National Fried Chicken Day 2023: how to make at home

Feb 07, 2024

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We hope you’re hungry with an appetite for poultry because Thursday, June 6 is National Fried Chicken Day. While we’re not sure exactly how this day came to be, we are sure that this is the perfect excuse to eat the tastiest way to prepare chicken: fried. Whether making it yourself or ordering it from a restaurant (pssst, some restaurants are even offering freebies), here’s everything you need to enjoy National Fried Chicken Day.

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Fried Chicken Day is observed annually on June 6, which happens to fall on a Thursday this year.

National Fried Chicken Day is a holiday where people eat fried chicken and relish its flavor. Fried chicken chains will often have deals for this day.

If you must cut chicken before battering and frying it, you'll want a high-quality knife to get the job done, and it doesn't get much better than Zwilling's Pro 8" Chef's Knife. This durable knife is easy to maneuver and well-balanced.

The future is now—the days when the only way to make fried chicken was to submerge it in crackling oil are over. Not only is making fried chicken via air fryer healthier due to the lack of calorie-dense oil, but it's also safer since you don't run the risk of burning yourself with piping hot oil as you might when frying chicken on the stove. The Ninja Speedi is our favorite air fryer we've ever tested for its quick operation and intuitive controls.

While air fryers are a good option if you're looking to make healthier fried chicken, if you're looking for a very crispy, crunchy texture, your best bet remains to fry your chicken in oil. A deep fryer offers an easy way to do just that. Breville's Smart Fryer is a must-buy if you're shopping for a new deep fryer. It has automatic settings, an LCD screen and accurate temperatures. Most importantly, it produces a delicious final product.

Fried chicken can be made much cheaper by pan-frying it on your stove instead of buying a new gadget like a deep fryer. If you’re frying with oil, you’ll want to make sure the pan you use is cast-iron as opposed to non-stick, as the grease can ruin the non-stick coating when it gets too hot. The best cast-iron pan you can buy is the Lodge Chef Collection 12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet. This affordable skillet is lightweight and boasts a comfortable handle.

You can fry chicken on a stove either in a pan or pot; both have their pros and cons. A pot is easier to use oil in, netting crispier results at the expense of a lot of leftover oil you’ll have to discard. For example, if you prefer using a pot, we recommend specifically using a Dutch oven. The best Dutch Oven we’ve tested is Made In’s Dutch Oven thanks to its comfortable handles and great cooking results. For a less pricey option, we recommend Lodge’s Cast Iron Dutch Oven. It’s easy to clean, cooks well and comes in a variety of beautiful colors.

No matter how you decide to fry your chicken, using a pair of long tongs is a good way to keep from burning yourself. The best tongs we've tested are OXO Good Grips 16" Grilling Tongs. They're more than long enough to keep you out of any oil's line of fire, the pincers are precise and the handles are versatile.

If you're using oil to fry your chicken, you’ll want to move them to a plate lined with paper towels after they’re done in the fryer to keep them from getting soggy and losing their glorious crisp. Bounty's Select-a-Size is the best paper towel we've tested. It’s durable, thick and absorbent, making them perfect for soaking your chicken's oil.

When you're done frying your chicken, you can put the pieces on a cooling rack until you're done with the batch and it’s cool enough to eat. This three-tiered cooling rack from Wilton provides a lot of space to cool your chicken while taking up minimal counter space. It's also a breeze to clean, giving you one last thing to worry about after preparing your delicious meal.

If you'd still like to celebrate Fried Chicken Day, but you don't want to go through the trouble of cooking for yourself, you can have your crispy meal delivered right to your doorstep. For local restaurants, whether chains or small businesses, we recommend ordering through Uber Eats, which quickly delivers from nearby restaurants that you know and love.

Looking to try something new? Check out Goldbelly, which ships food from restaurants throughout the country. Some fried chicken you may be interested in trying is the Karrage Tokyo Fried Chicken from the restaurant Menya Jiro Ramen in New York. This deliciously marinated chicken is a popular side dish in Japan and comes with spicy and regular Japanese mayonnaise. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

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