🍗 Crispy Fried Chicken Drumsticks (Juicy Inside, Crunchy Outside)
This is classic fried chicken drumsticks with a well-seasoned, crispy coating and tender, flavorful meat inside—perfect for family meals or parties.
🧾 Ingredients
🐔 Chicken
- 6–8 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
🥣 Marinade (for tenderness & flavor)
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
🍗 Crispy Coating
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch (for extra crunch)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp baking powder (helps crispiness)
🛢️ For frying
- Oil (vegetable or canola), for deep frying
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Marinate chicken
- Mix buttermilk with seasonings.
- Add drumsticks and coat well.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours (overnight is best).
2. Prepare coating
- In a bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and spices.
3. Coat drumsticks
- Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off.
- Dredge in flour mixture, pressing coating firmly onto chicken.
- For extra crunch: dip back into marinade and coat again (double dredge).
4. Fry
- Heat oil to 175–180°C (350–355°F).
- Fry drumsticks in batches (don’t overcrowd).
- Cook 12–15 minutes, turning occasionally until deep golden brown and fully cooked.
5. Drain
- Place on a wire rack or paper towels to remove excess oil.
🍽️ Serve
- Serve hot with:
- fries 🍟
- coleslaw 🥗
- garlic mayo or hot sauce 🌶️
🔥 Tips for extra crispy chicken
- Cornstarch + flour combo = crunchier crust.
- Let coated chicken rest 10 minutes before frying (helps coating stick).
- Keep oil temperature steady—too hot burns outside, too low makes it soggy.
If you want, I can also make a KFC-style drumstick copycat, a spicy Nashville hot version, or an oven-baked crispy drumstick version.
