.
Size of the chicken- Depending on where you get your chicken breast, sometimes it can be larger or smaller. Just flatten to ½ inch pieces to get the same results overall.
Brine- The brining part helps greatly to get a very tender chicken. But you have to make sure not to leave the chicken in for more than 15 minutes!!!! More time does not equal a more tender piece of meat. It will get rubbery and stringy if left longer.

Recipes to use this recipe in:

Fried chicken sandwich
Mashed Potatoes & 10-minute gravy
Puerto Rican Salad

Nutrition