Description
Listen here, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, ain’t much else better than biting into flavorful, juicy, and crunchy fried chicken. This recipe starts with soaking chicken pieces in seasoned buttermilk to begin the flavoring process, it’s the Southern way. Next up, the soaked chicken gets coated in a seasoned flour mixture and fried to golden perfection. This is the only fried chicken recipe you’ll ever need, y’all!
Ingredients
For the buttermilk soak:
- 8 bone-in/skin-on chicken pieces (I recommend using thighs, legs, and/or whole wings)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons Creole Cajun seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I use French’s)
For the seasoned flour dredge & frying:
- 2 cups self-rising flour, yes self-rising flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Creole Cajun seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- Peanut oil, for deep frying– (corn or canola oil as next best substitute)
Instructions
- Prep & soak the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and then place the chicken pieces into a large resealable bag or container. Add the buttermilk, Cajun seasoning, eggs, and mustard. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves if desired) to toss the mixture until well combined and coated. Then close the bag/cover the container. Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 6 hours or more preferably overnight.
- Take out the chicken. When ready to fry, remove the chicken from the fridge and let it sit out on the counter to take some of the chill off while you prep the flour dredge and preheat the oil, steps below.
- Prep the flour dredge. In a large shallow pie plate or bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon pepper seasoning and whisk the mixture until well combined.
- Heat the oil. In a large heavy-bottomed dutch oven or cast-iron pot over medium heat, add a few inches of oil, enough for deep frying where the chicken pieces can float. For optimal precision, use a deep-fry thermometer to heat the oil to 330-335°F. Meanwhile, set a large baking sheet fitted with a wire rack aside.
- Dredge the chicken & rest. Back to the chicken, take a piece of chicken from the buttermilk soak, shake off excess liquid, and coat the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture. Be sure to dredge the chicken well, filling in all un-floured gaps and crevices, and then shake off any excess. Set the dredged chicken onto the baking sheet. Repeat this process until all chicken is fully coated and on the baking sheet resting- side by side but not touching.
- Fry the chicken. Once the oil temperature of 330-335°F is reached, we’re ready to fry. Working in batches to prevent overcrowding, add four pieces of chicken to the hot oil. The oil should reach just to the top of the chicken. Fry the chicken until deep golden brown and crispy, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165°F and the juices run clear, anywhere from 10-15 minutes. Then use a slotted utensil to transfer the fried chicken to a clean baking sheet fitted with a wire rack to drain. Ensure that the oil temperature is at 330-335°F and then repeat the process with the remaining chicken. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.