Brown-Bag Fried Chicken

Crispy, seasoned fried chicken marinated in spiced buttermilk, then shaken in a brown paper bag with flour for an easy, less-mess coating before frying until golden and juicy.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Stir together Creole seasoning, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture in a large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours, or refrigerate 4 hours.

Step 2

Place flour and remaining 3 tablespoons spice mixture in a large brown paper bag; shake to combine. Pour oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of 1 inch; heat over medium to 350°F. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Step 3

Working in batches, remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, shaking off excess. Add all chicken pieces to bag, fold top of bag over several times to seal. Turn bag upside down to prevent bottom from breaking; gently shake and turn bag to coat chicken. Transfer chicken, in batches of 3 pieces, to Dutch oven (oil temperature will drop to 325°F). Cook, turning once, until crust is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest portion of each piece registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes per batch. Transfer fried chicken to wire rack.