Jamaican Fried Chicken –Golden brown crispy crunchy Chicken. Highly spiced, decadently tender, Bad to the bone and Finger lickin’ good! Comfort food at it’s BEST.
Anyone care for some fried Chicken? Every now and then you you’ve just got to indulge in some fried chicken. Yes, I give you permission to indulge with this recipe ONLY.
Don’t do it often but when I do. This is how it goes down.
I start by flavoring the chicken with my usual everyday spices – garlic, ginger, thyme, paprika, salt and some heat. Let it marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours in the fridge.
Next step is to make the coating for the chicken. I like to make it with flour , cornstarch and baking powder makes it a little more- crispier. Not everyone agrees with this. But it sure works for me.
Here’s a trick that I learned (don’t remember where, now it’s all over the internet) is to add a little of the milk mixture to the flour mixture -helps the chicken fry up crisp and crunchy. So if you are one of those that enjoy the crunch definitely give it a try.
One last thing , If you feel your chicken is browning too fast or just want a nice golden color. Fry for 10 minutes and finish in the oven for an extra 10 minutes depending on the size.
If not let the chicken rest on a rack over a baking sheet instead of paper towels. Helps prevent the chicken from getting soggy.
Do serve it with this Caribbean Cole slaw here and or fried plantains .
Enjoy!!!
Jamaican Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 1/2- 4 pound whole chicken cut into 10 pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder replace with salt
- 2-3 teaspoons hot sauce adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2-3 teaspoons minced thyme
Chicken Coating
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons dried herbs (Thyme, Oregano, Parlsley) total
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large bowl. Then seasoned with salt followed by all the other marinate ingredients- salt, chicken bouillon, garlic, ginger, paprika, white pepper, curry powder, hot sauce and thyme.
- Mix chicken with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated, cover tightly and set aside in the fridge. Marinate for about an hour or preferably over night,
- Pour about 1 cup of milk in the marinated chicken.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, herbs and white pepper.
- When ready to fry add about 2 Tablespoons of milk to the flour mixture- thoroughly mix using your fingers. Then dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking any excess flour. You may use a zip lock bag for this process. Set aside for about 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Temperature will drop once you add chicken.
- Using a thong place chicken carefully and slowly place the chicken in the hot oil work in batches. Do not over crowd the skillet .Fry the chicken until golden brown, turning once, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Chicken is done when it is no longer pink inside and its juices run clear. You may do a test by piercing chicken with fork.
- Drain the chicken on paper towels set on a wire rack.
- Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Place chicken in a large bowl. Then seasoned with salt followed by all the other marinate ingredients- salt, chicken bouillon, garlic, ginger, paprika, white pepper, curry powder, hot sauce and thyme.
Mix chicken with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated, cover tightly and set aside in the fridge Marinate for about an hour or preferably over night,
Pour about 1 cup of milk in the marinated chicken.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, herbs and white pepper.
When ready to fry add about 2 Tablespoons of milk to the flour mixture- thoroughly mix using your fingers.
Then dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking any excess flour. You may use a zip lock bag for this process.
Set aside for about 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Temperature will drop once you add chicken.
Using a thong place chicken carefully and slowly place the chicken in the hot oil work in batches. Do not over crowd the skillet .Fry the chicken until golden brown, turning once, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Chicken is done when it is no longer pink inside and its juices run clear. You may do a test by piercing chicken with fork.
Drain the chicken on paper towels set on a wire rack.
Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Andrea says
I try this recipe for the first time ! Amazingly good love it,,, it’s Super Bowl Sunday and my guess are blown away! Thank you so much
Crys says
Amazing Recipe! I’ve tried it twice now and I am now the go to person for fried chicken 🙂 I added a twist this time and made a jalepenos maple syrup sauce and drizzled it over the chicken. Delicious!
imma africanbites says
That sauce sounds delish! Glad this one turned out well for you. Happy New Year!
Michelle says
Hi.
What temperature should the oven be set to if you want to finish it in the oven?
Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Bake at 350 degrees F, until chicken is cooked through.
