epicurious
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
The egg-enriched buttermilk mixture makes for an especially crunchy and craggy coating. This recipe is from Buxton Hall, one of Bon Appétit's Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.
👥 8 Servings👤 Epicurious📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pan
- ●pot
- ●bowl
- ●whisk
- ●baking sheet
- ●oven
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Brine:
2
Toast mustard, cumin, and fennel seeds in a large pot over medium-low heat, tossing often, until fragrant and mustard seeds are starting to pop, about ⏱️ 1 minute. Add salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove pan from heat and add 8 cups ice water, then chicken pieces. Cover pot with plastic wrap and chill chicken at least ⏱️ 8 hours and up to 1 day.
fennel seeds1 teaspoonteaspoon ground fennel or finely ground fennel seeds1 1/2bay leaves2cup (packed) light brown sugar1/2
3
Assembly:
4
Place 2 cups flour in a shallow bowl. Whisk cornstarch, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, fennel, 1 Tbsp. or 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and remaining 4 cups flour in another shallow bowl to combine. Whisk eggs and buttermilk in a third shallow bowl to combine.
cup (packed) light brown sugar1/2cornstarch1 tablespoongarlic powder1 tablespoononion powder1 tablespoonlarge eggs, beaten to blend2buttermilk2 cups
5
Remove chicken pieces from brine and pat dry; discard brine. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in plain flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Transfer chicken to bowl with seasoned flour and coat, packing all around chicken and firmly into cracks and crevices; shake off excess. Place chicken on 2 wire racks set inside rimmed baking sheets.
6
Pour oil into a large pot to come halfway up sides. Fit pot with thermometer and heat oil over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°F. Working in 4 batches, fry chicken, turning often with tongs and adjusting heat to maintain temperature, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken registers 165°F for dark meat and 160°F for white meat, 10–⏱️ 14 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to clean wire racks and let rest ⏱️ 10 minutes.
7
Serve fried chicken with barbecue sauce and pickles.
8
Do Ahead
9
Chicken can be dredged ⏱️ 2 hours ahead. Chill uncovered on rimmed baking sheets. Chicken can be fried ⏱️ 2 hours ahead. Let sit uncovered at room temperature. Reheat in a 250°F oven if desired.
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