Better Than Best Fried Chicken

By Addie

Simply delicious fried chicken using, of all things, cream of chicken soup! The other key ingredient is cornstarch. The end result will surprise you. It will be perfect--crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and loaded with mouthwatering flavor. This chicken will definitely be requested on a regular basis by family and friends!

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 egg
• Seasoning salt to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a shallow dish or bowl combine the soup, egg and seasoning salt (be careful, as soup is already salted); mix together. Dip chicken in mixture and turn to coat completely. Set aside.

In a resealable plastic bag mix together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. One at a time, place chicken pieces in bag, seal and shake to coat. Add more flour and/or cornstarch as necessary, but add them in equal parts (there should be an equal amount of each in the mixture).

Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Be sure to use enough oil to cover chicken pieces.

Place coated chicken on a platter and allow to sit until it becomes doughy (this is critical, to ensure crispiness when fried). Once chicken is doughy, test oil by dropping a piece of the "dough" into it; the oil is ready when it starts to fry immediately.

Fry chicken pieces in oil for about 7 to 10 minutes each, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Drain on paper towels and serve.
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REVIEWS: (403)

The chicken is very crunchy and has a nice coat to it. At first I was going to give it 3 stars but that is only because I believe the chicken could use alot more "seasoning" my usual fried chicken is very flavorful and has a great amount of spices which is usually the case in African American households. However since different people have different palates I would have to say the chicken is pretty good. I did season the chicken before I started the recipe, but none of the pre seasoning came through. I would suggest to heavily flavor the flour cornstarch mixture if you like a fried chicken with more spices. By the way mix the soup with the egg and seasoning salt in a small bowl, have the chicken in another bowl, after your done mixing the soup with the other ingredients just dump it on the chicken and mix it together then put it in a ziploc bag wih the flour/cornstarch mixture and shake, same principle less mess.

I've made this several times now, the other night we had my mom over (who makes excellent fried chicken!) and she loved it and asked for the recipe! I do add some extra spices to the flour mixture, depending on my mood of the day. I don't find it all that messy to make, probably because I'm a messy cook at the best of times. I usually use a whole chicken cut up instead of just breasts, and toss the pieces in a bag to coat with the soup, then put on a rack over a cookie sheet to drain the excess for a minute or two before the flouring step. Maybe that saves a little mess, but it also works quickly for me. I'm usually cooking for 7 to 10 people, so I'm doing large batches. The bags go in the trash, the rack and cookie sheet go in the dishwasher, so the little mess is no big deal. Use tongs to handle the chicken, you can rinse them when the dough builds up on them and keep your fingers clean at the same time.

Excellent fried chicken recipe! I used cream of mushroom w/garlic soup and instant mashed potato flakes instead of cornstarch. Also added garlic and onion powder, paprika and a bit of chili powder. Let the chicken sit in the soup mixture for about an hour, then breaded it, let that sit for about 20 minutes. I did not find this messy at all. All batter stuck to chicken and it was delicious.

Very good! The breading was crispy and tasty. Just be aware that you need to let the chicken sit for a while in the breading to get to the right consistency. I waited almost an hour and probably could have waited longer if my family wasn't so hungry! I used chicken tenders and fried them in a deep fryer. They came out delicious.

I think it is a good idea to *always* make a habit of reading reviews before you make a recipe here. People who have made the recipe will always give you good tips on how to make it even better. I modified this recipe by marinading the chicken breasts in chopped garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper, a bit of olive oil and a touch of white wine for several hours. I used cream of mushroom soup with 1 chicken bullion cube added and then made the recipe as it was written. It was very very tasty and I will be making it again.

Loved this recipe. I doubled the recipe & used Skin on Chicken Thighs & legs. I added a pint of Buttermilk to the soup & let it soak for about a half an hour. The skin really plumped up & the chicken inside was very moist. Wondering if you could freeze them afterwards?

What a fantastic recipe! Being an Englishman I looked across the Atlantic for the best way to produce fried chicken. I have certainly found a winner in this recipe. Everyone loved it. I followed previous advice from other responses and added other spices to the flour mix. I let the mixture sit for an hour before deep-frying. The end result was golden brown, crunchy and delicious! Well done Candy.

Allright, people, what did you expect? Fried chicken is never easy to make and always messy! Get over it! All in all - the recipe was decent. It was great as far as crispness goes, but a little bland. I've made it twice and the second time, I really added a lot of spices. Turned out great the second time around! Served it with mashed potatoes and fried pickles!

At last -- chicken that has a crunchy, delicious coating that doesn't come off in the pan! After reading some of the reviews, I decided to spice it up a little by adding some Italian dressing mix to the flour mixture. Loved it!

Made this tonight for myself and husband. (the kids were asleep). I found it to be pretty good. Obviously NOT kfc, but I don't have the pressure fryer or MSG. But it was one of the Best home recipes I have had. I was worried because we discovered that we didn't have any pepper. (pepper make the spice), I fried it in butter flavored crisco. (I was out of oil too. IT was wonderful and juicy. Another note, I let the chicken stand in the soup mix for like 30 minutes in the fridge while I looked for pepper. Awesome. Will make again.

