Bacon aside, there are few things I love more than fried chicken. What can possibly be more soul satisfying than a moist flavourful piece of chicken encased in a thick, crunchy crust? Not much, I say.
Yet despite my affinity for fried chicken, the crispy skinned allure of Colonel Sander's Original Recipe overruns my better judgement a few times a year. Every time I step foot into a KFC to sate my hankering, I feel a twinge of hypocrisy, and yet I'm at the mercy of the fast food fryer. Well today, I said enough is enough, and I set out to come up with the best buttermilk fried chicken recipe. A fried chicken that the Colonel himself would swoon over, with a thick, crunchy, aromatic crust, and a tender juicy interior that's infused with flavour, right down to the bone.
I know, this is a bold statement. Some may even call them "fightin' words", but I wouldn't say it if I didn't think I could back it up. If you've been following along for any length of time, you know I have a history of making audacious claims when it comes to poultry.
To make my ultimate fried chicken, I've employed a few tricks that I've learned over the years. The first is to brine the chicken. This is a must for any roast chicken, and it works equally well in fried applications. The fundamentals of brining are simple, you're soaking the chicken in a salt and sugar solution that flavours the meat, much like a marinade would, while increasing the chicken's moisture content. For my fried chicken, I decided to user buttermilk instead of water, and I stuffed it full of aromatics such as onion juice, garlic, celery seed and rosemary. After a night soaking in the buttermilk brine, the chicken is literally bursting with flavour, from the inside out.
Satisfied that I'd given the chicken the love and flavour that it needed, I moved onto the skin. In fried chicken circles, there's much debate over how to get a nice crunchy crust. I've found the double dredge gets a nice thick crinkled crust that stays crunchy long after the chicken has turned cold (not that there would ever be chicken left on the plate long enough to go cold). Since the brine is quite salty, I avoided adding any salt to the flour, but that didn't stop me from cramming in more flavour with spices like onion powder, paprika and more celery seed.
The last secret to making the best fried chicken is to let the coated chicken air dry for about an hour before frying it. This does two things. The first is that it gets the chicken up to room temperature, which helps it cook evenly once it's in the oil. The second benefit is that some of the surface moisture evaporates, making the chicken crisp up nicely as it's fried.
I won't lie to you, this is a rather involved recipe that takes some time, but it's not impossible to make on a work night if you put the chicken in the brine the night before. I like serving this with fluffy biscuits and plenty of honey to drizzle on both the biscuits and chicken.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic (finely grated)
- ½ small onion (finely grated)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4 whole chicken legs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground celery seed
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Litre vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Put the celery seed, rosemary, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a spice grinder and grind. Add the spices, onion and garlic into a gallon sized freezer bag with the buttermilk, salt and sugar. Seal the bag and shake to combine. Add the chicken legs and seal the bag, pushing out as much air as possible, so the chicken is submerged in the buttermilk. Refrigerate overnight.
- In a gallon sized freezer bag, combine the flour, onion powder, paprika, celery seed and black pepper and shake to combine. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk brine and use paper towels to dry off the chicken and remove any extra bits of spices. Add the dried chicken into the freezer bag with the flour one at a time and toss to coat. Shake any excess flour off as you transfer the chicken to a wire rack.
- Strain the buttermilk brine through a sieve to remove the spices. Dip the chicken in the buttermilk mixture then put each piece back in the bag with the flour and apply a second thicker coating of flour. Place the chicken on the rack and let it air dry for at least 1 hour.
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, add the oil. The oil should be at least 2" deep. Heat over medium high heat until it reaches 340 degrees F. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil. The temperature will fall a bit, and you want to keep the oil right around 320 degrees F for the duration of they frying, so adjust the heat source as needed. The chicken will take about 12-15 minutes to cook through and should be golden brown on the outside. You can use a meat thermometer to check and see if the chicken is cooked on the inside, but take the chicken out of the oil once before checking, or the juices coming out of the chicken will make the oil splatter.
- As the chicken is done, remove them from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined wire rack. Let the fried chicken rest for a few minutes and serve.
