Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe is a flavourful slightly spicy fried chicken marinated in buttermilk and fried till juicy and crispy. The coating is a dry mix of plain flour and cornstarch which creates iconic crispy texture. This crispy fried chicken taste amazing when served hot with your favorite dips of choice.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Everyone loves a good fried chicken. My Family members are a great fan of fried chicken. I always try new variation of fried chicken whenever I make it. Because I am on a mission to find the best fried chicken recipe in the world.
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So here comes my experimental part, I made this couple of weeks back and I am telling you, this is one of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted.
I used buttermilk as the base of the marination because the acid in the buttermilk somehow tenderize the meat and make it even more succulent. The end result was amazing and hubby gave me his signature wow smile.
About Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Buttermilk fried chicken is a Southern classic fried chicken. Chicken pieces is added to buttermilk and allowed to marinate before coating in flour. It does 2 job, tenderises the meat and also makes the chicken coating gets crispy and flaky.
If you cannot find buttermilk, it is super easy to make at home. Just combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit for just 10 minutes, you have made homemade buttermilk.
I marinated the chicken for only 30 minutes, since I was using cut up boneless chicken thigh. If you are using whole jointed chicken, then you can leave to marinate overnight.
I made the seasoned flour using garlic powder, black pepper powder, chilli powder, baking powder and salt. You can add any flavourings, seasonings, herbs in this like my KFC chicken.
The key to get super crispy chicken is in the double frying. You fry the chicken for few minutes before deep frying it again to get the super crisp texture. This double frying not only makes the chicken crispy but also helps the chicken stays crispy longer.
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Ingredients
- Chicken – I used boneless chicken thigh for this recipe, you can use whole chicken that is cut into pieces as well. If you are using larger chicken then the cooking time may vary.
- Flour Mix – I used a combination of plain flour and cornstarch.
- Seasoning and Spices – I used garlic powder, black pepper powder, chilli powder and salt. You can add any flavourings, seasonings, herbs in this.
- Baking powder – a small bit of baking powder helps create the outer layer crispy and flaky.
- Buttermilk – buttermilk helps tenderises the meat. and also makes the chicken coating gets crispy and flaky.
- Egg and Water – This helps bind the outer coating better in the chicken.
- Peri Peri Seasoning – added once the chicken is fried to make it super flavourful.

Step by Step Pictures
1)Take chicken pieces in a bowl, pour buttermilk and salt over it and mix well. Cover and leave aside to marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.

2)Take egg and water in a bowl and mix well. This is your wet dip. Set aside till needed.

3)Take all the dry coating ingredients in a bowl including the baking powder and mix well.

4)This is your dry ingredients. You can transfer this to a large bowl for easy coating.

5)Now strain the chicken through a colander or sieve to remove excess buttermilk.

6)Now take a portion of chicken and coat in the seasoned flour.

7)Remove the flour coated chicken from the bowl.

8) and add it to the egg water mixture. Let the chicken coat in the egg mixture.

9) Now remove it from the egg mix and add it back into the seasoned flour.

10)Coat it really well in the seasoned flour. Place them in a rack or plate and leave it for 10 mins, so that it gets dry and the flour coats each piece well.

11)Now add few pieces of chicken in the hot oil. Don’t crowd the oil. Deep fry the chicken on medium high flame for 6 to 7 mins.

12)Strain the fried chicken and place it on some paper towel. This is your first fry. repeat frying all the chicken like this.

13)Now increase the heat to high. Once oil is heated enough. Drop the fried chicken back into the oil and cook for 5 more mins, so that it gets nice colour.

14)Strain the chicken on some paper towel.

15)Once all the chicken is fried. Take it in a bowl, sprinkle peri peri seasoning over the chicken. Toss to combine.

16)Serve with your dip of choice.

Expert Tips
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can mix milk and lemon juice together to form buttermilk.
- Any flavourings, seasonings and spices can be added in the flour.
- Use neutral frying oil like canola oil, sunflower oil for frying the chicken.
- For Extra crispy chicken, you can add some rice flour in the breading.
- Double frying the chicken keeps the chicken super crispy.
FAQ
Q: What does marinating chicken in buttermilk do?
Buttermilk has a slight acidity which allows to tenderise the chicken without making it tough and chewy. When you dredge the chicken in the dry mix, the buttermilk crisp up and gets flaky.
Q: Can I use larger pieces of chicken?
Yes, you can use larger pieces of chicken in this recipe. You have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
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Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe (Juicy and Crispy)
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe is a flavourful slightly spicy fried chicken marinated in buttermilk and fried till juicy and crispy. The coating is a dry mix of plain flour and cornstarch which creates iconic crispy texture. This crispy fried chicken taste amazing when served hot with your favorite dips of choice.
Ingredients
To Sprinkle on top (after fried)
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe (Juicy and Crispy)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

