Fried chicken is the essential country classic, but it’s rarely homemade because it’s time consuming and messy. However, the tasty rewards far outweigh the work. The key to crunchy fried chicken is to maintain the oil’s temperature.
You’ll need a candy/deep-fry thermometer to check the temperature and Dutch oven for frying the chicken. Serve with homemade biscuits, garden fresh green beans and mashed potatoes, and enjoy this classic’s.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 6 T. buttermilk
- 1 T. Fine Sea Salt
- 1 Whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces, giblets discarded, wings and back saved for stock (if desired)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 4-5 cups vegetable oil
Preparation
Whisk together 2 cups buttermilk and sea salt in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl and coat each piece; cover the bowl and refrigerate for no longer than 1 hour or chicken will be too salty. Mix together flour, baking powder, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add remaining 6 T. buttermilk and rub with your fingers until it is evenly mixed into flour. Work with one or two pieces at a time and drop chicken into flour mixture, turn over to thoroughly coat. Shake excess flour from each piece and set aside. Pour 1 inch of oil into Dutch oven. Heat on medium-high heat until oil reaches 375 degrees.
Place chicken into oil with the skin-side down. Be sure oil is covering chicken. Cover and fry until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove lid after 5 minutes and check for even browning, rearrange the chicken if browning unevenly. Keep oil around 300 degrees. Turn chicken pieces over and fry uncovered until a deep golden brown on other side, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Use tongs to transfer chicken to a plate covered with paper towels; let stand for 5 minutes to drain excess oil.
