Copycat Joella’s Fried Chicken Recipe

Photos of Copycat Joella’s Fried Chicken Recipe

When it comes to the wide selection of hot chicken you can get for takeout, Joella’s hot chicken is a gem. Joella’s chicken restaurant serves the juiciest fried chicken courtesy of a special marinade which in this version, we made using buttermilk. We coated each piece with a crispy golden brown breading seasoned with 9 different herbs and spices for the perfect savory blend. We double dipped them in flour to ensure a satisfying crunch every time. Each of the little bites of this fried chicken will just leave you wanting more!

Joella’s hot chicken menu offers chicken wings, quarters, and tenders made using pieces of boneless chicken breast. Chicken tenders are what we made for this recipe. You can enjoy it best with a dipping sauce. What dip should you use? We recommend pairing it with something sweet and savory like this honey pepper sauce. Add tabasco or chili oil if you prefer a bit of heat, or turn it into a sandwich with some bread and pimiento cheese.

Some love Joella’s chicken paired with waffles, others with mac and cheese, but you can, of course, serve it with any side dish of your choice. You might also want to pair it with banana pudding for dessert.

How To Make Copycat Joella’s Fried Chicken

This Joella’s hot chicken copycat recipe makes the best crispy chicken tenders using boneless chicken breasts marinated in a buttermilk mixture and breaded with seasoned flour with 7 herbs and spices.

Prep: 3 hrs

Cook: 15 mins

Total: 3 hrs 15 mins

Serves:

Ingredients

1 lb chicken tenders, or boneless chicken breast strips
2 cups buttermilk, or yogurt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
5 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp water
vegetable oil, for frying, roughly 8 cups

For Flour Mixture:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp dried thyme

To serve:

dipping sauce of your choice

Instructions

Combine the chicken with buttermilk or yogurt, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Cover using a plastic wrap and keep chilled. Allow to marinate for at least 3 hours, best if 6 hours.
Combine all the ingredients for the flour mixture in another mixing bowl.
Pour the beaten eggs and water into another mixing bowl.
Preheat the frying oil to at least 350 degrees F in a deep skillet and prepare the breading station.
Drain the chicken off from the marinade.
Dredge each piece in the flour, dip in the eggs, and back into the flour.
Repeat until all the tenders are coated.
Deep fry the chicken tenders by batch until crispy golden brown for about 8-10 minutes.
When done, allow the chicken to drain on a basket lined with paper towels.
Serve the crispy chicken tenders with any sauce of choice. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Sugar: 6g
:
Calcium: 197mg
Calories: 532kcal
Carbohydrates: 56g
Cholesterol: 292mg
Fat: 14g
Fiber: 2g
Iron: 5mg
Monounsaturated Fat: 4g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Potassium: 747mg
Protein: 41g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Sodium: 1533mg
Trans Fat: 1g
Vitamin A: 648IU
Vitamin C: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Want to share your version of Joella's famous fried chicken or discuss tips and techniques? Head over to the Recipe Sharing section of our forum and join the conversation!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use milk instead of buttermilk for fried chicken?

Yes, you can also use milk for this version of Joella’s hot chicken. On another note, it’s actually easy to make your own buttermilk at home using whole milk. Just add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice for every cup of milk, let it sit for 10 minutes, and you have your own homemade buttermilk. So if you’ve got a few extra minutes on your hands, we recommend turning your milk into buttermilk instead.

Why is my Joella’s hot chicken not crispy?

Fried chicken and any fried food will turn out soggy if it has been cooked at a low oil temperature. This happens if the oil isn’t properly preheated or the pan is overcrowded. To make sure that your homemade version of Joella’s hot chicken is perfectly crispy every time, first, preheat the oil to at least 350 degrees. Then, fry the chicken tenders in batches, making sure that each piece has at least half an inch of space around it. Lastly, do not stack the chicken tenders when draining them. Give them a good air circulation in order to maintain that crisp. Here’s how to reheat fried chicken so that you can still enjoy it crispy after a few days.

Conclusion

If you think that a perfect fried chicken can only be done by the restaurants, this Joella’s hot chicken copycat recipe proves otherwise! You can totally make crispy, juicy, savory and just delicious fried chicken tenders at home. Try fast food made at home this weekend!