Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

  • Prep Time: 24 hrs
  • Total Time: 48 hrs 12 mins
  • Servings: 3-4

    • About This Recipe

    “Adapted from Alton Brown’s Good Eats show. The crust on this chicken will really amaze you.”

    Ingredients

  • 1broiler-fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces( you want the skin on, trust me, and if you buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself you save a bun)
  • 2cupslow-fat buttermilk
  • 2tablespoonskosher salt
  • 2tablespoonsHungarian paprika
  • 2teaspoonsgarlic powder
  • 1teaspooncayenne pepper
  • 1cupflour, for dredging
  • vegetable shortening, for frying

    • Directions

  • Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours .
  • Drain chicken in a colander.
  • Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
  • Liberally season chicken with this mixture.
  • Then, dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess (by seasoning before you flour, you trap the seasoning under the flour coating, and you use a lot less seasoning than if you tried to put it in the flour and hope it catches on the chicken).
  • Melt enough shortening (over low heat) to come just 1/8-inch up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan.
  • Once shortening liquefies raise heat to 325 degrees F.
  • Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees F.
  • Place chicken skin side down into the pan.
  • Put thighs in the center (they take longer to cook and can use the extra center heat), and breast and legs around the edge of the pan.
  • The oil should come half way up the pan once the chicken is added.
  • Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10-12 minutesper side.
  • The internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees.
  • (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes).
  • Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan, NOT on paper towels or brown paper bags which just cause the chicken to soak in their own oil.
  • If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven, especially if it?.
  • s a gas oven, which is very moist and will ruin your beautiful chicken crust!

    • Reviews

  • “Cut down on the salt and it’s not to bad…Good flavor.”

  • “Gay–what a fabulous way to fry chicken!My husband really does any frying that we may do, and he LOVED this method.We soaked boneless chicken in buttermilk for 24 hours, then drained, and cut into strips, about chicken tender-size.I didn’t have any paprika left, so we instead of using the spices suggested, we improvised by shaking the strips in a ziploc bag with some emerils essence that I had mixed up earlier.Doing this first, THEN dredging in flour is so perfect.I was saying, “Why didn’t we ever think of doing it this way?”Anyway, since it was boneless, they cooked up very quickly, and were flavorful, tender, and very juicy.This is the only way he’ll fry chicken anymore.Thanks for a perfect recipe, Gay!”

  • “This produced the most amazing crust.I brined my chicken in a buttermilk, herb and hot sauce brine, then dredged in flour, egg wash and flour again.I wanted to take a picture, but the gorgeous chicken was inhaled by my guests before I had a chance.”

  • “This made some great tasting fried chicken! I especially loved the seasoning, which doesn’t get lost in the flour, but trapped just underneath the crust! I did add a little hot sauce to my buttermilk soak, as we love hot and spicy. I think that next time, I’ll double-dip, for a little more crust. I’m on a quest for awesome fried chicken and this will surely go into ‘my favorites’ cookbook! Thanks for sharing Alton’s recipe, Gay Gilmore!”

  • “Easy process, crunchy, but too much salt. I’ll try it again but cut the salt in half.”

  • “Juicy, tangy and well-spiced, even when we reduced the cayenne. I was kitchen-testing skillets and cooked in three different skillets, so agree with the reviewer who said it took much longer than 10-12 minutes per side. Mine was more like 17 to 20 per side to reach 160, the new recommended temp for poultry.”

  • “This recipe produces beautiful chicken, no question, and it was enjoyed by my family and guests, but there is something about fried chicken prepared with buttermilk that is just not my cup of tea.I make fried chicken just about every week, so I’ve tried many recipes and I prefer a crust that is lightly crispy. That is just my preference, however, so for all you out there that like the heavier crust, this is an excellent recipe.I made this recipe with less salt and without garlic powder, but with a touch of onion powder as I think garlic powder tastes funny on traditional fried chicken.Thanks for such pretty and tasty chicken!”

  • “I made this for my DH using chicken legs. Some were very large, so I finished them off in the oven. He enjoyed them. Thanks Gay!”

  • “With the exception of the overwhelming salt. This was really good. I should have known that 2 tbls of salt, any kind was going to be too much…but no! I went with it any way. I did tell (salt loving DH) to taste before he added any salt. He said this is perfect…It did crisp up nicely and the directions were right on.Thanks Mr Jackson for posting. Made for PAC spring 08′”

  • “Great fried chicken. The only thing I did differently was to cover the skillet to begin with. Then when I turn the chicken over, I leave the cover off so that the browned crust doesn’t get steamed.”

  • “Sooooo delicious. The best pan-fried chicken recipe I have found. I made a big batch of the seasoning and put it in an empty spice jar with a shaker, just like Alton does in the episode featuring this recipe. It is fantastic to have on hand. I added some extra cayenne since my husband and I like our food spicier than average.It was DELICIOUS the next day, cold and warmed up.I fried in canola oil instead of shortening (since I totally smoked the shortening through carelessness.)Be very careful with the temperature of your oil or shortening, as it’s easy to take it past the smoke point if you don’t watch out!”

  • “This is my standard for fried chicken recipes; tried and true.The only part I struggle with is keeping the temperature consistent and I usually add a little more shortening than is called for so it actually cooks the bottom half of the chicken.The taste is delicious and it makes for some REALLY good cold chicken for a picnic or leftovers.”

  • “Wonderful fried chicken Kimberly! I did not have any Kosher salt on hand, so I used regular, but cut the amount down a bit. I soaked the chicken in buttermilk since early this morning. The spice combination was perfect and the chicken was melt-in-your-mouth DELICIOUS!! I served it with homemade fries, what a wonderful meal! This is a keeper for sure, thanks so much for posting!…Kittencal:)”

  • “We enjoyed this recipe.The coating was very good. I had a hard time keeping the crust from becoming too brown while cooking it.I might lower the temperature just a little bit next time.I served it with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes #65159 and made milk gravy from the fried chicken pan.Yummy.”

  • “Was looking for a recipe for fried chicken that I could serve cold and this one turned out WONDERFUL!! The whole family loved it. I had to fry it for a lot longer than 10-12 minutes per side and I finally covered it (slightly vented) to get the breast to cook to an internal temp of 180°F. Once it had, I removed the lid and let it fry about 5 minutes more per side to recrisp the coating. Let drain as directed and placed in frig. Coating held up well and the flavor was excellent. The meat was very tender and tasty also. Thanks for sharing Kimberly!”

  • “This was the first time I have ever attempted to make fried chicken.Like leannr, I used sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and was simply blown away by how explosively juicy they were.Just incredible.My crust wasn’t quite up to par, as I had some issues trying to maintain the correct temperature of the fat (I used lard), but with time, I can see that becoming second nature.My husband has told me that anytime I want to make this, he would be more than happy to clean up the stove for me.:)Great recipe- thanks!”

  • “I made this recipe for a Memorial Day picnic, and it was hilarious.My Mom was over my shoulder the whole time telling me that if I didn’t turn them they’d burn.I was trying to use my cast iron skillet, not having an easy time controlling the oil temp, and she was right–the first batch burned.I told her it wasn’t because I didn’t turn them, it was because I couldn’t control the temp, so she went out and bought me an electric skillet.The second batch was the best chicken we’ve ever had!The chicken is juicy, the flavor is wonderful, and the crust is just the right amount of crispy!I cut back on the cayenne, because we aren’t hot/spicy people, but it was still excellent!Thanks Gay! :)”

    •