Erick says
In your recipes, do you use kosher or regular table salt? Thanks!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Erick, good question. I used to use kosher salt when I lived in the US, but it's hard to find in Japan, so now I generally use table salt. If the recipe was made using kosher salt, I should have labeled it as "kosher salt" in the ingredients list.
Erick says
Thanks! Big Fan of your recipes. Keep it up.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks!
Marilyn Wilson says
The burner works on a regular propane tank (which is sold individually). Most folks use because it is healthier to use peanut oil to fry their turkey and it's among the most secure cooking oils that can cook your turkey at temperatures of 450 degrees F.for more information visit here; https://www.deepfriedepiphany.com/
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Paul, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this! Hope all goes smoothly in the hospital for you.
Paul says
Thanks Marc. Cooked this tonight, first time I deep fried breaded chicken (I cook a lot but normally focused budget meals). I'm going to hospital tomorrow for a couple of days and wanted to cook something to stop my family blowing the food budget on takeaways while I'm gone. Plus I had buttermilk and a rice side already around. When I'm not sure what to do (eg, for fried chicken some recommend sr flour, corn starch, rice flour etc), I get confused but I know I can always go to norecipes.com and get a good recipe that works.
Eaglestar says
this is terrible, way too many ingredients. Cloves?? Get real. Try serving this in Texas and they will run you out of town on a rail
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Jennifer, sorry for the slow response. Yes you can separate the leg and thigh. As for keeping this warm, place them on a wire rack over a sheet pan and put them in an oven set the the lowest temperature. You should be able to hold them like this for about an hour without drying them out too much.
Jennifer S says
If needing to cook in batches to serve 12 people WHat is the best way to keep the chicken warm and not drying out? Also is it possible to make smaller portions by using the leg and thigh separate? thank you.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Gary, glad to hear you've been enjoying the site:-) Regarding alcohol in dishes, are there specific ones you're having trouble finding?
Gary Molotov says
So I'm trying this later and I just thought I'd chime in and say something every single one of your recipes I've tried I think I'm at about 20 or more I've tried not one has disappointed but alot of recipes I can't make due to liquor laws in Canada and lack of stock at liquor stores of forign wines and such and just go to replacement for them ?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sherry, yep, I don't see any reason why you couldn't triple it, though you'll either need to use a bigger pot to fry it or fry it in more batches. As for a printer friendly version, unfortunately I wrote this recipe before switching to a recipe plugin that supports printing, that's why there's no print option. Just cut and paste the recipe portion into a text editor and print from there.
Sherry Perry says
can you double or triple the recipe? Also, is there a printer friendly version?
Thanks...anxious to try it!
Kristen says
I made this last night and it was ab-so-freaking-lutely amazing. It was my very first attempt at making fried chicken (a few months ago I finally bought a cast iron skillet and it has been getting lots of use!) and I just have to say your recipe has set the bar very high for any fried chicken I'll eat from now on. When my husband and I took our first bites we couldn't even speak because the flavor was just spot on. Thanks for such a great recipe! It's a definitely "bookmark and make again and again" kind of dish. 🙂
John Ee Chee Hong says
Hi Marc Matsumoto, I cooked fried buttermilk fried chicken yesterday(not your recipe), I would just like to give my opinion that you can add a sidenote how to make the chicken taste better, usually i take chicken from freezer and cook and I went to supermarket and marinate it directly bypassing the froozen one and that supermarket has low quality chicken, but the fact is that it wasn't frozen, it tasted better than most of the chicken i had from most supermarket i bought, tasted even better than some high qualities one. If you want to push your chicken soup recipe one step further, to qualify to be the best, every detail has to be looked into like using distilled water to make your chicken soup, may i also suggest to tell your readers or advise to use fresh ingredients. I am a fan of Japanese food and sushi has not much ingredients,basically seaweed and rice and maybe salmon or whatever fish they are using and what makes a good sushi?? It all boils down to the freshness. of course sushi still requires some technique like how you press the rice and wrap it in the seaweed but it is mostly the freshness that will make it standout from the rest.I am a Chinese and i eat lots of asian food, I can tell you one thing, fresh and not fresh can make a huge difference of the taste. I tried your terriyaki chicken recipe and it was the best ever terriyaki chicken recipe on the internet, not sure on this, but based on your description, it probably would be the best. I found out on your chicken soup here, will give it a try soon, so to sum it out, fresh ingredients is the most important factor and the fact I believe your recipe is good by reading it, fresh ingredients with your recipe will definitely make the best buttermilk chicken and best chicken soup recipe where money cannot buy unless you buy the ingredients and cook it yourself or get someone to cook it for you 🙂
circahappy says
oh.. no.. you are killing me with this recipe. I am going to make it this weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Marc Matsumoto says
Yep, better than nothing, but you're probably not going to get enough salt into the chicken with only 1 hour. You may want to add more salt into the buttermilk brine.
