Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe

The one thing I had to learn when I married my husband a little over 4 years ago was how to cook.  I entered into marriage without a huge arsenal of cooking techniques and recipes knowing that with one big, athletic, calorie burning husband and a son quickly following in his footsteps I would need to bust out some big, hearty, meaty 'man-meals' if you will.

When we were engaged, I know Var got teased about my lack of cooking skills/knowledge.  Being from the Bahamas, Bahamian women know how to cook.  It is in their blood or something.  And they know how to cook scrumptious things like peas and rice, conch, and fried chicken (well, fried anything for that matter).  Then Lavar goes off and marries a white girl where the prospect of fried chicken in his future came in the form on KFC.

I decided I needed to change that.  I wanted my man to be proud of his woman and be able to say 'ya, she can fry some chicken!'  (this is kinda a big deal among Bahamian men, having their woman be able to cook. Not to mention, his mom is an excellent cook!)  So I set off to find a recipe.  The one I found, that I will share with you today, is fool proof.  And so yummy.  Step aside, Colonel!  Mama's learned to fry!

First you want to brine the chicken.  In a resealable bag, add buttermilk, salt, and sugar.  Mix around a bit and then add the chicken.  You can let this brine for 2 to 4 hours.  Don't skip this step!  For one, it isn't hard, and second, it really brings out the flavor.

I did the brine in a pan like this because I had a lot of chicken!

Get your oil pipin' hot and get the chicken ready.  I have two pans, one with some new buttermilk and one with flour and seasonings.  You can get creative with the seasonings, I use pepper, seasoning salt like Lawry's, and paprika.  Feel free to add more or less as you prefer.  Make sure you don't add too much salt in the flour.

You then start the process!  Dip the chicken in the flour, then the buttermilk, then the flour again and gently drop it into the oil.  Let it fry until golden brown on one side and gently turn it to fry on the other side.  When golden brown all over, remove the chicken.  Voila!  Easy, right?

So really, it is super easy!  Here is the full recipe.  Adapted slightly from BHG cookbook.

• 3 Cup Buttermilk
• 1/3 Cup coarse salt
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 1/2 to 3 lbs of meaty chicken pieces. (I use breast and thighs)
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Seasoning Salt (like Lawry's)
• 3/4 Cup Buttermilk

Brine the chicken and chill for 2-4 hours.   In a large bowl, mix together flour and seasonings of your choice.  Place 3/4 buttermilk in another shallow dish.  Coat chicken in flour, buttermilk, then flour. Using a deep, heavy Dutch oven heat about 1 1/2 inch of oil to 350 degrees.  Using tongs to gently drop the chicken into the hot oil. Fry the chicken for about 12 to 15 minutes, 6 to 8 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!!

I will be linking this up to all the linky parties in my sidebar.  Check 'em out, they are awesome!