Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Ah, the memories of summer will often include a picnic of fried chicken. But fried chicken is wonderful at any time of the year.

Start by sourcing great chicken. Try to find chickens that are ethically raised, with no hormones or antibiotics or super food. If your chicken’s thigh is the size of a breast, and its breast is the size of a whole chicken, put it down and find another brand.

Ingredients
  

  • chicken

Instructions
 

  • Clean, dry and cut up the chicken. (Yes, dry it. All proteins you use should be dry, with no water or stickiness to it. While this chicken will eventually get coated lightly in buttermilk, it still needs time to sit and marinate in the spice blend before you add that buttermilk, and you want that chicken dry so the spices stick to it.)
  • Prepare your spice blend. I use the following:
    – 2 tablespoons of kosher salt
    – 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
    – 3/4 tablespoons of crushed black pepper
    Now, you can add other herbs and dried spices as well. Many folks like paprika or crushed pepper or thyme. If you love the flavor, add it, but do it with care. If you want both oregano and thyme, do a tablespoon of each. Balance the flavors and recipes.
    Coat the chicken thoroughly with the spice blend and then let sit for at least 10 minutes.
  • Add a full quart of buttermilk and 3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly. Mix well with the chicken, making sure it is all coated. Place in the fridge and let sit for 2–4 hours. (Do not go above 4 hours—remember, the salt is absorbing into the meat of the chicken, and if you let it sit and sit, you will taste only salt.)
  • Once party time approaches, remove the chicken from the fridge to allow it to warm up a bit. Now, the fun (and messy) part begins.
    First prepare your flour mixture. I use:
    – 1 full cup of all-purpose flour
    – 2 teaspoons of salt
    – 1 teaspoon of pepper
    – 2 teaspoons of oregano
    Also set up a dry baking pan to place the chicken before frying. Once you have this station set up, you are ready to start to coat the buttermilk-soaked chicken with the flour.
  • You can use your hands or tongs (recommended, as it gets very messy). Remove one piece at a time from the marinade, and let the excess buttermilk drain off. Place in the flour and thoroughly coat, front and back, before placing it on the baking pan.
    Repeat with all chicken pieces. Take care not to lie the pieces on top of each other, and DON’T pack them tightly on the pan. (Use two pans if necessary.)
  • Prepare your oil in a large pot. Have your thermometer ready as you want the oil to heat to 160ºF before you start frying, and you do not want to burn the oil!
    Once the oil reaches frying temperature, add the chicken, one piece at a time, skin-side down. Do NOT crowd the chicken. (I generally fry two or three pieces at a time.)
    Do not move the chicken around. Let each piece fry for 3–4 minutes, then gently turn to the other side. You are looking for a golden-brown color. Use your thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken before removing from the oil—the internal temperature should be 160ºF.
  • Once done, place in a bowl lined with napkins to absorb the excess grease. Then move to a large platter and serve!
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