Buttermilk Spring Chicken Recipes

BUTTERMILK BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fit a sheet tray with a wire rack and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix together buttermilk, lemon juice, hot sauce, onion, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Add chicken and coat with mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours or up 12 hours.
• Mix corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, and thyme together. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and dredge through the corn flake-Parmesan mixture, pressing to help it adhere.
• Place on the wire rack-fitted sheet tray and bake for 45 minutes until golden and crisp.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the marinade, in a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, shallot, garlic, jalapeño, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
• With a rolling pin or a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of parchment paper until they are evenly 1/2 inch thick. Slice each chicken breast in half crosswise so you have 2 pieces approximately the same size.
• Add the chicken to the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours but not more than 24 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, celery salt, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper and set aside.
• When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place a sheet pan with a baking rack on it in the oven.
• Pour the oil into a medium (9-inch round x 4 1/2-inch high) Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, fitted with a candy thermometer, until the oil is 2 inches deep. Heat the oil over high heat until the temperature reaches 350 degrees.
• Meanwhile, lift the chicken from the marinade, dredge it well in the flour mixture, submerge it again in the marinade, then dredge again in the flour mixture, dusting off the excess. Transfer the chicken to a plate or sheet pan until ready to fry.
• When the oil is 350 degrees, lower three pieces only(!) carefully into the oil with a slotted spoon and adjust the heat to keep the oil at 350 degrees. Don't crowd the chicken! Cook for 5 minutes exactly, turning once to brown evenly. With the slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the sheet pan in the oven to keep warm. Fry the remaining three pieces, sprinkle all the chicken with salt, and serve hot.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.
• Stir 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. (If the chicken won't fit in a gallon-size bag, double up 2 plastic produce bags to prevent leaks and tie the bag with twine.)
• Seal the bag, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. If you're so inclined, you can turn the bag periodically so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that's not essential.
• Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Heat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack set in the center position.
• Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs with a piece of butcher's twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a shallow roasting pan.
• Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven. (The back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done.) Pretty quickly you should hear the chicken sizzling.
• After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400 degrees and continue roasting for 10 minutes.
• Move the pan so the legs are facing the rear right corner of the oven. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh. If the skin is getting too brown before it is cooked through, use a foil tent. Remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

BUTTERMILK CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously rub a baking sheet with oil. In a food processor, pulse bread until it turns into coarse crumbs.
• In a large bowl, stir together buttermilk, hot-pepper sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Place the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat evenly. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from liquid, letting excess drip back into bowl; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat evenly. Place coated chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake until chicken is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put all the dry brine ingredients in a large dish. Add the chicken, toss to coat well, then cover and chill for 12-24 hrs.
• Put all the spiced flour ingredients in another dish or a large bowl, add a good grind of black pepper and combine well.
• Put the buttermilk and egg in another bowl and lightly whisk until well combined.
• Start to coat the chicken. Using one hand, dip the pieces in the buttermilk, making sure they are completely coated.
• Using your other hand, roll the chicken in the spiced flour until covered all over.
• Place the chicken on a wire rack with a baking tray underneath. Now you're ready to start frying.
• Fill a deep cast-iron frying pan or heavy- based medium saucepan half full with oil and heat until the temperature reaches 170C on a cooking thermometer. Put a wire rack on a second tray, ready to drain the fried chicken.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Place 3-4 pieces of chicken into the hot oil. Don't overcrowd the pan. Cook for 10-12 mins. Poke your thermometer into the meat next to the bone - it will be cooked when it reaches 73C.
• The oil temperature will drop when you add the chicken - adjust the heat to keep it steady at 140C during the cooking process. Once cooked, transfer to the clean wire rack and keep warm in the oven. Bring the oil back to 170C before cooking the next batch. Serve with your choice of sides.

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toss together chicken pieces, black pepper, salt, paprika, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, white pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl to coat.
• Stir in buttermilk until chicken is coated. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
• Combine flour, salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, white pepper, and onion powder in a large shallow dish.
• Remove chicken from the buttermilk and dredge each piece in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess and transfer to a plate.
• Heat peanut oil in a large Dutch oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Add all the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
• Turn chicken pieces and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the oil and transfer to a cooling rack set over a paper towel lined baking sheet. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.