This is a crunchier version of a classic fried chicken, with a version for making patties that work especially well in sandwiches.
Mechanic
Equal parts cornmeal and flour by volume. The flour sticks to the wet buttermilk and holds the coating on; the cornmeal stays in coarse grains that fry into a dark, gritty crunch.
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 cups) buttermilk
- 1 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the soak
- 1 chicken, about 1.6 kg (3½ lb), cut into 8 pieces
- 150 g (1 cup) yellow cornmeal
- 130 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 600 g (3 cups) vegetable shortening, or about 750 ml (3 cups) peanut or canola oil
Method
Stir the buttermilk, hot sauce, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, sage, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow dish. Lift each piece of chicken from the buttermilk and let the excess drip off. Press it into the dredgeDredgeCoat food in a dry layer, usually seasoned flour, before frying or searing. until evenly coated, then set it on a baking sheet. Let the coated pieces sit for 10 minutes while the fat heats; the coating turns pasty and grips better.
Melt the shortening in a large, deep frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. It should be about 1.5 cm (½ in) deep. Heat to 180°C (360°F). Lay the chicken in skin side down, dark meat in the center and breasts around the edge. The pieces can touch but shouldn’t be packed. Turn the heat to medium. Fry until deep golden on the bottom, about 12 minutes.
Turn the pieces with tongs, cover the pan, and cook 10 minutes. Uncover, turn again, and fry until the crust is crisp and dark golden, about 10 minutes more. Breasts are done at 70°C (160°F), thighs and drumsticks at 80°C (175°F).
Drain on a rack set over a baking sheet.
Breading
The breading goes soak, dredge, rest, fry. The buttermilk soak does two jobs: its acid and salt season and tenderize the meat, and its thickness leaves a tacky surface for the dredge to grab. A 10-minute rest after dredging lets the coating turn pasty so it holds in the fat. In the pan, cover partway through so the pieces steam through to the bone, then uncover so the crust dries and crisps again.
Patties for sandwiches and burgers
Thinner pieces cook faster, take the salt faster, and need less fat. Use 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in place of the whole chicken.
Butterfly each breast, or pound it between two sheets of plastic wrap, to an even 1 cm (⅜ in). Cut each in half, or trim it to about 15% larger than the bread or bun; the patties shrink as they cook. Soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour; thin pieces take on the salt quickly and turn ham-like if left overnight. Dredge and rest as above.
Heat about 5 mm (¼ in) of fat in a large frying pan to 180°C (360°F). Fry uncovered until deep golden underneath, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and fry until the second side matches and the center reaches 70°C (160°F), 3 to 4 minutes more.
To serve
Hot, at room temperature, or cold from the fridge the next day.
Notes
- A rack for holding cooked patties keeps the bottom crust crisp; paper towels steam it soft.
- The shortening keeps the oil temperature steadier and gives a drier crust than liquid oil. Strain and reuse it (lasts 1-2 months in the fridge if strained/sealed, or 5 days unsealed and minimally strained)
- Adapted from a classic buttermilk and shortening pan-fry.