Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe | Lawry's (2024)

FAQs

What does soaking chicken in buttermilk do? ›

The secret to making the perfect fried chicken is the use of buttermilk, as it helps tenderize each piece while leaving each bite juicy and crispy. After marinating, dredge your chicken pieces in the flour mixture and get to frying!

Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk brine and use paper towels to dry off the chicken and remove any extra bits of spices. Add the dried chicken into the freezer bag with the flour one at a time and toss to coat. Shake any excess flour off as you transfer the chicken to a wire rack.

Buttermilk Is More Than A Better Coating

This acidic nature also helps lightly tenderize the meat, creating an even juicier, more succulent texture. Even a few minutes of soaking in buttermilk (or resting after breading) can make a big difference.

Food Studios recipe developer, also shares my sentiments about buttermilk. He says, “Soaking chicken in buttermilk acts as a brine.” The buttermilk adheres to the chicken much better and allows for the breading to also have more sticking power.

It's not necessary to rinse the chicken after marinating it in milk. Simply pat the chicken dry with paper towels before cooking it. This will help to ensure that the milk and any added flavors from the marinade are absorbed into the chicken during the cooking process.

Issue: Not allowing the breaded chicken to rest before frying can lead to the breading falling off. Solution: After breading, let the chicken rest on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. This allows the breading to set and adhere.

Meat is not properly dry

Most home cooks often struggle with getting the breading part right because they do not let their meat dry properly. If the meat is wet, it will make the flour soggy. In that case, breading will not stick properly and may fall off when deep frying.

Always dip your chicken in beaten egg before coating

Dipping your chicken in egg helps the breadcrumbs, or whatever coating you use, adhere evenly to the outside of the cutlet. You should start with a thin layer of flour, which gives the egg a better surface to cling to, then the egg, then the coating.

All-purpose flour gives the buttermilk and seasonings something to stick to, while ensuring a wonderfully crispy crust. This crispy fried chicken recipe calls for paprika (which helps with browning), salt, and pepper. You can add more spices and seasonings to taste.

How do you make buttermilk fried chicken not burn? ›

Seasoning mixture: Make a flavorful seasoning mixture with smoked paprika, white pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, celery salt, black pepper, ground mustard, dried thyme, dried basil, and dried oregano. Buttermilk: Dip the chicken in a tangy buttermilk mixture before dredging in the flour mixture.

What effect does buttermilk have on chicken? Buttermilk is slightly acidic, so as the chicken marinates, the buttermilk breaks down the proteins in the chicken, tenderising it. Its thicker texture helps completely coat the chicken in the spiced flour mixture so it crisps up well when fried.

Next, once the meat is marinated, remove it from the buttermilk and PAT IT DRY. You're going to use up a few paper towels (or kitchen towels if you're OK with that). BUT DO NOT RINSE THE MEAT. Just be very diligent and pat the meat dry with a towel.

Because buttermilk is only slightly acidic, it is capable of tenderizing chicken without toughening up the meat like stronger marinating acids do (lemon and vinegar, among others). The enzymes present in buttermilk also help in breaking down the protein in the chicken, resulting in tender, flavorful fried chicken.

Typically you use buttermilk for fried chicken. The milk acts as a tenderizer, so if you can let the chicken soak in the buttermilk overnight, the crumbs will adhere well to the chicken and it will come out tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.