Every blog should have some famous Buttermilk Fried Chicken, right? I hardly fry anything anymore, but once in a while, the urge for this comfort food wins out in my conscience. What’s one little piece gonna hurt? The boys in the house will have no issue with finishing the remaining pieces. It will be months before I eat it again, so I allow myself to enjoy that crispy, crunchy exterior and that moist interior. Ahh… until we meet again!
I’ve used this recipe for bone-in wingettes, legs and thighs. Cooking times will vary due to the individual meatiness, so I will cook and flip at 3 minute intervals described in the instructions below and check internal temps (170 degrees) to determine when they are done. I haven’t tried this for boneless chicken breasts, but I’m sure it would be fabulous. Thin, portioned-sized breasts would probably make a great chicken sandwich with the toppings of your choice. Yum!
Trim the pieces of any excess fat or skin(thighs) and place them in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Add the remaining marinade ingredients. Seal and swish it all around to distribute all of the seasonings within the buttermilk. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, but no longer than 6.
Dredge a few pieces at a time within the flour mixture. Seal the bag and shake. If you have a large heavy brown bag, you could do it old-style by rolling down the top of the bag and shaking. Place chicken on a wire rack to allow flour mixture more time to attach itself. **Now, if you want a truly crispy and crunchy exterior, you could place each piece back in the buttermilk mixture and dredge once more in the flour.**
In a 12″ skillet , either stainless steel or cast iron, place between 3/4-1″ of oil in the pan. Over medium heat, allow it to reach a temperature of 350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, just place the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil. If it bubbles around the handle, it’s ready for the chicken! I saw this idea on a few recipes so I thought I would share that little tidbit of information with you!
Reduce the heat to medium-low. To provide consistency in cooking, I usually cook each type of piece together. Then cook the next type. Make sure you allow spacing between each piece; don’t crowd the pan. For thighs and breasts, place skin side down first. Set the timer for 3 minutes and cover with a lid. Uncover when there is 1 minute left. When the time is up, flip the pieces over and reset the time for 3 minutes again. Repeat the uncover-cover-flip process until and internal temperature of 170 degrees has been reached. Begin checking temperature at 9-12 minutes.
As the chicken finishes, put it on some layers of paper towels to absorb excess oil. Then, place the cooked chicken on a CLEANED wire rack into the oven on warming mode while you continue to cook the rest. Cover with foil, if desired.
Double Dredged Thighs:
Single Dredged Wingettes::
As you can see above, the double dredged thighs and legs have a different exterior; there’s definitely a lot more crispy crunchiness to devour. The wingettes shown had one dredge coating, but were still crispy. Choose your level of crunch and enjoy! For some great sides, Try some Perfect Mashed Potatoes and some Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits with your favorite veggies on the side. Yum!
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 c buttermilk
- 2 T Kosher salt
- 3/4 t freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 t smoked paprika
- 1 jalapeno sliced lengthwise with seeds intact a couple of dashes of hot sauce could be substituted
Dredging Mixture
- 3 c flour
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 T Kosher salt
- 2 t freshly ground black pepper
- 2 t garlic powder
- 1 t smoked paprika
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper-optional
Other Ingredients:
- 3-4.5 pounds chicken-bone-in or boneless
- canola oil-3/4-1" level, depending on depth of pan
Instructions
- Place prepared chicken in a large Ziploc bag. Pour buttermilk over the chicken followed by the remainder of the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and shake. Place bag in a bowl just in case there might be any leakage.. Refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours, but no longer than 6 hours.
- Place the dredging ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, Seal and shake to combine.
- Place chicken on a wire rack and allow it to "dry" If you want a more crunchy exterior, dip it back into the buttermilk mixture and dredge with flour again.
- Fill a 12" skillet, either cast iron or stainless steel, with at least 3/4" canola oil. Heat to 350 degrees over medium heat. If you don't have a thermometer, dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. If if bubbles around the handle, it's ready for the chicken!
- REDUCE the heat to medium-low. Add one type of chicken piece( all thighs, all legs, etc.) to the pan at a time
- Cook it 3 minutes COVERED and 2 minutes UNCOVERED. Flip over. Repeat the times and flips until the chicken reaches 170°F internal temperature Place on paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Enjoy!