Jeannie Irvine says
I don't have time to marinate overnight. I'm thinking about marinating one hour, is that better than nothing?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi SeitanicEater, Aside from the obvious seasoning it provides, buttermilk tenderizes the chicken, and together with the salt in the brine helps it retain more moisture. You're most likely not going to see the tenderizing or moistening benefits by brining it in buttermilk, but I think it should help flavor the seitan (though I haven't worked with the stuff enough to say for sure). I say try it and if it doesn't seem to be doing anything you can leave it out next time.
SeitanicEater says
Hi Marc, I really like this idea/recipe. But as a vegetarian, I plan on tweaking it quite a bit and I'm not sure how well it would work...thought maybe you could help. I am thinking about using seasoned seitan in place of the chicken. I'm hoping that the buttermilk brine will enhance the flavor of the seitan the same way as it does chicken. Here's my question: what does the buttermilk do? Does it improve the flavor, the texture or both? Do you think it's pointless to use the brine and just go straight to the breading since I'm not using chicken? Thanks!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Deborah, you can use breast meat, but because it has a lower fat content it tends to dry out and will not be as flavorful as using legs.
Deborah Geary says
Marc,
Can I make the buttermilk fried chicken with chicken breasts?
Su says
I'm making this tonight!!! It already smells soooooo good, just drying on the rack, before frying!!!! Thank you Marc!
Marc Matsumoto says
You can bake it, but it will not turn out as crisp as if you fried it, you'll end up with a bready exterior, unless you pour a good deal of oil over the chicken before baking, but at that point you'll have negated any calorie savings of baking. If you're going to bake the chicken you may want to consider using an egg wash and breadcrumbs instead of flour.
Natalie says
what if I full baked the chicken instead of partially fried and baked?
Marc Matsumoto says
It depends on the size of the chicken. There's plenty of brine and flour to coat larger legs, but you may need to increase the frying time if they are very large.
Margaret says
Hi Marc,
Your recipe of 4 whole chicken legs is about how much in weight?
Jeremy says
Thank you, I thought it contributed in some way to the chemical processes that render the chicken more moist
Marc Matsumoto says
It balances out the salt, giving the chicken a mellow savory taste. It's not intended to make the chicken sweet.
Jeremy says
Hi Marc, could you tell me what the point is of adding sugar to a brine?
Marc Matsumoto says
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Aaliyah says
My name is Aaliyah ,im 13 and Last Sunday I cooked Your Buttermilk Fried Chicken It was A hit!!!! Im cooking it again this sunday with a spike in the sides Thanks So much!!!!
Steve Brown says
Thanks for the speedy reply Marc. I sensed that covering the oil would not be a good idea. So tonight's the night! I will let you know how it turns out
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Steve, glad to hear you've discovered the kitchen:-) When you deep fry something the idea is that the oil is much hotter(160-190C) than the boiling point of water (100C), so when you add an ingredient that contains water to the oil, it not only cooks the ingredient, but it drives off all the surface moisture on the food, thus making the exterior crispy/crunchy. If you covered the pot with a lid, you'd trap all that water vapor, which would then fall back into the oil, causing it to bubble violently, possibly causing the oil to over flow and catch on fire. In short, never cover the pot with a lid when deep frying.
