Buttermilk Fried Chicken
This is the best fried chicken recipe you’ll try! Marinated in tangy buttermilk and dredged in a flour mixture seasoned with the perfect blend of herbs and spices, it’s juicy and succulent on the inside, with the most flavourful crunchy coating.
Servings: 12 pieces (approx)
Calories: 469kcal
Ingredients
- 1.2 kilograms chicken pieces small drumsticks (80-120 grams), wings, mini drumettes, bone-in thigh or breast fillets or chicken tender strips.
For the buttermilk mixture
- 1 teaspoon salt regular table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg lightly beaten
For the chicken coating
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- ¾ cup cornflour cornstarch
- 2-3 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- 2 teaspoons celery salt
- 3 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 3 teaspoons sweet paprika Hungarian sweet paprika, not hot or smoked paprika
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder or more or less, to taste
- 3 teaspoons onion powder
To cook
- 1.5 - 2 litres canola oil or vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Soak the chicken
- In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and beaten egg together.
- Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add the paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover the chicken pieces with the buttermilk mixture, stir, cover and allow to soak in the refrigerator overnight (12-24 hours is best).
Preparation
- Once the chicken has soaked and you are preparing to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and set aside at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (up to 30 minutes) while you set up the coating, oil and frying stations. Resting the chicken at room temperature will help to lower the temperature of the cold chicken, helping it to cook through faster.
- Pre-heat oven to 80°C/176 F. This is to keep the cooked chicken warm, as you will need to cook in batches.
- Prepare a large wire rack by placing a baking tray underneath (to drain and rest the cooked chicken). The tray will catch any stray drops of excess oil.
To coat
- Place the flour, cornflour and chicken coating ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Working one at a time, remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk mixture and tap/shake gently to remove the excess buttermilk.
- Place the chicken pieces (one at a time) into the dry flour mixture and coat thoroughly. Gently tap off the excess flour. *Only coat the pieces that are going into the oil, and continue to coat them as you cook in batches.
To cook
- Place the oil into a large wok, Dutch oven or suitable pan with high sides. The oil should be deep enough to cover the chicken pieces completely. Attach a candy or oil thermometer and heat the oil to 180C/350 F. Adjust the heat as needed to keep a temperature of 180℃.
- Carefully place the coated chicken pieces (3-4 pieces at a time) into the hot oil. When the chicken enters the oil, the temperature will drop to around 150-160°C. Adjust the heat to keep the temperature between 150-160C while the chicken is cooking.
- Fry the chicken, using tongs to turn halfway, until golden brown with an internal temperature of 75°C (167°F) at the thickest part. Cooking times (guide only, make sure the internal temp is 75°C):Small/medium drumsticks (80-120 grams) = 8 minutes Wings and smaller drumettes = 5-6 minutesLarger drumsticks/thighs (bone-in) = 12-14 minutes Breast = 6 – 8 minutes, or until internal temp 65°CThighs (bone out) = 8 minutes** If you are cooking with larger pieces, they will need to be finished in the oven, or cooked until dark golden to ensure they are cooked through in the middle. They can be cooked until light golden and crisp (around 8 minutes, turning halfway), and then finished in the oven on a wire rack over a baking tray at 200°C until cooked through (around 10 minutes).
- Make sure the oil comes back to 180°C before each new batch of chicken is added and try to maintain a temperature of 150-160°C as it cooks.
- Once each batch is cooked, place it on the prepared wire rack sitting over a baking tray and place in the oven at 80°C to keep warm and rest until all batches are cooked.
- Serve hot with your favourite sides.
Video
Notes
- Chicken – you can cut a whole chicken into parts for frying, or if you prefer dark or white pieces, you can buy the parts you love. Bone-in and skin-on pieces are recommended for extra tender chicken, but boneless breast or thighs can also be used. I use a mixture of drumsticks and bone-in thighs. If you choose drumsticks or other bone-in pieces, keep them on the smaller side to ensure they cook through in the middle without burning the coating.
- Buttermilk – buttermilk is a key ingredient when making KFC-style fried chicken. Buttermilk is slightly acidic, which helps to tenderise the chicken by breaking down some of the proteins in the meat. It also sticks to the chicken, making a nice thick coating when you dredge it through the dry flour mixture. It also adds flavour and keeps the chicken tender when you fry it. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to every one cup of regular, full-fat milk.
- Use sweet Hungarian paprika, not hot or smoked.
- Don’t skip the soaking time! Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk brine overnight, where possible. The longer you leave it, the more tender and flavourful the chicken will be.
- The dry flour mixture can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the pantry, to save time.
- Use a wire rack to drain the chicken, rather than paper towel or baking paper. Resting the chicken on paper towel will cause it to sweat and become soggy.
- Cook in batches so that the pan is not overcrowded. Overcrowding the pan can cause the coating to fall from the chicken and the meat to cook unevenly.
- Use small pieces of chicken. Smaller pieces (small-medium drumsticks, bone-in thighs) are recommended. Large pieces take longer to cook, which means the coating can burn before the chicken has cooked through. If using larger pieces, fry them until golden-brown and then allow them to finish cooking in the oven.
- For spicy chicken, add some hot sauce or sriracha sauce to the buttermilk marinade and add extra chilli powder to the coating, to taste.
- Use a thermometer for the oil. This will give you a more accurate temperature reading, resulting in perfectly crispy and evenly cooked chicken. If the oil is too hot, the chicken will burn on the outside and will be raw in the middle.
- The safe internal temperature of cooked chicken is 75C (167F). The chicken will continue to cook through as it rests, so take this into account. If you don’t have a thermometer, the chicken is cooked through when the batter is golden and the chicken is white with no pink flesh and clear juices.
- Fried chicken is best when it is freshly cooked and the skin is still crispy. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and can be eaten cold, or reheated. When reheated, the skin will not be as crispy. For best results, reheat leftover fried chicken pieces in an oven at 160C for 10 minutes, or until heated through. Alternatively, heat in an air fryer at 160C for around 5 minutes.
- The nutrition information is based on using 12 chicken pieces, with one piece being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the chicken.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 2679mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2761IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 6mg