Chicken Biscuit
intro
Juicy crispy seasoned fried chicken tucked into flaky, buttery homemade biscuits, a beloved comforting Southern American handheld meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep the chicken
Pound each trimmed chicken thigh to an even 1cm thickness between two sheets of parchment paper. Toss chicken with 60ml buttermilk, ¼ tsp fine sea salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ½ tsp garlic powder in a bowl, then let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prepare the biscuit dough.
Mix biscuit dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk 320g all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt until fully combined. Add 113g ice-cold cubed butter, use your fingertips to rub butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Pour in 240ml ice-cold buttermilk, stir with a fork just until a shaggy, sticky dough forms—do not overmix, as this creates tough biscuits.
Bake the biscuits
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, pat to a uniform 2.5cm thickness, then use a 7cm round biscuit cutter to punch out 4 biscuits, re-rolling scraps only once to avoid toughness. Place biscuits 2cm apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, bake in a preheated 220°C (425°F) oven for 12–14 minutes until tops are deep golden brown and flaky. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
Bread the chicken
While biscuits bake, mix the remaining 120g all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika in a shallow dish until evenly combined. Lift each chicken piece from the buttermilk soak, letting excess buttermilk drip off, then press firmly into the seasoned flour on all sides to create a thick, even coating. Set breaded chicken on a plate for 5 minutes to let the breading adhere before frying.
Fry the chicken
Heat 480ml vegetable oil in a deep cast-iron skillet to 175°C (350°F) over medium heat. Carefully lower breaded chicken pieces into the hot oil, working in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pan, and fry for 4 minutes per side until the exterior is deep golden and crispy, and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75°C (165°F). Transfer fried chicken to a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess oil for 2 minutes.
Assemble the sandwiches
Split each slightly cooled warm biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife, place one fried chicken patty on the bottom biscuit half, drizzle with ½ tablespoon of honey if using, then replace the top biscuit half. Serve immediately while the biscuits are flaky and the chicken is hot and crispy.
Tips
2.Do not twist the round cutter when punching out biscuits, and only re-roll dough scraps once; twisting and overworking dough compresses layers and leads to dense, tough biscuits.
3.Use a kitchen thermometer to confirm oil is 175°C (350°F) before frying chicken; too-hot oil burns the breading before chicken cooks, while too-cool oil creates a soggy, greasy coating.
OMG y’all, these fluffy chicken biscuits were the star of our Sunday family brunch! I was a little nervous about the biscuit texture since mine always turn out dense, but following the tip to keep the butter ice cold made them SO light and fluffy. My husband ate three before I even got the jam on the table!
Game. Changer. I make these for the kids’ school lunch meal prep every week now! I bake the biscuits on Sunday, cook up the chicken, and assemble them in the morning before school. Even my pickiest eater who refuses 90% of what I cook asks for seconds every time. 10/10 would recommend to any busy parent!
Wait, hold on—where’s the sausage gravy mention? These chicken biscuits are great on their own but I made a quick black pepper gravy to pour over top and it took them to a whole new level. Don’t sleep on adding a little gravy, y’all!
I brought these to my office potluck last week and people were hounding me for the recipe before I even left! I did add a little smoked paprika and garlic powder to the chicken breading for extra kick, which worked out really well. Only note is that 45 minutes cook time is pretty accurate if you prep your ingredients first, don’t skip the mise en place!
Tried these for my dorm floor potluck and they turned out way better than I thought they would! I don’t have a pastry cutter so I used a fork to cut the butter into the flour, which worked fine, but my arms were so tired after lol. Next time I’m gonna fold shredded cheddar into the biscuit dough for extra cheesiness.
I was skeptical that homemade chicken biscuits could live up to the fast food versions I grab on Southern road trips, but this recipe blows all of them out of the water. The simple brine for the chicken makes it so juicy, no dry rubbery chicken here! Fried mine in a cast iron skillet just like my grandma used to, 10/10.
Okay, hear me out— I swapped the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour and these still came out fluffy! I was fully expecting dense, crumbly biscuits but the ice cold butter trick still worked with the GF flour. My celiac bestie cried when she had one because she hasn’t had a good chicken biscuit in 6 years.
Wait, am I the only one who thought the listed 45 minute cook time was cutting it close? It took me almost an hour and 15 minutes total because I had to pound the chicken thin and roll out the biscuit dough, but honestly? It was worth every second. My whole family raved, even my teen who only eats takeout.
SO good! I made mini versions of these for my friend’s baby shower and they were gone in 10 minutes. I topped each one with a tiny dill pickle slice and a drizzle of hot honey, people were going back for thirds. Will absolutely be adding these to my regular party rotation!
First time ever making biscuits from scratch and I was worried it would be too hard since the recipe says medium difficulty, but the steps were super clear, even for a total newbie like me! The chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy inside, I’m so proud of how these turned out. My roommate thought I ordered takeout lmao
Made these for my post-workout meal prep this week and they’re so satisfying! I used non-fat Greek yogurt in the biscuit dough instead of heavy cream to bump up the protein, and air fried the chicken instead of pan frying it to cut down on oil. Still turned out fluffy and delicious, even with my little health swaps!