*** READ REVIEWS BEFORE MAKING THIS RECIPE!! As many others have said, the technique for this recipe is great- soaking in condensed soup (I thinned out the soup with milk) does help the flour and cornstarch coating stick well to the chicken. I made this with bone-in chicken legs and waited about 45 minutes to let the flour coating become "doughy". The result was a beautiful and crispy coating with tender and juicy meat (that was done in about 15 minutes of frying at medium-high heat in my wok). While the technique is good, the spice level for this recipe is WAY off. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe and it was a bland disappointment. I CAN NOT STRESS HOW BLAND IT WAS!!! The second time, I doubled the garlic and paprika, then added a half teaspoon each of: oregano, rosemary, thyme, Montreal chicken spice, celery seed, seasoning salt, regular salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. This was barely enough- in fact, the spices still could not be really tasted. Next time I will add even more. Since the fat content of this recipe is off the charts and I won't be making this more than once or twice a year, I would recommend those trying this recipe read through reviews and add WAY more spices to the flour mix (as many here have suggested). With these changes, it is a great recipe. However- it only gets 3 stars as written.

After reading the reviews, I decided to double the garlic powder and the paprika. I also added 1/2 tsp of onion powder...it was still not enough flavor in the breading, in my opinion. Next time, I plan to add a few dashes of hot sauce to the egg/cream of chicken soup mixture, and add a tiny bit of cayenne pepper to the flour mixture. And a touch more salt - I found myself wanting it to be more KFC style, and I definitely did not add anough salt for that. The crispiness is great - I was pleasantly surprised! :) Good recipe.

I never knew how much better just letting the chicken rest until doughy would make them once fried. Great chicken recipe!

This was the best fried chicken I have made to date. Used legs and thighs rather than breasts and added 1 can of buttermilk to the soup. Couple of changes for next time. Legs take about 8 - 9 minutes to cook and thighs 11 - 12 minutes. Needs way more spice for the seasoning. I doubled the flour and corn starch. I put in 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 2 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper along with about 80 grind of fresh black pepper. Still could have used more spices and maybe salt and pepper the pieces after coming out of the oil. Kept the oil at 350 - 375 degrees and kept warm in 200 degree oven on baking pan with cooling rack inserted. Leftovers stored well in the fridge and just popped them in a 350 degree oven while the oven came to temperature to reheat. They were just as crispy as if I had made them that day!

Very crunchy outside. I added a bit more spices to the flour mixture and added a pinch of cayenne pepper and onion powder. Kids loved it.

This is good! I added 1 tsp. of poultry seasoning and used tenderloins b/c it's what I had on hand. I had a hard time getting the dough to stick, even after letting it rest. But great flavor. HINT: If you let your chicken "drain" on cooling racks onto paper towels, you will have crispier chicken than just patting dry, which will lead to soggy chicken.

Simply delicious !!! Easy and extremely tasty. A little more work than the regular fry job but well worth it. I made gravy out of the drippings and poured on top and it was out of this world !!! Will make again often !!!

I've had chicken prepared many different ways. But when I tried this recipe, I was amazed at how crispy and juicy it came out. Instead of chicken breasts though, I used cut up leg quarters and it was delicious. The only real work was in skinning the chicken. Great recipe! I don't have to go to the corner restaurant anymore.

We followed the recipe exactly.. waited till it was doughy and cooked it for 7 minutes. Not crunchy at all, in fact hardly any of it stuck to the chicken. I am very disappointed.

I'm over 50 and have NEVER made fried chicken. For some reason, I tried this recipe all by myself and LOVED it. I have since tried it out of my friends from church (Baptists in Tennessee, and you know they are fried chicken experts) and my parents and sister. They all raved about it. It's crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It's PERFECT! I even drop some of the coating without any chicken inside it just to get some crispies. My guests kept going back to my the plate on which I was draining just to pick up the fried coating! Thank you so much for this recipe!

Messy to make, the crust made turning the chicken difficult. I found it a little on the bland side even after adding extra spices, but hubby has requested it as a 'do-over'. What crust stayed on the chicken was good, similiar to fast-food. I think a pre-coating of flour before the soup will help the batter stick better, plus some extra spices.

I think this is one of best recipes for fried chicken ive ever had. I do use whole chicken pieces, 100% peanut oil deep fried in a dutch oven over a burner out in the garage. No mess or lingering smell in the house, although I like that smell. The only thing I change is I shake a good amount of my secret fried chicken seasoning on it right after it comes out of the oil. I make this 3 or 4 times a year and is always a big hit.

THIS ONE IS GOING IN THE PERMANENT RECIPE BOX! I THOUGHT GOOD FRIED CHICKEN CRUST MUST BE A SOUTHERN SECRET BUT THIS IS IT! I THINK NEXT I WILL TRY THE BATTER ON DEEP FRIED ZUCCHINI OR GREEN TOMATOES WITH CREAM OF CELERY SOUP INSTEAD OF THE CHICKEN AS A VARIATION!!!