What Exactly Is Northern Fried Chicken, And What Makes It Different Than Southern?

Fried chicken is traditionally known to be a southern staple. However, it's also known that fried chicken isn't exclusive to the South. In fact, there are unique spins on fried chicken across the globe that are worth traveling for. So, it shouldn't shock anyone to learn that the northern United States has its take on fried chicken. Food Republic linked up with Matt Ensero, co-founder and brand president of Wing It On!, a fast-food chicken chain with multiple locations across the East Coast, to tap into his extensive experience for some insight on how the two cooking styles are distinguished from each other.

On a surface level, both styles have a similar approach — the chef starts by prepping the chicken in something flavorful, this coating helps adhere the preferred breading to the chicken, and then it is fried. The northern style is distinct in its flavor profile and the ingredients used within those steps, Ensero explains. "Differences include the use of Matzo meal instead of seasoned flour/cornmeal," he says, "a simple salt brine vs. the traditional buttermilk marinade of southern fried chicken." The resulting chicken "features a lighter, crispier crust when compared to the traditional batter and breading of southern fried chicken."

Choosing the perfect seasoning is another area where the North and South approach their recipes slightly differently from each other. Although both northern and southern chefs employ earthy, herbaceous seasonings such as thyme, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, Ensero elaborated that the northern recipes stop here. They tend to keep it simpler with these seasonings being elevated by the salt brine. Contrastingly, traditional southern fried recipes go bold and lean into complexities, adding in spicy ingredients like ground cayenne pepper or a few dabs of hot sauce after it's cooked. 

Certainly, salt-brining isn't a necessary step, but it can lead to the juiciest fried chicken. One last difference Ensero noted is "northern fried chicken is typically pan-fried while southern fried chicken is deep-fried." Speaking as a Southerner, everything Ensero has stated aligns up until this point. My friends and family have always pan-fried our chicken, even when a deep-fryer was an option. However, he's not necessarily wrong. Deep-frying is a southern staple and it's one of the many reasons restaurant chicken always tastes better.