There isn’t a dish that screams comfort meal more than our crispy homemade chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. This southern classic serves up all the flavor, is quick to make, and can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. You might be asking yourself “what is chicken fried chicken?”, if that’s the case, you’ve missed out on life until now. Chicken fried chicken is not much different than regular fried chicken, in fact the battering process is the same. However, chicken fried chicken uses a thinner, boneless cut of meat than a traditional fried piece of chicken and is typically served with a gravy. Using a thinner slice of chicken allows for more golden crispy outside to chicken inside per bite, yum!

Ease of Making: Medium

Ironically chicken fried chicken got its name from it’s beef predecessor the Chicken Fried Steak, which was named for its similarity in preparation and cook to fried chicken.

Our mashed potatoes and gravy go perfectly with this chicken, providing a creamy and rich counterpart to the crispiness of the chicken.

How to Make Chicken Fried Chicken

Making chicken fried chicken from scratch is actually much easier than most people think. The recipe calls for standard pantry items that most people would have on hand like flour, breadcrumbs and eggs.

How do you cut the chicken for fried chicken?

The chicken that is traditionally used in chicken fried chicken is thin chicken breast. You can typically buy thinly sliced chicken breast from your local supermarket or you may choose to filet your chicken breasts or pound out a full chicken breast flat with a mallet (or rolling pin, frying pan, whatever you have on hand).

Fileting your chicken breast is the process of slicing your chicken breast in half sideways. Do this by laying your chicken breast flat on your cutting board and with your knife parallel to the board, slice the chicken until you have two even slices of chicken. Fileting is great because you can extend your number of servings by cutting the breasts in half. Two large breasts can be made into four separate servings versus two.

How to batter chicken fried chicken?

First prepare your chicken batter by mixing flour, ice cold water and an egg. Then you will want to prepare your seasoned breadcrumbs. Set up two separate bowls that are next to each other so you can dip your chicken in the batter, followed by your seasoned breadcrumbs and then easily move to the pan.

Batter Tips:

It’s easier to work in small batches if preparing multiple chicken breasts.
Try and keep one hand wet and one hand dry as you are moving the chicken from batter to breadcrumb. This helps reduce the mess and give you a free hand that isn’t batter-covered if your phone starts to ring.

What type of flour is best for fried chicken?

All-purpose flour is the most popular in making fried chicken. It’s neutral flavor allows you to spice it up anyway you want. It can also withstand the heat and provides a consistent golden glow.

How to cook chicken fried chicken?

Check to ensure your oil is hot enough for your chicken breasts. You can do this by dropping a dime size amount of batter into your oil to see if it sizzles. If it does you’re good to go. If the pan doesn’t sizzle when you drop in your batter, wait until the pan has heated more. Once your pan reaches it’s “sizzle point,” start dredging your breasts in the batter and breadcrumbs.

Once your chicken has been dredged in your batter and breadcrumbs and your oil is up to temp, pan fry the breasts on each side for about 5-7 minutes on each side or it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉. Remove from the pan but remember to save all of the scrapings from the pan to make the gravy.

How to Make Mashed Potatoes and Southern Gravy

Our southern side of mashed potatoes and gravy is the most traditional, and most delicious pairing for our homemade chicken fried chicken. Using the oil and leftover bits from the fried chicken, there’s no need to use store bought gravy when this gravy can be made from scratch in just a few minutes.

How to cook homemade mashed potatoes

While your chicken is cooking, throw your baby potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. You want the potatoes to easily be punctured by the fork but they shouldn’t fall apart at the touch. When the potatoes are done cooking, drain and add in milk, sour cream, butter, and salt. Mash until you reach your desired consistency. We like ours somewhere between chunky and creamy.

How to cook gravy for mashed potatoes?

To make the mashed potato gravy, use the same pan that you fried your chicken in and toss in your peppers and onions. You’ll want to saute these until soft. Then add in your mushrooms and cook until soft and golden brown. Thoroughly mix in your seasonings and follow with the butter and flour to make a roux*. Finally, add in your heavy cream and chicken broth and let it simmer until thickened to a gravy consistency.

Meal prep tips for Chicken Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

Buy a 10lb bag of potatoes at the beginning of the month and prep cubes, mashed potatoes, french fries, and sliced potatoes to blanch and store in the freezer. This way you can grab the type of potato you need when cooking in an effort to reduce prep and cook times.
Filet your chicken to double the servings, extend your protein, and reduce budgets.

Chicken Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

A delicious southern classic, our easy Chicken Fried Chicken will have you in a full on food coma in no time.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings

Ingredients

4 each chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
1 each large egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup ice cold water
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 lb baby potatoes
1/4 cup onion (diced)
1 each green bell pepper
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour (for roux in gravy)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Pre-Cook (Mise En Place):

Gather your equipment: cutting board, knife, bowls, plates, skillet, large pot, tongs spatula
Dice onions and bell peppers, and slice mushrooms. Cut baby potatoes in half.
If you can't find thinly sliced chicken breast, filet your chicken breast and slice it in half sideways. If you want it even flatter and thinner, lay it in between two layers of plastic wrap and use a meat pounder or a small frying pan to pound it out flat. This will help the chicken cook faster.
Prepare the batter: In a bowl, mix together the flour, ice cold water, and egg
Prepare the breadcrumbs: In a bowl, add half the paprika, garlic powder, onion, and salt to the breadcrumbs

Cooking Method:

Pre-heat a skillet with 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Then dip the chicken breast into the batter and dredge it in the bread crumbs. When the pan is heated, pan fry the chicken breast on each side until golden brown and fully cooked (about 5 to 7 minutes on each side-check for an internal temperature of 165F).
Meanwhile, start boiling the potatoes in a large pot. Boil for about 20-25 minutes. When they're cooked, a fork should easily slide into the potatoes, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the pan. Using the same pan, add the onions and bell peppers. Saute until they soften. Then add the mushrooms and stir until they soften and turn golden brown. Add the remainder of the seasonings and mix thoroughly.
Next, add the butter and flour and mix until it makes a roux (a paste). Then add the heavy cream and chicken broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens.
Once the potatoes are boiled, add sour cream, butter, and salt. Mash the potatoes until you have reached a creamy consistency.
Serve the chicken and mashed potatoes with the gravy. Eat and enjoy!

If you love this recipe, check out these other recipes we know you’ll love too:

Homemade Chicken Fried Chicken With Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

How to Make Chicken Fried Chicken