Steve Brown says
Hi Marc, I have had this recipe saved for months now, and I have been looking forward to trying it for as long. The chicken is in my fridge lapping up the marinate now. I am a newbie in the the kitchen I am experimenting quite a lot. My question is do I cover the the chicken while it is cooking in the oil?
cassandra says
you writing is too light to read comfortably.
malvinder kaur says
nice i myself like to brine/marinade meats for flavor !
Marc Matsumoto says
356 in a deep fryer should be fine. If it looks like it's browning too quickly, you can turn down the heat.
shorty says
will i get the same results if i cook the chicken in a deep fryer at 356 for the 12-15 min? thats as close to 350 as i can get on my deep fryer. I think the fryer might have a temp close to 320..should i do the 320 in the deep fryer instead?
KenC says
I tried this recipe this last Sat. and I say this is the best recipe I have come across so people I say this is a must have.
Marc Matsumoto says
I can't think of any good shortcuts that can be made that wouldn't effect the dish, but I'll see if I can come with a faster weeknight version like I did with my Spaghetti and Meat Sauce a few weeks ago: https://norecipes.com/blog/spaghetti-meat-sauce-recipe/
Allie says
Is there a faster way to do this for weeknights?
Marc Matsumoto says
Sorry if the recipe was confusing, but you used the strained buttermilk for the second dredge.
Mike says
When you double dredge with this recipe, should you use egg or use the buttermilk? first time trying this.
SteveK says
Made this for my family and they gobbled it down like they hadn't eaten in a month. Didn't have any rosemary so I chopped up some fresh basil added. It was great.
Marc Matsumoto says
It should work, but you'll need to experiment with times to figure out what works best. I'd probably fry until it gets to a light brown color, then bake until it's a full golden brown.
SB says
Wondering if this would work with boneless chicken pieces and a partial frying and then on to finish off the baking in the oven?
Andrew Leung says
This is great! I have tried other fried chicken recipes (i.e. pan frying, pan + oven cooking, different spices for the coating, brining then marinating in buttermilk, etc.) and combined parts of them into my own recipe. After making Alton Brown's Good Eats turkey last Thansgiving, I knew there was something missing in my fried chicken recipe that can make it better... I felt using a brine should make a HUGE difference. All the recipes I've seen only use buttermilk to marinate but this was the first one I found to put aromatics into the buttermilk, making it a hybrid buttermilk-brine. Very smart!
I tried out this recipe last night, using this buttermilk-brine base with my recipe. This improved my fried chicken immensely! The buttermilk-brine brought more flavors IN-to the chicken than just the outer part of the chicken. My wife & I loved it! I will definitely keep experimenting from here to improve my recipe... err, my new 'no recipe'. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Andrew Leung says
This is great! I have tried other fried chicken recipes (i.e. pan frying, pan + oven cooking, different spices for the coating, brining then marinating in buttermilk, etc.) and combined parts of them into my own recipe. After making Alton Brown's Good Eats turkey last Thansgiving, I knew there was something missing in my fried chicken recipe that can make it better... I felt using a brine should make a HUGE difference. All the recipes I've seen only use buttermilk to marinate but this was the first one I found to put aromatics into the buttermilk, making it a hybrid buttermilk-brine. Very smart!
I tried out this recipe last night, using this buttermilk-brine base with my recipe. This improved my fried chicken immensely! The buttermilk-brine brought more flavors IN-to the chicken than just the outer part of the chicken. My wife & I loved it! I will definitely keep experimenting from here to improve my recipe... err, my new 'no recipe'. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Denver Realtor says
Yumyum, that looks incredible!
Denver Realtor says
Yumyum, that looks incredible!
Wattleyc46 says
lower the heat
Dyksinski says
I brined my chicken last night in a simple salt solution, wish I had read this first. I will try the flouring and cooking technique though -- sounds yummy
Skott Chiu says
this is a good recipe just by reading it. rome was not built in a day and so good fried chicken cannot be made in few hours. my questions is does kfc use msg?
