No single person “created” fried chicken; it developed over time in several cultures. Most historians point to a mix of Scottish deep‑frying methods and West African seasoning and cooking techniques that came together in the American South to form what is now known as Southern fried chicken.
Early frying traditions
People in Europe and elsewhere were frying foods, including chicken, centuries ago, and medieval European fritters show that deep‑frying was already common. Scottish cooks later became known for frying chicken pieces in fat, laying part of the groundwork for later fried chicken dishes.
Scottish and West African influence
Scottish immigrants who settled in the southern United States brought their habit of deep‑frying unseasoned or lightly seasoned chicken. Enslaved West Africans contributed marinating and spicing techniques, transforming the dish into the highly seasoned Southern fried chicken that became a regional staple.
First recorded recipes
The idea of fried chicken is older than written recipes, but one of the earliest published English‑language recipes for something like modern fried chicken appeared in the 18th century in British and American cookbooks. These recipes helped standardize methods such as coating chicken in flour or batter and frying it in fat.
Commercial popularization
In the 20th century, restaurant chains such as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) took Southern‑style fried chicken nationwide and then global, strongly associating the dish with American fast food. This commercialization spread fried chicken far beyond its regional roots while local and home‑cooked versions continued to evolve around the world.
