Southern Style Buttermilk Fried Chicken is a quintessentially American dish that is loved by people all over the country – and the world. Also, it’s insanely delicious hot or cold – something that can’t be said about every dish in this book.
This dish can be fried in almost any high temperature fat – do not use olive oil – but tastes best cooked in a fully-saturated shortening, either of the vegetable or porcine variety.
Yeah, that’s what I said. Fry it in lard. It’ll be amazing.
Southern Style Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Course: MainCuisine: SouthernDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes20
minutes8
HoursSimple southern style buttermilk chicken.
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 cup cultured buttermilk
¼ cup hot sauce (*see note)
2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Mix the buttermilk, hot sauce, 2 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of black pepper in a non-reactive bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
- Place the chicken and the marinade in a large, plastic, storage bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator to brine and marinate – at least 8 hours and preferably overnight.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and remaining salt in pepper in a large container with a tightly fitting lid.
- Sprinkle 1 tsp of the marinade into the flour mixture and shake vigorously.
- Working one piece at a time, add the chicken to the breading container and shake to coat well. Check to see that there are no bare spots, and use your fingers if necessary to pack breading onto the chicken. Repeat until all of the chicken is breaded.
- Place the chicken pieces on a rack over a sheet pan and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.
- Fry at 350° for approximately 20 minutes or until the crust is well browned and the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 170°.
Notes
- Use a flavorful but fairly mild hot sauce such as Texas Pete, Frank’s Red Hot, or Crystal. You will need the heat, but also the vinegar and salt in the preparation for the chicken to brine properly.
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