Caribbeanessence says
What oil r u using. Try using peanut or rice bran oil that have high burning temperatures
Cindy_hill says
that sounds awsome so have the chicken soaking in buttermilk and will try your recipe tonight...thanks
abcd says
I have to agree with this unfortunately...
Specwar2006 says
oh please. Don't be so dramatic about the sugar. It serves a purpose, and if you were any kind of cook/chef, you would know that this is a VERY small amount compared to the overall size of the batch.
Shutterbunny says
Why not?
Shutterbunny says
Sugar ? Disgusting !! Sheesh, can't people eat anything without sugar anymore
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks! There's a couple possibilites. The first is that the size of the chicken legs you're using are bigger than the ones I had. If this is the case, you may need to either separate the drumstick from the thigh and fry them separately, or reduce the temperature of the oil. The other possibility is that your chicken may not have been room temperature. Although I don't explicitly state it, the hour the chicken is air drying should be at room temperature. If the chicken is straight out of the fridge, it's cold, so it takes longer to heat up and cook through. I hope that helps.
Jalbarron says
I love your recipe but my chicken keeps getting to dark on the outside.. how do I get it to be golden and still cook all through?
Marc Matsumoto says
It's not ideal, but 8 hours is better than 7 hours.
Moosierintoo says
Is it okay if I marinate it for only 8 hours?
Ham_sambitory74 says
hello gud pm. Can you give me a recipe for quick fried chicken for a restaurant
Ham_sambitory74 says
hello gud pm. Can you give me a recipe for quick fried chicken for a restaurant
Cs934 says
My husband loves fried chicken...but he has not found many restaurants for fried chicken that he likes. He originally liked KFC, but when they went to no trans fat...it wasn't as good. so I tried this buttermilk recipe and it really wasn't very good. I have to agree with him. I'm not a fan of fried chicken...but this was bad!
It was a lot of work too.
Cocoanutsmile says
This turned out absolutely amazing. I friend in coconut oil and butter. This did not lack any juice at all!!!!! Try doing chicken breast with no skin or bone in these oils, and you will see what I mean. It's so much flavor!
Congrats by the way with your food column with PBS. Can't wait to try ur pho ga.
Marc Matsumoto says
Chicken breast is tricky because it's so low in fat. One minute can mean the diference between a juicy breast and a piece of cardboard. Since it's chicken, you don't want to undercook it, but try taking a piece of chicken out a little early and cutting into it. The juice should be clear. If it is cloudy or pink, it's not done.
Cocoanutsmile says
Hi Mark, I'm marinating skinless chicken breasts now. After reading the comments I see that I may end up with dryyyyyy fried chicken. Do you have any tips to possibly avoid this tragedy? Yes, tragedy! Simply reading the recipe made me smack my lips so I don't want to be disappointed.
I was also going to fry in vegetable oil mixed with coconut oil for added fat content.
Diamondbrown says
Making this tonight and I'm so nervous. Hope it turns out just as delicious even though I didnt use some of the same seasonings! I hope my chance to impress doesn't back fire.
Mirramjr says
Truly the best fried chicken I have ever made. Didn't have the patience to let it dry for a whole hour and still came out awesome. Been doing the buttermilk bath overnight (sometimes two nights) for a long time which ensures the chicken turns out moist and delicious but the double dredging totally made the difference in crispy deliciousness. Thanks man!!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Because I used whole chicken legs, the chicken takes longer to cook that
when they're separated, if you fry at 370, it will probably burn before the
meat around the joint is cooked. You could try maintaining a slightly higher
temperature and turn it down if it starts getting too dark too quickly. The
other option of course is to use the thigh and drumstick separately. I'm
curious to hear how it turns out!
humanechef says
Hey good afternoon looks great I am about to make these and have a question. Usually I fry my chicken breasts between 360-370, do you truly recommend a low 320 for the deep-fry? I am sure it would still work however I want to make sure this is not a typo, I thought the higher temperature is what ensures quality results. . Please let me know if frying between 360-370 would be problematic. Looking forward to this sounds delicious man 🙂
Maria2002 says
awesome work marc!
