What's not to love about fried chicken? I maintain there is nothing. I'm pretty much always willing to try a new recipe, and considering I had a bunch of buttermilk to use up one day, this Alton Brown recipe fit the bill perfectly. Most of my fall-back recipes don't marinade in buttermilk, so I was curious what the difference would be.
This was a great chicken recipe, though a bit salty. I would probably cut down the salt if I make it again in the future. I couldn't tell much difference in the flavor of this chicken meat compared to other recipes I've made where the chicken was not soaked in buttermilk, but I'm sure in a side-by-side comparison it would've been more clear. I'm not sure this will be my go-to recipe for the future, but it's certainly something I'll consider the next time I make fried chicken.
Fried Chicken
Recipe by Alton Brown, adapted
Serves 3-4
Prep Time - 20 minutes (plus 12-24 hrs inactive)
Cook Time - 15 min
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 TBSP kosher salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBSP paprika
flour, for dredging
peanut oil, for frying (Alton uses shortening)
DIRECTIONS
Put chicken into a large plastic bowl and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hrs (the longer you let it sit in the buttermilk, the more tender the chicken will be).
Heat the oil to 325 degrees (we used our deep fryer, but if you're using a pan, let the oil come up to about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch up the side of the pan). Do not let the oil go over 325 degrees.
Drain the chicken in a colander.
Combine the salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Season the chicken with this mixture. Dredge in the flour and then put in the oil. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes per side. We used chicken legs only, so I think our total cook time was about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oil and drain on a cooling rack before serving.
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