Fried Chicken
This amazing fried chicken gets marinated overnight in an onion, garlic and herb buttermilk brine. It’s flavorful, tender and oh so juicy.
Marinade
12 pieces bone in chicken with skin on, (I used thigh and drumsticks)
½ cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed with blunt edge of knife
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon juiced
3 Tbsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
¼ tsp thyme, sage & allspice
2 bay leaves broken into pieces
Black pepper, to taste
2 cups buttermilk
Other Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp onion salt, garlic powder, paprika & lemon pepper
1 tsp oregano & cayenne
2 quarts peanut oil
Equipment needed: 2 rimmed baking sheets, 1 cookie rack, electric wok\skillet or a dutch oven, 1-2 temperature gauges
Saute onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat till translucent. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, salt, thyme, sage, allspice, bay leave bits & pepper to the skillet. Stir to scrape up any flavor bits and let cool. Rinse chicken and divide between two one-gallon ziplock bags with 1 cup buttermilk each. Add somewhat cooled brine over the chicken and buttermilk. Let marinate in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
Preheat the oven to warm and mix the flour, cornstarch, onion salt, garlic powder, paprika, lemon pepper, oregano and cayenne together in a large and shallow rimmed bowl. Place a rimmed baking sheet by the flour mixture and place a cooling rack on top. Heat your oil in an electric wok\skillet or on the stovetop in a dutch oven to 330 degrees. Dredge the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture and coat really well. Place on the cooling rack until all pieces are dredged and oil is up to temp. Fry 3-4 pieces at a time. I noticed by the time I was ready to fry the next batch the chicken pieces needed a little more coating and I re-dredged them. This helps to reduce splatter as they fry. Fry for about 15 minutes, turning every five minutes. Internal temperature of the chicken should be 160 degrees. Place on a baking sheet and keep in a warmed oven till other batches are done. Try not to touch them too much as this can scrape off your delicious coating. Garnish platter with rosemary or parsley.
Note: I prefer an electric appliance as it heats the oil and holds the temperature more consistently. My stovetop cooks so hot it wont hold the temperature I want and things can get dark quickly. If you use a dutch oven over a stovetop you will need to have two different thermometers; one for the oil and one to check the chicken with.