Marc Matsumoto says
Sorry to hear it didn't work out. Did you use paper towels to dry the brine off the chicken before coating with flour? If there's too much moisture on the outside of the chicken when you flour it it could make it soggy. Also it's important the the chicken be fried at a high temperature so the steam escaping from the chicken prevents the oil from soaking into the crust. If you don't have one, I recommend getting a candy thermometer so you can measure the temperature of the oil before adding the chicken.
Tha14u2007 says
i just made this and i dont know what went wrong but my chicken was not crispy at alll !!!!
Marilia says
Fried chicken: Secret..use a small 3lb chicken cut up. Big chick take too long to cook through. If you use PIECES be sure they are small.
shake in a paper bag. Don't know why but no southern cook worth her biscuits would not ever "flour" her chix this way. Plastic makes chicken "gummy". Keep it simple. use hard crisco...hi heat point and consistent burn point.
do not crowd chix in pan. easily kept warm and crisp in a 200* oven when done. ALWAYS drain on BROWN PAPER BAGS.
Johnson34 says
sooooo good! so much flavor
DCJallday says
My wife made this chicken for me the other day for my birthday, It was without a doubt the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. GREAT RECIPE!!!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Yes, but it won't taste as good. Breast meat has much less fat, so it
tends to be dryer, doubly so if you get it skinless. But it's
certainly healthier (if you can call fried chicken "healthy" :-P)
Simonsays says
could I make this with skinless chicken breasts?
Mrsboydy says
I just made this and it is the best fried chicken ever. So tasty, so crispy. Unreal!
Vanlinda83 says
I am making this right now, ack! can't wait!
Eltonia30 says
OMG!!! Just made this and I have to agree that this is the best fried chicken recipe I have ever used(and I have used tons). Thank you for posting this is. It was also my first attempt at frying chicken and it all worked out. No salmonella or anything.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for your note. The fried chilies are actually super simple to
make. I just fry them in the same oil as the chicken until they are
bright green, then sprinkle some salt on top. The chilies are called
Shishito Peppers and are not very spicy.
janie k says
HI, where do i get the recipe for fried chili, to go with the chicken? i couldn't find it,so i was hoping you could help, thanks so much..janie k
Mel Kelleher says
my mother made a seasoning mix that included good seasons italian dressing-dry- & dry tomato soup. she always poured bmilk or evaporated milk the nite b4-wish ihad paid more attn!
Rita Snider says
Sounds great! I will try some of the tips tonight. Some of my mother's tricks whose fried chicken was highly regarded in four counties and especially at home, she always removed the skin, did a flour dredge, egg buttermilk, dip, and another flour coating. Frying in shortening in a stainless steel pan with a tight fitting lid , almost steamed a little as fried. Your seasoning sounds flavorful. Mother would only use salt, pepper, garlic powder and it was still tasty.
Sseiber6 says
Buttermilk does indeed act as a tenderizer. I use it when I am making sauerbraten. Also adds a lot of flavor.
Skhountham says
your methodology is genius..especially letting it rest for an hour! I just finished making it, and it was even better than I could have imagined. Also, I prefer double coating in rice flour to really give it that crispy crunch! Thank you!
Cmreagin2u says
tenderizes and flavors the chicken
Chi-Chi says
Made your chicken last night, and you are right, this is the best buttermilk fried chicken ever!!
Marc Matsumoto says
The buttermilk plays a couple of rolls. First it's the liquid in thebrine which adds moisture to the meat, keeping it from drying out.Secondly it adds a nice flavour to the chicken. The last thing, whichI'm not entirely sure about, is that it may act as a meat tenderizer.
Rasa Malaysia says
A great recipe is hard to come by, especially for fried chicken. I recently bought a Taiwanese fried chicken cookbook because their night market is a gem for such. What does buttermilk do in this case? I am always wondering because it's in almost all recipes I have seen.
