Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Pic: Quyen's Buttermilk Fried Chicken

On Monday morning, looking out into the calm that is the Puget Sound, I had the urge for some fried chicken. So, a day and half later, I made some for myself (and others.) I wanted it Monday night, but it's best to soak the chicken for several hours, so I had to wait until Tuesday. Ugh. So annoying.

Before heading to the gym for my plyometrics session, I butchered the whole chicken into 8 pieces using my beautiful 9” chef’s knife, leaving the skin on, of course, and prepared the buttermilk brine. Buttermilk, sugar, salt, bay leaves, garlic, and paprika made up the brine. I left for my workout wearing my AWESOME “I survived the blackout – NYC 2003” T-shirt which, using only a pair of shears, I’d crafted into a muscle T by cutting off the sleeves and expanding the neck. I am so f-cking cool.

After 2 hours of non-stop aerobic and anaerobic exercise without any water whatsoever, I figured I’d burned enough calories to deserve some fried chicken. So, I poured about 2 cups of canola oil into my Le Creuset braising pan, turned up the heat to medium and let it heat consistently to about 375 degrees (190 Celsius), even though my thermometer just broke. I also set my oven to about 200 degrees (90 Celsius) to keep the cooked pieces warm. A trick you can also use to determine whether the oil is just right is putting a wooden spoon into the oil and seeing whether little bubbles form on contact.

To prep the chicken, I let it drain a little to take some excess off, then dipped it into a mixture of flour, pepper, paprika, and cayenne (whatever spices you like), and shook off the excess again. I then dipped the pieces into ANOTHER mixture of egg, baking soda (bicarbonate), baking powder and buttermilk, then dipped it again into the flour mixture. Double dipping is perfectly acceptable here. Just try not to lick your fingers, please.

By now my oil was just right, I hoped, and after placing just a couple pieces of chicken into the oil I waited patiently. When adding meat to oil, make sure you don’t overcrowd, as that will bring down the temperature of the oil, and you don’t want that to happen now, would you? Anyway, I fried the pieces for about 7-9 minutes per side, depending on thickness of the piece, then flipped them for another 7-9 minutes.

I let the meat rest on a wire rack to get rid of excess oil, placed it in the oven to stay warm while I fried up the rest of the meat, and made the accompanying dishes—green salad and a French style potato salad. Unlike a mayonnaise-based salad, this potato salad is a much lighter, healthier alternative.

First you slice potatoes into about 1/4” thick discs, boil them in salted water with some garlic cloves for about 7 minutes or until al dente, and drain, reserving a little of the liquid. To the liquid I add whatever fresh herbs I have on hand, which last night consisted of dill, thyme, and parsley. I then added some white wine which we were drinking with dinner, tarragon vinegar, whole grain mustard, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste, and tossed everything together. Very simple, but delicious and “healthy”—don’t be stingy with the herbs. They’re the stars of this dish, the potatoes just a vehicle for them.

Judging from the reactions of my guests, I think the dish was a hit. The skin was crispy, not oily, and the meat tender and juicy. Even if you’re a vegetarian, doesn’t that sound tantalizing?

Wish you could have a bite,
Quyen

PS I think I sated my desire for fried chicken for at least a couple years.