History

Indiana fried-chicken culture pulls from the Upland South and the Black South, transmitted through both white-flight migration and the Great Migration into Indianapolis neighborhoods. The pan-fried, cast-iron preparation predates the pressure-fried fast-food version and survives at independent rooms across the city.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 5 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces
  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Vegetable oil for shallow frying, plus 1/4 cup rendered bacon fat if you have it

Method

  1. Whisk buttermilk, hot sauce and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
  2. In a wide shallow dish, whisk the flour, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne and remaining 1 tablespoon salt.
  3. Lift a piece of chicken out of the buttermilk, let excess drip off, then press hard into the flour mixture, coating heavily. Set on a rack. Repeat for all pieces.
  4. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil plus the bacon fat in a heavy cast-iron skillet to 325 F.
  5. Fry the chicken in batches, dark meat first, 12 to 14 minutes per side. The internal temperature should hit 165 F at the bone.
  6. Drain on a rack set over a sheet pan, not on paper towels. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Tip from the editors. Don't crowd the pan. Two pieces at a time in a 10-inch skillet, and let the oil come back to temperature between batches; that's the difference between crisp skin and pale, greasy skin.

Where to eat hoosier fried chicken

Hoosier fried chicken in Indianapolis

The Eagle Mass Ave ★ 4.3

Fried Chicken$$mass-ave

The Eagle Mass Ave in Indianapolis fries half-chickens brined in-house and runs Southern sides on Mass Avenue's busiest corner. The line moves fast.

Signature: Fried chicken, Spoonbread

Order: Half a chicken with spoonbread and the kale salad.

Tip: No reservations. Get on the standby list at 5:30 for a 6:30 weekend table.

310 Massachusetts Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46204

Workingman's Friend ★ 4.5

Burgers$$haughville

Haughville tavern on Belmont since 1918, founded by Louis Stamatikin; thin-edged smashed double cheeseburgers, chili and cold draft beer, cash only.

Why locals love it: A 1918 Macedonian-immigrant lunch counter in Haughville, off the West Side tourist map but still grinding out the city's defining smash burger.

Tip: Cash only. Don't ask for ketchup, ask for mustard. Closed Sundays.

234 N Belmont Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46222

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