Southern Fried Chicken Gizzards

In this Southern Fried Chicken Gizzards recipe, the gizzards are marinated in a spicy bath of buttermilk and hot sauce, then coated in seasoned flour and fried to golden brown perfection! Serve with my collard greens or mustard greens and hot water cornbread for a true southern meal. If you like gizzards, try my fried okra or fried pickles,

For every 10 fried chicken lovers, there is at least one fried chicken gizzard lover. In my family, that fan is my uncle BB. For as long as I can remember, we’ve always had to stop at the KFC in Effingham, Illinois on our way back from our annual trips to Mississippi to visit my grandparents.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken gizzards, rinsed.
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves each
1 ½ teaspoons celery salt, divided
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
3 cups oil for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

Place the chicken gizzards, celery, onion, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of celery salt in a saucepan, and pour in enough water to cover the gizzards by 1 inch. Bring the gizzards to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 2 1/2 hours. If necessary, add water during simmering to cover gizzards. Remove the gizzards to a bowl, discard the celery and onion, and reserve the broth.
Season the gizzards with 1/2 teaspoon celery salt, seasoned salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cumin and hot sauce, stirring to combine. Pour 1/3 cup of the reserved broth over the seasoned gizzards and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more, stirring often. (Save or freeze the remaining broth for another use, if desired.)
Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place the flour in a plastic bag and pour in the gizzards with their seasoning. Shake the bag to coat the gizzards with flour. Gently drop about 1/4 of the gizzards per batch into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 5 minutes per batch. Drain the gizzards on paper towels and serve hot.