Buttermilk Fried Chicken

I'm starting to have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. I love it because I find dozens hundreds of yummy recipes that I Pin and then I know that one day I will make them. 

I hate Pinterest because I find because I find dozens hundreds of yummy recipes that I Pin and then I know that one day I will make them. 

It's a cruel, cruel world. 

Some of these recipes are things I don't even eat on a normal basis and I probably wouldn't even make, and yet a few nights ago I found myself in my kitchen instructing my husband on the proper ingredients to prep the brine for the fried chicken we were planning to make the following night, all the while thinking "what has come over me?"

Though I'm not a big fried chicken fan, I have to admit this chicken came out delicious. It was crispy and moist and so full of flavor. We had guests over to share in our chicken adventure and the chicken got an all around thumbs up....maybe even a standing ovation by one of our guests because by my standards not one or two but three helpings and belonging to the clean plate club afterwards is the equivalent to a standing ovation in my book. I think any cook or chef would have to agree. 

Fried chicken involves a few steps, but none are difficult and really I think everyone should make homemade fried chicken at least once. It's amazing.

The recipe comes courtesy of Miss Moss's blog and really was such an easy recipe to follow albeit a messy one. My hands resembled what I would imagine a swamp monster to look like when I got done coating the chicken, but I guess that's just the price of good food sometimes. One note on my version of the recipe, I don't own Louisiana Chicken Spice, so I just substituted it for chili pepper, paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder and it tasted perfect. Would it have tasted better with Louisiana Chicken Spice? Perhaps, but I probably will never know.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Yield: 6 servings

Active Prep Time: 30 minutes     I     Inactive Prep Time: 12 hours or overnight     I     Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

For the brine:

• 3 liters of water
• 10 bay leaves
• 1 head garlic (peeled)
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup honey

For the coating:

• 3 cups flour
• Half a bottle of Louisiana Chicken Spice or a tablespoon of all the spices listed above
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 cups buttermilk

Other Ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds bone in chicken (I used all legs)
• Vegetable oil for frying

The first step in this recipe is soaking the chicken in the brine overnight. To prepare the brine simply combine all of the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Let the brine cool and then soak the chicken overnight. The purpose of this is to get super tender chicken.

When the chicken has sat for the appropriate length of time remove it from the brine and give the chicken a nice rinse so it doesn't come out too salty.

Prepare the coating by mixing all of the dry ingredients together and then dividing the mixture into two bowls.  In a third bowl pour the buttermilk into it and set aside.

Now for the messy part...dip the chicken in the first bowl of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and then once more again in the second bowl of flour. Place each piece of coating chicken on a baking sheet cover in wax paper. Repeat until you have coated all of the chicken.

When you are ready to begin frying heat your oil up over medium heat until it reaches 320 F (160C). Place a few pieces of chicken in at a time and cook for 10-12 minutes turning each piece at least once. If you're not sure if they are done you can always use a knife to split the chicken open until you determine what the perfect amount of cooking time is for your kitchen. 

I let the chicken drain any excess over by placing the freshly cooked pieces on a cookie rack with a paper towel underneath. 

Serve with a side of mac and cheese, cornbread or maybe even some mashed potatoes.