Converter
All Recipes

Western · Fried

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

An overnight brine and a craggy crust you build by hand in the flour.

Prep20 min
Cook25 min
Chill480 min
YieldServes 4
LevelMedium

Two things separate great fried chicken from adequate fried chicken. The buttermilk soak, which seasons and tenderises right through, and pressing the coating on hard enough to create loose craggy bits. Those bits are where the crunch lives.

Everything you need

Serves 4 · 10 items
  • 1 kg (1000 g) chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp (18 g) fine salt
  • 2 cups (250 g) plain flour
  • ½ cup (60 g) cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 5 cups neutral oil, for frying

Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.

Method

6 steps · 45 minutes 0 of 6 done

  1. Mix the buttermilk with the salt and a teaspoon each of the paprika and black pepper. Submerge the chicken, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

    For this step

    • 1 kg (1000 g) chicken thighs and drumsticks
    • 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk
    • 1 tbsp (18 g) fine salt
    • 2 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
    • 2 tsp black pepper

  2. Combine the flour, cornflour and all the remaining spices in a wide bowl with a good pinch of salt.

    For this step

    • 1 tbsp (18 g) fine salt
    • 2 cups (250 g) plain flour
    • ½ cup (60 g) cornflour (cornstarch)

  3. Spoon three tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade into the flour and rub it through with your fingers until you have small ragged clumps.

    For this step

    • 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk
    • 2 cups (250 g) plain flour

  4. Lift each piece straight from the buttermilk into the flour and press the coating on hard, turning it several times. Rest the coated pieces on a rack for 15 minutes.

    For this step

    • 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk
    • 2 cups (250 g) plain flour

  5. Heat the oil to 165C and fry in batches of three or four for 12 to 14 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden and 75C at the bone.

  6. Drain on a rack and salt lightly the moment it comes out of the oil.

    For this step

    • 1 tbsp (18 g) fine salt

Tap a step to check it off. Your place is saved on this device.

Worth knowing

  • The 15 minute rest before frying glues the coating on. Skip it and half of it stays in the oil.
  • 165C, not hotter. At 190C the crust is dark before a drumstick is cooked through.
760kcal
48gProtein
44gCarbs
42gFat

Nutrition: estimated from typical ingredient values, not laboratory tested. Check the labels on what you actually buy.

Cooking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.

More to cook

Korean Fried Chicken Fried Korean Fried Chicken Fried twice, sauced last, and still crunching ten minutes later. Beer Battered Fish and Chips Fried Beer Battered Fish and Chips Cold beer batter, twice cooked chips, and a pan you do not crowd. Pork Schnitzel Fried Pork Schnitzel Pounded thin, crumbed, and fried in enough butter for the coating to blister.

A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.

Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.