Marc Matsumoto says
The buttermilk plays a couple of rolls. First it's the liquid in thebrine which adds moisture to the meat, keeping it from drying out.Secondly it adds a nice flavour to the chicken. The last thing, whichI'm not entirely sure about, is that it may act as a meat tenderizer.
Rasa Malaysia says
A great recipe is hard to come by, especially for fried chicken. I recently bought a Taiwanese fried chicken cookbook because their night market is a gem for such. What does buttermilk do in this case? I am always wondering because it's in almost all recipes I have seen.
Scalps says
Sounds a great recipe and away from the usual, I'm going to try with chicken supremes and because I don't go in a lot for deep frying I'll roast in very hot oven sprinkled with oil after a few minutes. Hope it works!!
Scalps says
Sounds a great recipe and away from the usual, I'm going to try with chicken supremes and because I don't go in a lot for deep frying I'll roast in very hot oven sprinkled with oil after a few minutes. Hope it works!!
Trissa says
Reading your recipe, especially with the brining, and drying of the skin, I can really see why you would say this is the best ever fried chicken. It looks delicious - you would give KFC a run for their money...
We Are Never Full says
you are so right about the air drying. we learned this from alton brown when we were looking to make wings. it really does make them extra crispy. you can also throw them into the fridge on a plate uncovered for a few hours. i still think the thomas keller fried chicken recipe is pretty darn good as well - a bit similar to this one (seasonings, if i remember, are different). before i made his recipe a few months ago I had not cooked fried chicken in years. it is involved but SO worth it if you are making a giant batch for a bunch of people. it's just so good and a welcome treat if you're willing to wash up some oil splatters later!
Peter G says
I literally wanted to lick the screen Marc! This looks amazing and absolutely, lip smackin' delicious! I'm not a fan of deep frying (mostly due to technique) but I'm willing to give this a go! Thank you for sharing!
We Are Never Full says
you are so right about the air drying. we learned this from alton brown when we were looking to make wings. it really does make them extra crispy. you can also throw them into the fridge on a plate uncovered for a few hours. i still think the thomas keller fried chicken recipe is pretty darn good as well - a bit similar to this one (seasonings, if i remember, are different). before i made his recipe a few months ago I had not cooked fried chicken in years. it is involved but SO worth it if you are making a giant batch for a bunch of people. it's just so good and a welcome treat if you're willing to wash up some oil splatters later!
SippitySup says
The chicken is beautiful. Of course I knew you could make gorgeous fried chicken, so I want to comment on that fried chili. What a marvelous combination with fried chicken. So unexpected. GREG
Peter G says
I literally wanted to lick the screen Marc! This looks amazing and absolutely, lip smackin' delicious! I'm not a fan of deep frying (mostly due to technique) but I'm willing to give this a go! Thank you for sharing!
Memoria says
What a fantastic recipe. I've heard of all the tips before except for the one-hour rest after coating the chicken. Cool! Thanks for sharing these tips and AMAZING photos.
Memoria says
What a fantastic recipe. I've heard of all the tips before except for the one-hour rest after coating the chicken. Cool! Thanks for sharing these tips and AMAZING photos.
Kaitlin says
This sounds fantastic! Great tips - I've never made fried chicken before, and I never would have thought of letting it sit out. Can't wait to try it!
Kaitlin says
This sounds fantastic! Great tips - I've never made fried chicken before, and I never would have thought of letting it sit out. Can't wait to try it!
elliottcmitchell says
Looks good. Although I was born in a border state, I was mostly raised in the South & Southwest (with a short stint in the American Sector of occupied West Berlin) so I appreciate deep-fried countrified cooking. On that, my heart and I have a falling out. I guess if taste is the ultimate concern, dark meat is appropriate, but in the gentlest nod to my organs, I'd rather try this one with wings and breast. I'll be including this post this weekend at https://nashville247.tv and be pleased to do it.
OHBYTHEWAY, day old cold fried chicken in a picnic basket is to die for.
