| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 5 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 5 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 quart buttermilk, plus 2 cups
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons chile de arbol powder, or 2 tablespoons hot sauce, plus 2 teaspoons chile de arbol powder, or cayenne pepper
- 2 chickens (3 to 4 pounds each), each cut up into 8 pieces
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- Peanut oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl or baking dish, whisk together 1 quart of the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 teaspoons of chile de arbol powder, or hot sauce, and a little bit of pepper, if desired. Add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl. Stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika, and 2 teaspoons chile de arbol powder (or cayenne) in a large bowl. Divide flour mixture among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper. Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess. Put the chicken pieces on a piece of waxed paper or on a clean platter while you heat the oil.
- Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot.
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Reviews
Well I tried the recipe and was very disappointed. The chicken was very dark almost black when I took them out of the fryer.
Tried this recipe for my weekend cooking time with my grandson and it was delicious.
Had this with Cat Cora’s southern cornbread and Paula Deen’s collard greens. It was epic. Husband said it was even better than Roscoe’s (no higher praise is possible for fried chicken as far as I’m concerned). I didn’t have a thermometer, so I just kind of eyeballed it and hoped for the best. Maybe I’m lucky!
The chicken came out juicy and tasty, but lost some breading because it stuck to the bottom of my dutch oven. Any ideas as to how to prevent that next time would be appreciated!
The cooking time is way way off! the flavor is satisfying but if you cook them even half that long expect burnt breading. The inside however was very moist and flavorful. I would make this again but I wouldn’t fry them for more than 7-8 minutes.
Love this fried chicken. However, I always have a problem with it getting too dark-the oil too hot, I guess. Checked another of Bobby’s fried chicken recipes & he used a starting temp of 350 & maintain between 300 & 325. Will try this. BTW Part of the problem is that I can’t find a chicken between 3 & 4 lbs, all in my markets are larger.
OMG! I’ve lived in the South most all my life, raised a family and somehow never managed to make decent tasting fried chicken. This was my first attempt in 20 years – no, I am not kidding. This recipe, very similar to Wolfgang Puck’s recipe, turned out great.
I had marinated chicken before but this called for salt, pepper and cayenne pepper mixed with the buttermilk. That is the key for me, anyway.
I adjusted the recipe for 2 chicken breasts (as I am happily living single). Cut everything to a quarter and it turned out well for all the mishaps along the way. Didn’t have nearly enough peanut oil – was going to use EVVO but decided against it. Initially, it cooked too fast then the temperature dropped to 315 degrees and never rose again but the chicken was getting too brown after 14 minutes. I removed it, checked and the meat was pink so I finished by baking in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Next time, I will make sure I have enough peanut oil. Turned out great.
There has been some confusion about the amount of salt and pepper used in this recipe; not sure why as complete instructions are given but, the recipe states to use 1 quart of buttermilk plus 2 cups. Then the next line of the recipe calls for salt and pepper. The instructions state to use 2 Tablespoons of salt, the chile powder and a little pepper in 1 quart of buttermilk to soak the chicken in over night. The remaining 2 cups of buttermilk are used to dip the chicken in before dredging in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper, which is usually about a teaspoon or less of each, certainly not 2 cups. The 2 cups was referring to additional buttermilk – 1 quart plus 2 cups. Hope that information helps anyone else avoid some very, very over-seasoned, inedible chicken. This recipe is actually wonderful if done correctly!
The frying temp was way too high. Dropped it down to 325..after all the attempts to get it right, we just gave up. Bobby, please review your recipes. I’m not going to use 2 cups of salt and pepper.
This fried chicken recipe was delicious and easy for an experienced cook. If you cook by time, internal chicken temp, golden color, and with a oil thermometer, you’ll get perfect chicken every time. I made this for a large group and everyone loved the fried chicken. Thanks Bobby.