Erin says
Hi! I was wondering if I could bake the chicken before I fry it? I’m a little nervous aboutunder cooking it if I just fry it because I don’t have a thermometer at the moment. Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
You could fry it first ,then bake later.
Aresia Jones says
I can’t wait to try this recipe, but what does the ingredient dried herbs consist of?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Aresia. It’s 1 1/2 tablespoons (all together) of mixed dried herbs consisting of Thyme, Oregano,Parsley. Hope this clarifies everything.
Robert walker says
Italian seasoning has all those already combined it will save time and money
celestine Clemons says
I thought so as well and used that short cut…while it was good it taste nothing like the first time I followed the ingredients per this recipe
Tania says
I just tried to do fried chiken last week and it was terrible! The pieces were raw inside but almost burnt outside… I hope a better chance with your recipe, thank you.
Tuesday says
Try decreasing the temp on your fryer or stove. Puncture the chicken with a fork and if the juice from the chicken is clear, most times that indicates it’s done.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for the tip .
Ann says
You can also substitute some egg powder colouring for the curry or paprika..gives it an amazing colour…don’t use too much though
Marie Czarnecki says
Temperature too high, and I don’t use a fork to see if chicken is done, use a digital thermometer and to read anywhere between 159-165, depends on how large your pieces are. I usually fry mine for about 12 minutes, and there too it depends on the size of your chicken pieces are. Don’t give up try it again, your chicken should be crisp and juicy on the inside when you bite into it. Good luck. I work in Food Services at an Elementary School and have a Food Handlers Card, so trust me.
Richard says
Very good recipe! I made it twice. Definitely something that I will keep.
imma africanbites says
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, Richard! Glad you love them. 🙂
Shannon James says
Very good recipe but I did not put milk in the flour because the chicken was coved in it already didn’t understand that part.. When I make bigger pieces of chicken what temp should the oven be on?
ImmaculateBites says
Same temperature. You might have to increase the cooking time – use your best Judgement.
Treen says
The milk in the flour as seen in pic is to add little crispybits ti the coating…like nice little knobbly bits…my grandad coats chicken then flicks/drizzles over the chicken. He’s jamaican born so trust it lol.. my grandad does the best friend chicken in the world
Karen says
I was wondering about that also. It was not explained why milk was added to flour mixture. Still tasty though.
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Karen! That’s a trick that I applied in Jamaican fried chicken to make it crispier after frying. The milk in the flour will create a paste that lets it stick better to the chicken and when it’s fried the moisture is vaporised, which then creates airpockets resulting to a crunchy layer of fried chicken.
Karen says
Ah. I see. It’s the best fried chicken I’ve ever made!
Thanks for the great detailed explanation! 🙂
Shakay says
Girl I love the fried chicken recipe every time I fried chicken I Never like the color it come out looking like now I know what to do and always want it to be crispy I love it n Delicious also grrat teaste my husband is surely going to love it .
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Glad you do. Thanks for taking the time to share this with me shaky!
C P says
I ended up making this and the crust was purrrty good. Thanks
C P says
Hey! If you finish in the oven, what should the temperature be? Thanks for the recipes
Malik says
It looks delicious! Did you marinate the chicken in the milk overnight after you seasoned it or did you pour the milk over the chicken after marinating overnight and let it sit while you prepared the flour for dredging?
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks! I poured the milk after marinating chicken overnight . Season, let it marinate then pour milk right before dredging .
Patti says
Did I miss how much oil is used to fry up this yummyness?
ImmaculateBites says
You deep fry it – about 1 inch of oil in the pan- not more than half full.
Tee says
I have this frying up right now and my stomach is growling! I am Jamaican, and I have done fried chicken before, but not with baking soda. Can’t wait to taste it..
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for giving it a try . Do let me know how it works out for you.
Jauan says
I made this today and I must say… WOW! I love how crispy the chicken is. I can never fry chicken and get it crispy but I followed the recipe 100% and I plan on using the flour/baking powder/cornstarch method with the couple tbsp of milk. I served it with rice and peas and fried plantains and it turned out to be a perfect meal. Thanks for the recipes! I’ve used several.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jauan! So happy to hear they are working out well for . Thanks for taking the time to share this with me.