Buttermilk Fried Chicken

About This Recipe

Buttermilk fried chicken is an American Southern classic, chicken pieces soaked in tangy buttermilk (sometimes with hot sauce added) for hours before being dredged in well-seasoned flour and fried until the exterior turns deeply golden and crackling crisp while the interior stays remarkably juicy. The buttermilk soak does double duty -- its acidity tenderizes the meat, and its thick consistency helps the flour coating adhere more thickly and evenly than a simple egg wash would. The technique that defines great fried chicken is the marinating time and the frying temperature: buttermilk needs several hours, ideally overnight, to properly tenderize the chicken, and the frying oil must be maintained at a consistent 165-175C throughout cooking -- too hot and the exterior burns before the chicken cooks through; too cool and it absorbs excess oil and turns greasy rather than crisp. A double-dredge (flour, back into buttermilk, then flour again) creates an extra-craggy, textured crust that crisps up dramatically in the hot oil. Served hot, often with biscuits, mashed potatoes, or coleslaw, buttermilk fried chicken is a defining dish of Southern American cooking, found at family Sunday dinners and fried chicken restaurants across the country.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1.2 kgbone-in chicken pieces
• 2 cupsbuttermilk
• 1 tbsphot sauce
• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 2 tsppaprika
• 1.5 tspgarlic powder
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 0.5 tspcayenne pepper
• 4 cupsneutral oil(for frying)

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate

   Combine buttermilk and hot sauce. Submerge chicken pieces in the mixture, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

2. 2

   Season the flour

   Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a wide bowl.

3. 3

   Dredge

   Remove chicken from the buttermilk, letting excess drip off. Dredge thoroughly in the seasoned flour, pressing to adhere.

4. 4

   Double-dredge

   Dip back into the buttermilk briefly, then dredge in flour again for an extra-craggy crust.

5. 5

   Fry

   Heat oil to 170C/340F in a deep pot or cast-iron skillet. Fry chicken in batches, 12-15 minutes per batch, turning occasionally, until deeply golden and cooked through (74C/165F internal temperature).

6. 6

   Drain and serve

   Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels, and serve hot.

Variations

• •

  Make it spicier by adding extra cayenne and hot sauce to both the buttermilk marinade and the flour dredge.

• •

  Use boneless chicken thighs for a quicker-cooking version, adjusting frying time down to about 8-10 minutes.

• •

  Serve with a drizzle of honey for a sweet-spicy Nashville hot chicken-inspired variation.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked chicken up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a 200C/400F oven for 15-20 minutes to restore crispness, rather than microwaving.

Frequently Asked Questions