7 hours ago
12
Let’s be honest, fried chicken is one of those things that’s almost always good, but making it yourself has the benefit of allowing you to be sure of the provenance of the meat. Where fast-food restaurants tend to rely on pressure fryers for a juicy result, at home I brine the meat first using buttermilk – its slight acidity will also have a tenderising effect. Double win.
Prep 5 min
Marinate 4 hr+
Cook 40 min
Serves 2-3
300ml buttermilk (see step 1)
2¼ tsp salt
6 pieces of chicken of your choice – I like a mixture of drumsticks and thighs
110g plain flour
40g cornflour, or rice or potato flour (see step 4)
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp MSG (optional)
Neutral oil (vegetable, sunflower, groundnut or lard), for frying
1 A note on the buttermilk
Buttermilk is the ideal consistency for this, but if you can’t get hold of any, instead whisk a little water into natural yoghurt to make it pourable. Put 275ml in a container large enough to hold all the meat, then stir in two teaspoons of salt – this improves the chicken’s ability to hold on to moisture, giving a juicier texture.
2 A note on the chicken
I like drumsticks and bone-in thighs, but wings work very well, too. If using breasts, unless they’re small, I’d recommend cutting them in half. (Cook the same cuts together, where possible.) Traditionalists leave the skin on, but I generally take it off, because I think that makes it easier for the marinade to penetrate the meat.
3 Marinate the chicken
Add the chicken to the buttermilk and stir until all the pieces are well coated. Cover, put in the fridge and leave to marinate for between four and 24 hours – don’t leave it any longer than that, though, because the texture of the meat will go mushy, but even 30 minutes is better than nothing.
4 Make the coating
Meanwhile, combine the flours in a shallow bowl or a large container – using a proportion of gluten-free flour will give a lighter, crisper coating, but if you have only plain flour, just use an extra 40g of that. Whisk in the seasonings, including the extra quarter-teaspoon of salt, then rub in the remaining 25ml buttermilk with your fingers.
5 Coat the chicken pieces
Shake the excess buttermilk from a piece of chicken and drop it into the flour bowl. Heap flour over the top and press down firmly until the chicken is well coated on all sides. Put on a rack set over a tray. Repeat with the remaining chicken. (Alternatively, if using a container, add all the chicken at once and shake to coat, making sure it’s thoroughly covered.)
6 Chill the chicken again
Once the chicken is all coated, put the rack in the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes, if possible. (You can cook it straight away, but this step allows the batter to dry out slightly, which reduces the possibility of it falling off during the frying.) There’s no need to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking.
7 Get the oil good and hot
Take a deep, heavy pan for which you have a lid (a Le Creuset-style or cast-iron frying pan is ideal, because the thicker the pan, the easier it will be to keep the temperature constant – if you don’t have a lid, use a baking tray) and fill it with 2cm neutral oil or melted lard. Heat to 190C on a medium-high heat (use a thermometer).
8 Fry the chicken
If cooking in batches, turn on the oven to low. Carefully slip half the chicken into the hot oil (do not overcrowd the pan!), prod to ensure it hasn’t stuck, then cover and fry for 10 minutes. Halfway through, check the oil temperature – it should be about 150C (the addition of the chicken will take it down) and adjust the heat, if required, or/and rearrange the chicken pieces if they’re browning unevenly.
9 Finishing touches
Turn over the chicken pieces, turn up the heat slightly and fry, uncovered, until golden and cooked through. Once the chicken is ready, drain and rest on a rack for at least 10 minutes (or put in the low oven to keep it warm). Make sure you bring the oil back up to temperature and lift out any scraps before repeating with the rest of the chicken.
