How to deep fry a whole chicken on the stove is here. If you love crispy chicken skin this is how to cook a whole chicken Dutch Oven style or in a deep fryer until perfectly tender in less than 30 minutes.
If you’ve ever wanted to make a fried whole chicken but weren’t sure if that was possible, we will show you! So much easier than having to cut it all up into pieces and you’ll get that crunchy skin you love. NO deep fryer required for this one, just your stovetop and a pot. (affiliate links present)
Deep Fried Whole Chicken Recipe
This week we shared fried chicken legs, and those were great. If drumsticks are all your kids will eat then go with those. Many times when shopping around I find that frying a whole chicken is by far the cheapest. The less work the butcher has to put into prep the less expensive it is, makes sense right?
You’ll need a decent amount of vegetable oil to get this done. I wouldn’t choose another variety as this one is mildest and won’t alter the flavor of the skin or meat. You will want some chicken dry rub to season the outsides too.
How to Fry a Whole Chicken
You will need a deep pot or Dutch Oven to get this done. If you have the latter yours will need to be a good 8 quart size with a smaller size bird. Since we buy organic ours tend to be on the 3 lb. size of things so this works just fine. I always suggest this type for health benefits and the texture + taste of the meat is way better too.
A large stock pot would work just fine too though. You will need enough for the bird to be submerged.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken ours was 3.8 lbs.
- Oil for frying – vegetable oil or peanut oil for Southern style fried chicken
- Paprika
- Granulated garlic or garlic powder / onion powder works
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- Salt and black pepper
- Thermometer to check internal temperature is a must
Keep in mind a decent amount of the seasonings will sluff off when it’s cooked. Keep more on the side for when it is done. When we shared how to cook a whole chicken we typically brush or pour some bbq on top anyway so that works too.
How Long to Deep Fry a Chicken
That depends on how large yours is but typically a small whole bird takes 20 minutes. This accounts for one that fits in a Dutch Oven. Fried Chicken Cutlets or other singular pieces would just take a few minutes.
How to Cook Crispy Deep Fried Whole Chicken
- Wipe the pan from moisture, pour in the oil and turn heat to medium. The temperature of the oil needs to reach 350 F before adding bird for best results.
- It is better to take a deep saucepan, as the oil will boil and possibly splatter.
- Dry the chicken with paper towels.
- Mix the salt and spices and rub the chicken on all sides.
- Gently, lower the chicken into the simmering oil with tongs.
- Loosely cover the pan with a lid and leave the chicken for 7-10 minutes. Make a low heat to prevent the oil from actively boiling.
- Turn over to the other side for another 10-12 minutes.
- If after 10 minutes check in breast until it reaches 165 F, remove
- Transfer to a plate with a few paper towels
Hot oil is also inside the chicken, it must be carefully poured out. Use hot oil in pan to make Fried Biscuits too! After both have cooled down a bit, it can be sliced and enjoyed.
If you’re feeding a crowd you can then use the oil again for other pieces. This is a recipe and how long to deep fry chicken wings which we love too.
Deep frying whole chicken minutes per pound
The key is to keep the oil at a steady 350 degrees the whole time if you can. Then you should be able to time it well and cook chicken for approximately 4 minutes per pound. Timing will vary depending on how thick yours is so always have an electric thermometer on hand. Once it has been lifted out, stick it inside the thickest part of the thigh for an accurate temp. For something smaller like game hens you wouldn’t need near as much oil and they wouldn’t take as long.
What to make with leftovers
This is just one of many quick and easy chicken recipes on our site. Once you fall in love with this one you should search that category for others. And if you have leftovers we have tons of ideas for that too. From tacos, to casseroles, or throw it into a large bowl with cream of chicken and tortillas for our chicken tortilla casserole here.
Yep, and it is delicious. With our whole fried chicken recipe here we explain how long per pound to keep it submerged so it comes out with crispy skin and moist meat inside. Allowing it to rest on top of several paper towels once it comes to temp. is important to absorb excess oil for the best result.
The internal temperature is the most important factor, 165 degrees F is ideal. If you don’t have a digital meat thermometer you can poke it. If the juices run clear that is another sign it’s done. The outside should be a golden brown and there should be no pink meat either.
First off you will need a pot that is large enough to fit the whole bird with room for the oil so it is submerged. A stock pot is your best bet, followed by a large Dutch Oven which you likely have. Deep fryers work great if you have one as well of course.
Whole Fried Chicken
Equipment
- 1 stock pot or large dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, ours was 3.8 lbs.
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 6-10 c vegetable oil
Instructions
- To determine how much oil you need, put the chicken in a deep pot, then pour in water to the top. After that, remove the chicken and measure the amount of water that is left.
- Wipe the pan from moisture, pour in the oil and turn heat to medium. The temperature of the oil needs to reach 350 F before adding bird for best results. It is better to take a deep saucepan, as the oil will boil and possibly splatter.
- Dry the chicken with paper towels. Mix the salt and spices and rub the chicken on all sides. Gently, lower the chicken into the simmering oil with tongs. It is important not to overheat the oil. It is also important that the chicken is dry.
- After lowering the chicken, loosely cover the pan with a lid and leave the chicken for 7-10 minutes. Make a low heat to prevent the oil from actively boiling. After 10 minutes, the chicken must be carefully turned over to the other side and continue to fry for another 10-12 minutes.
- If after 10 minutes (a total of 17-22 minutes) the temperature in the breast reaches 165 F, then the chicken is ready and can be taken out. If the temperature is lower, then you need to wait another 3-5 minutes. Turn the chicken over again, until it reaches 165.
- Remove the finished chicken from the oil and transfer to a plate with a few paper towels on it to absorb excess oil on the outside.
- Hot oil is also inside the chicken, it must be carefully poured out. After the chicken has cooled down a bit, it can be sliced and enjoyed.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
