| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 9 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1 quart) buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- Solid vegetable shortening or vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Whisk the buttermilk with the thyme, oregano, hot sauce, garlic and 1/4 cup salt in a large nonreactive bowl (see Cook’s Note). Add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to fry, shake the flour, paprika and 1 tablespoon black pepper in a large, clean plastic or paper bag. Set a large rack over a baking sheet. Drain the chicken in a colander. Shake 2 or 3 pieces at a time in the flour mixture, then shake off any excess and transfer to the rack.
- Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add enough shortening to come halfway up the sides. Heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F.
- Working in 2 batches, carefully add the chicken pieces to the Dutch oven. The oil temperature will drop precipitously to about 250 degrees F as you slip in the chicken. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the temperature right around 250 degrees F. The oil should be bubbling gently around all of the chicken. Fry the chicken until it is a deep golden brown, about 20 minutes for white meat and 25 minutes for dark meat. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined platter. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
- 5.5qt Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven available Kohl’s
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 2273 |
| Total Fat | 169 g |
| Saturated Fat | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 112 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 76 g |
| Cholesterol | 227 mg |
| Sodium | 2160 mg |
Reviews
Just boring and bland,
People complaining about 350 obviously have not used a thermometer. An electric skillet set at 350 cooks the chicken to perfection. My recommendation is to use garlic salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Bobby is good, but he missed the mark every time when it comes to soul food influences on southern cuisine.
Excellent recipe. Very tasty. Do yourself a “flavor” and add a few tablespoons of the buttermilk mixture to your flour while coating your chicken. Push it firmly into the chicken skin and you’ll get lots of crispy nooks and crannies. I also take mine out of the oil a few minutes before it’s fully cooked and finish it in a 250 oven on a cookie rack to drain and finish.
bad Recipe, and it is shame on food network to put this kind of Recipe on their website.
Powerfully flavored. Great recipe. Although the 1/4 cup salt it calls for in the marinade is almost too much for me; I’ll try less next time. I used a cast iron skillet and when I brought the temp to 350 it barely went down when I added the first batch, so I won’t heat it up so high next time. I don’t fry chicken often or I would have known better. You definitely don’t want to be cooking your chicken at such high temperatures because it deeply browns the outside too quickly before the center is cooked.