Skillet Chicken Fried Chicken with Black Pepper Cream Gravy

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Boneless breasts pounded thin, soaked in seasoned buttermilk, then double-dredged and rested until the coating turns tacky — that's the secret to a shatteringly crisp crust that clings instead of sliding off. Shallow-fried in an inch of oil in a cast-iron skillet, so there's no deep fryer and no gallon of oil to deal with. The pan drippings become a peppery cream gravy in about eight minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb total)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Crystal or Tabasco
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 3 cups vegetable or peanut oil, for shallow frying

• 3 tablespoons reserved frying oil and browned bits from the skillet
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Halve each chicken breast horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets. Place one cutlet at a time between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or the flat bottom of a small skillet until an even 1/4 inch thick — go from the center outward so you thin it rather than tear it.
2. Whisk the buttermilk, egg, hot sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a wide bowl. Add the cutlets, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
3. Whisk together all dredge ingredients in a shallow baking dish. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade into the flour and rub it in with your fingertips until you have small shaggy clumps — those clumps become the craggy crust.
4. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan. Lift a cutlet from the buttermilk, letting the excess run off for a few seconds. Press it firmly into the flour on both sides, dip it back into the buttermilk, then press into the flour a second time, packing the coating on with your palm. Set on the rack and repeat with the rest.
5. Let the breaded cutlets rest on the rack at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes, until the coating looks damp and pasty rather than dusty. Do not skip this — it glues the crust to the chicken.
6. Pour oil into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet to a depth of about 3/4 inch and heat over medium-high to 350°F (a pinch of flour should sizzle briskly). Set a clean wire rack over a sheet pan nearby.
7. Fry 2 cutlets at a time, laying them in away from you. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, adjusting the heat to keep the oil between 325°F and 350°F, until deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads 160°F. Transfer to the rack, salt lightly, and repeat with the remaining cutlets. Keep finished cutlets warm in a 200°F oven.
8. Carefully pour off the frying oil, leaving about 3 tablespoons plus the browned crumbs in the skillet. Return to medium heat and add the butter. When it foams, whisk in 1/4 cup flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until the roux smells toasty and turns light tan.
9. Slowly pour in the warm milk in a thin stream, whisking hard to keep it smooth. Add the black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cayenne. Simmer 4 to 6 minutes, whisking often, until the gravy thickly coats a spoon. Thin with a splash more milk if needed and taste for salt and pepper — it should be aggressively peppery.
10. Set each cutlet on a plate and ladle gravy over the center, leaving the edges of the crust exposed so they stay crisp. Serve immediately.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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