Happy July 4th!! When I was little in Georgia, we have July 4th’s full of fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, iffy potato salad, flies, humidity, and lots, and LOTS of family! Oh, and of course there were the fireworks!!!
This year, I am in the midst of moving (again…..), so all of my good cooking utensils/pans/etc are all packed up…but you’d be surprised at what one can accomplish with a frying pan. This week, I made homemade buttermilk fried chicken, and now I’m gonna share my recipe! (gasp!)
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
1 whole fryer, cut into sections, or 4 chicken breasts, or 7-8 thighs, or 20 wings…you get it.
*this chicken will be juicier with bone-in chicken, but you can use boneless, too 🙂
2 c. buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you are brave)
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
Veggie or Peanut Oil
2 days ahead:
Cut the fryer into sections, place chicken & buttermilk in tupperware. Let it marinate for 1-2 days, turning occasionally.
Day of:
Fill your frying pan with oil halfway & heat on mid to low heat. Combine flour, cayenne, salt, & pepper on a plate. Take 1 piece of chicken & dredge it through the flour.
Check that the oil in the pan is ready (when you throw a little flour in the oil it should sizzle) but not too hot (sputtering and splattering with nothing in it, or smoking, burning, etc). Place chicken in the pan, repeat.
The number one rule of fried chicken: it will tell you when it’s done. Don’t move the chicken once it is placed in the pan; you will remove the yummy brown bits with all that yummy flavor. The chicken is ready to be flipped when it no longer sticks to the bottom, about 5-8 minutes. Fry on the new side until it does not stick to the pan, about 5-6 minutes this time.
Once done, drain chicken on a newspaper covered plate. It will stay good & hot for about 20 minutes, so feel free to finish that fryer! 🙂 Here’s how mine turned out! Enjoy!