Rachel(Short[dis]Order Cook) says
Awesome recipe. I love to give my chicken a good buttermilk soak. Fried chicken definitely does rank up there with bacon.I never thought to give my coated chicken that long of a rest. Considering I often fear under/over cooking (my fried chicken can get awfully brown at times...) I know I probably should be more vigiliant in bringing the cold chicken up to temp.I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets hankerings for the cololnel. Sometimes it's the most easily attainable fried chicken out there. When you have to have fried chicken, you sometimes have to take what you can get.
Tiny Urban Kitchen says
I've only recently learned how to make good roasted chicken, but I still have never tried frying it at home! For me, the fear is not so much about the splatter, but about the greasy smell that will be stuck in my house for hours and possibly days. My tiny urban kitchen has no real fume hood, and therefore whenever I grill/fry etc. the whole apartment smells like oil!
barbarakiebel says
I love fried chicken but seldom make it; when I do it's with a similar Buttermilk method but have not brined it or added the variety of spices you do. I now have but one purpose for that fryer I bought last year and have yet to use...to try this!
Kitchen Butterfly says
A must make...............................seriously looks good!
diva says
We used to have househelp who made fried chicken like I'd never tasted before. She definitely went for the brining method but guess what she used? Instead of salt + sugar marinade, she had a secret ingredient - Coca Cola!
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks:-) I usually do my deep frying in a deep stock pot. This helpscontain all the splattering so unless you're directly above the potit's harder to get hit with the oil.
merry jennifer says
This does look pretty incredible. I'm with Maggie, though. I've always been -- and still am -- afraid of frying at home. That hot oil is very intimidating for someone as clumsy as me. The addition of rosemary seems like a great touch to the recipe, by the way.
bunkycooks says
Oh, my! I know what I might be cooking this weekend! There is nothing better than fried chicken made at home with a really crispy crust! I do not make it often, but it is sooo good when I do! I will definitely use your recipe. I love all the extra seasonings and the buttermilk brine!
Rachel(Short[dis]Order Cook) says
Awesome recipe. I love to give my chicken a good buttermilk soak. Fried chicken definitely does rank up there with bacon.I never thought to give my coated chicken that long of a rest. Considering I often fear under/over cooking (my fried chicken can get awfully brown at times...) I know I probably should be more vigiliant in bringing the cold chicken up to temp.I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets hankerings for the cololnel. Sometimes it's the most easily attainable fried chicken out there. When you have to have fried chicken, you sometimes have to take what you can get.
maggie says
This looks awesome. I've always been afraid of making fried chicken at home (besides wings) but you've got me drooling.
Tiny Urban Kitchen says
I've only recently learned how to make good roasted chicken, but I still have never tried frying it at home! For me, the fear is not so much about the splatter, but about the greasy smell that will be stuck in my house for hours and possibly days. My tiny urban kitchen has no real fume hood, and therefore whenever I grill/fry etc. the whole apartment smells like oil!
barbarakiebel says
I love fried chicken but seldom make it; when I do it's with a similar Buttermilk method but have not brined it or added the variety of spices you do. I now have but one purpose for that fryer I bought last year and have yet to use...to try this!
diva says
We used to have househelp who made fried chicken like I'd never tasted before. She definitely went for the brining method but guess what she used? Instead of salt + sugar marinade, she had a secret ingredient - Coca Cola!
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks:-) I usually do my deep frying in a deep stock pot. This helpscontain all the splattering so unless you're directly above the potit's harder to get hit with the oil.
merry jennifer says
This does look pretty incredible. I'm with Maggie, though. I've always been -- and still am -- afraid of frying at home. That hot oil is very intimidating for someone as clumsy as me. The addition of rosemary seems like a great touch to the recipe, by the way.
Cherine says
Wow really the best buttermilk fried chicken i've ever seen!!!
maggie says
This looks awesome. I've always been afraid of making fried chicken at home (besides wings) but you've got me drooling.
Christine says
This recipe looks finger lickin' good! This recipe may be a bit more involved, but I am sure the exceptional results are well worth it!
Cherine says
Wow really the best buttermilk fried chicken i've ever seen!!!
Christine says
This recipe looks finger lickin' good! This recipe may be a bit more involved, but I am sure the exceptional results are well worth it!