Buttermilk Fried Chicken

As I have confessed over and over: Fried chicken is my weakness! this recipe requires the chicken to be marinated overnight in seasoned buttermilk, then dipped in a seasoned flour coating before being fried.

So crunchy and flavourful! And sooo satisfying :) — So crunchy and flavourful! *And* sooo satisfying :)

Last year, I did an air fryer version of this chicken which is amazing (get the recipe here). But sometimes you just wanna throw healthy eating to the wind and indulge in the bad stuff. …LOL. When I think of fried chicken, I want the most tender, moist and flavourful interior, with a crunchy and equally flavourful exterior. Brining the chicken in seasoned buttermilk adds tremendous flavour to the meat itself while tenderizing it. Coating it in a heavily seasoned flour, amplifies the flavours even more.

Learning Time
How does buttermilk tenderize meat?
Buttermilk contains acids and enzymes that breaks down the protein in meat, called collagen, when it is raw. When you cook meat, the heat breaks down the collagen, but when you marinate it in the specific acids and enzymes, it starts the breakdown process sooner. Milk actually has lactic acid which breaks down the protein, and it also contains calcium which promotes the natural breakdown process in the chicken by waking up the enzymes.

There is a copycat KFC original chicken recipe circulating with 11 herbs and spices. This recipe incorporates some of these spices, but not all. You can add any spices to your seasoned flour based on what you have on hand. Some techniques for this recipe was adapted from Nagi of Recipe Tin Eats, who has so much more wonderful recipes to try.

Tips for making this Fried chicken

Use spices that you have on hand. You can omit and add depending on what’s in your pantry.
If you don’t have buttermilk, just use the substitution which I have in the recipe below.
I mix in some of the marinade in the seasoned flour to give you some delicious lumps which fry up gorgeously. And no need to worry if it has egg in there; this will cook through as it fries.
Coat your chicken right before you place it in the oil. If you do it too soon, the coating will get soggy. When coating, press the flour onto the chicken to make sure it holds nicely.
Make sure and check the temperature of your oil. It has to be at 350 deg F. Not more or less. It will not cook through if it’s too high, and it will absorb too much oil if it’s too low. You want the internal temperature on the thickest part of the piece to be 167 degF.
I used drumsticks only here, but you can use other pieces as well. Ideally you should use smaller sized pieces, just make sure and adjust the time to cook. Some suggestions are below for shallow frying:
- Legs: 8 -10 minutes per side depending on the size.
- Wings: 4 minutes per side.
- Thighs: 8 -10 minutes per side depending on the size.
If your chicken has not cooked through properly when fried, but has already been browned, then finish it off in the oven until the right temperature is achieved.
Sprinkle a little salt on the chicken as soon as they come out of the oil. And let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before biting into it.

Ingredients:

For the chicken and marinade

15 chicken legs - Wash and clean your chicken pieces to your liking. Leave some of the skin on if you desire.

1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar (mixed)

2 eggs

3 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried rosemary or a 4-inch sprig of fresh rosemary chopped.

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cloves of garlic, coarsely crushed.

For the seasoned flour:

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder- NOT garlic salt

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional if you like it hot!)

3/4 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika

3/4 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon salt

Oil for frying- canola, vegetable or soybean.

Method:

Mix all ingredients for the marinade and add the chicken pieces- let marinate overnight or at least 6 hours. I usually do this in a ziplock bag.

Mix all ingredients for the seasoned flour. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of the marinade into the flour mixture, and use your fingers to break them up. You want small breadcrumb-like pieces in there. Place a heavy bottomed or cast iron pot on medium low heat. If you are shallow frying, use about 2 inches of oil. You want the temperature of the oil to be 350 degF when it’s ready.

Spices.

Mix thoroughly.

Drizzle with some marinade.

Coat the pieces of chicken that you want to place in your pot; remember you do not want to over crowd your pot. When the oil is ready, place the chicken very gently into the oil. Do not touch the pieces at this point since the breading will get compromised. After 8 minutes, gently flip your chicken. Let fry for another 8 minutes, remove and allow to drain. As soon as you remove the chicken, sprinkle with a little salt (not too much!). I like to use fire salt on my pieces for some extra spiciness :).