Fried chickens with dry brine are the best way to get juicy juicy meat and crispy golden skin! The Best Part? You just need 5 minutes and a little space in the refrigerator!

Dinner should not be full of bells and whistles. In fact, sometimes it’s better if it’s not.

This whole fried chicken recipe is easy to prepare, contains only 6 ingredients (two of which are salt and pepper) and takes only 5 minutes

However, the real secret of this chicken is to give it a Break for 24 hours (or more!) in the refrigerator before frying. This allows the skin to dry out (dry skin = crispy skin) and spices to season the meat. If you can let it rest for 72 hours, it’s even better!

I love this recipe because it gives me room for spontaneity. The chicken could be in the fridge for 24 hours, but if a friend calls and wants to go out to eat, I can change the aisle and fry the chicken the next night, and my homemade meal will be all the better for that!

Dry brine for the best chicken

To make this chicken, we actually combine two techniques:

• Dry salt solution (also known as curing) that we used for our Thanksgiving turkey
• The air drying, which we also used for our turkey and for some crispy skin tests, we did some time ago.
• Dry salting allows salt and spices to penetrate into the meat of the bird without the need to soak it in salted water for 24 hours. Air drying reduces the moisture of the skin and makes it crispier!

Curious about the methods of our madness? Check out the other posts linked above. If you just need a chicken recipe, read on!

Go ahead and give the chicken a good rub for one or three days before frying. When you are ready to prepare dinner, rub a little extra oil on the outside of the bird, add another pinch of salt and pepper and place it in a hot oven.

Basting your Chicken

I admit that stapling keeps you in the kitchen and on the stove, but I think it’s worth it. Basting helps to keep the meat tender and moist, while the surface is flavored with these beautiful seasoned juices. It also creates a deeper colored bird that can be seen on a website.

This Showstopper moment is practically a prerequisite for Thanksgiving, but not so much for chicken on weekdays. If you forget to staple or just don’t want to, the chicken always tastes great and looks good.

Chickens are also treated in different ways. Some chickens have more fat than others. Your chicken may or may not release a lot of juice for the first hour during frying. Either way, it’s ok.

Once your chicken starts to release the juice, even if it is at the 45-60 minute mark, start stapling. If the juices release after instead of earlier, staple every 15 minutes instead of every 20.

Other ways To season your chicken

Consider this your starter pack! Dress up or add whatever you like to spices. Try:

• Orange, fennel and garlic
• Thyme, persil, rosemary, sage and lemon juice
• Try using butter instead of oil
• With this Chicken serve
• I love mashed potatoes with everything, including chicken!
• Lemony broccoli raven is always on the Rotation at my place.
• Roasted carrots go well with everything!
• The crispy crunch of a classic wedge salad is a refreshing side dish
• And do not forget to save the bones to make chicken broth! You can prepare your stock on the stove, in the slow cooker or in the pressure cooker.

Do you need to know how to prepare this chicken for the oven? Check out our guide to tying a chicken.