Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

crispy bites, 30 min plus marinating, serves 4

Ingredients

diced chicken    600g

Coating
plain flour      150g
salt             1 tsp
smoked paprika   1 tsp
garlic powder    1 tsp
baking powder    1 tsp

To fry
oil              for frying

Marinate first in the buttermilk chicken marinade.
Neutral oil to fry: sunflower, vegetable or rapeseed, not olive.

Recipe

1. Marinate the diced chicken in the chicken marinade, 30 minutes to overnight.

2. Mix the coating:

[flour 150g, salt 1 tsp, smoked paprika 1 tsp, garlic powder 1 tsp, baking powder 1 tsp]

3. Lift the chicken from the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, and toss in the flour until well coated. Press it on for a craggy crust.

4. Heat the oil to 180°C, 1/2cm to shallow fry or 5/8cm to deep fry. Fry in batches 3/4 minutes until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on a rack.

Craggier crust: dip the floured pieces back into the buttermilk and flour again.
Don’t crowd the pan, batches keep the oil hot. Drain on a rack, not paper, so they stay crisp.
Nashville hot: whisk cayenne into a few spoons of the hot oil and brush it over.

Pile into a warm tortilla with lime slaw and parsley yoghurt, or over rice with a drizzle of hot honey.

❄ Freezer
Freeze: the raw chicken in the buttermilk marinade, bagged flat. Thaw, then coat and fry fresh.
Leftovers: reheat in a hot oven or air fryer to crisp back up, never the microwave.
Keeps: 3 months frozen in the marinade.