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 Serves 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.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

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

haughville

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

More cities are in research. Want hoosier fried chicken covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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