Buttermilk Brined Fried Chicken With Sage Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toss together chicken pieces, black pepper, salt, paprika, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, white pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl to coat.
• Stir in buttermilk until chicken is coated. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
• Combine flour, salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, white pepper, and onion powder in a large shallow dish.
• Remove chicken from the buttermilk and dredge each piece in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess and transfer to a plate.
• Heat peanut oil in a large Dutch oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Add all the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
• Turn chicken pieces and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the oil and transfer to a cooling rack set over a paper towel lined baking sheet. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.
• Stir 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. (If the chicken won't fit in a gallon-size bag, double up 2 plastic produce bags to prevent leaks and tie the bag with twine.)
• Seal the bag, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. If you're so inclined, you can turn the bag periodically so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that's not essential.
• Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Heat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack set in the center position.
• Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs with a piece of butcher's twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a shallow roasting pan.
• Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven. (The back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done.) Pretty quickly you should hear the chicken sizzling.
• After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400 degrees and continue roasting for 10 minutes.
• Move the pan so the legs are facing the rear right corner of the oven. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh. If the skin is getting too brown before it is cooked through, use a foil tent. Remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl or two gallon-sized zip-top bags, put brine herbs and spices in. Pour buttermilk into the bowl and whisk up to mix buttermilk and seasoning together. Add chicken pieces and make sure each piece is submerged in the buttermilk. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, overnight most prefered. You can brine the chicken to up to 24 hours.
• When you're ready to start frying, begin bringing a 6 quart enamel cast iron dutch oven (or any other large, heavy bottom pot) filled half-way with vegetable oil to temperature. Use a candy/oil thermometer to bring oil to 325 degrees F. When you place the stem of a wooden spoon in the oil, it should start to bubble around it. That's when you know it's ready. This is a good way to test the oil temperature if you don't have a thermometer.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• While oil is coming to temp, in a large bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and spices and herbs. Splash a bit of brine, about 4 tbsp, into the flour.
• Take each piece of chicken out of the brine and coat well in the flour mixture. Let rest on a plate, repeat until each piece is coated in flour. Let rest for 5 minutes, then dip each piece back into the flour mixture and let rest again for 5-10 minutes.
• Have a wire rack over a baking sheet prepared on a counter next to your range. Fry your chicken pieces, 2-4 pieces at a time, for about 20-22 minutes. When batch is done, place on prepared wire rack over the baking sheet and put into the warm oven. This will keep the batches warm while you finish frying. Repeat this step until complete.
• Serve immediately.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

Steps:

• Combine onion, garlic, hot sauce, salt, and 2 teaspoons black pepper in a large bowl. Add the cold buttermilk and stir to dissolve. Snip the wing tips with kitchen shears if desired. Add the chicken wings and be sure they are all coated well in buttermilk. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 hours.
• Prepare the seasoned flour by whisking together flour, kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon zest, black pepper, oregano, cayenne, baking powder, sage, and dry mustard. Drain off excess buttermilk and dredge the wings in the flour. Place each batch of dredged wings on a wire rack as you go.
• Let wings sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat peanut oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Carefully drop the chicken wings into the hot oil, 4 or 5 at a time. Fry until golden, crisp, and no longer pink in the centers, about 5 minutes. Drain excess oil from wings on paper towels and lightly season with a pinch of salt while still hot. Continue with remaining wings.

BUTTERMILK BRINED FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the brine: Combine all the ingredients for the brine except buttermilk in a small pot and heat over medium, dissolving all the salt and honey.
• Remove from heat and cool by adding ice cubes and stirring.
• In a large mixing bowl combine buttermilk and cooled seasoned water. Rinse chicken and pat dry.
• Divide all pieces of chicken between two large ziplock bags.
• Pour half of buttermilk brine in each, close, and place in the refrigerator over night, up to 12 hours.
• 1-2 hours before you are ready to fry: Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry.
• Let the chicken come to room temperature, half an hour to one and a half hours, on a parchment lined baking sheet covered with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix all of the ingredients for the coating together in a large bowl, transferring half to a second bowl.
• Fill a third bowl with the 2 cups of buttermilk.
• The easiest way to coat the chicken is to have a line set up: uncoated chicken, flour coating, buttermilk, 2nd bowl of flour coating, wax paper lined baking sheet for the coated chicken.
• Pour the oil into your pot.
• It should come at least two inches and no more than 1/3 of the way up the side of the pot.
• Turn the heat to low, clipping a frying/candy thermometer to the side of your pot.
• Dredge each piece in the coating, dust off all excess, dip into the buttermilk, and then into the second bowl of coating, letting the 2nd coating be clumpier but still patting to get rid of excess that might fall off in the oil.
• Place coated chicken on the wax paper lined tray.
• Turn the oil up to high and let it come to about 350°F.
• Let the coated chicken sit so that the coating will thicken while the oil gets hot.
• When it reaches temperature, very carefully place 4 pieces of chicken at a time in the hot oil and fry, adjusting the temperature as needed to maintain a frying temperature between 310° -325°F.
• I try to keep it around 320°.
• You start the oil at 350° because when you add the chicken to the hot oil, the temperature will drop.
• Fry dark meat first, as it takes longer.
• Fry the chicken for about 13-20 minutes, moving the chicken gently (you don't want to knock the coating off!) after the first five to prevent sticking and burning on the bottom.
• Be careful to monitor your chicken, watching the oil temperature closely and not letting the chicken get too dark.
• Remove chicken from the oil with a spider or slotted metal spoon when it is golden brown (metal tongs will knock off your precious coating), and place it on a cooling rack over a paper towel lined baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer.
• Fully cooked chicken will read 160 degrees and can be served then if desired.
• If it is lower than that, it must be finished in the oven.
• Fry the second batch and then place it on the rack.
• Place the rack in the oven for ten minutes.
• Check the internal temperature to make sure the chicken is cooked through, let rest 10 minutes, and serve hot.
• If all the chicken is cooked through and you want to keep it hot, you can hold it in a 250 degree oven.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• To marinate the chicken: In a large sealable bag, combine the chicken tenders with the remaining marinade ingredients. Seal the bag tightly and massage the chicken until it is evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning. Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• To make the breading: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the mixture is evenly clumpy.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the breading mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It's a messy job: use one hand to remove the wet tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.) Set breaded tenders on the prepared baking sheet.
• To fry the chicken: Line another baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set next to the stove. Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about ¾-inch. Heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (about 350°). (If a cube of bread sizzles when you drop it in, it's ready.) Using tongs, place several chicken tenders in the hot oil without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, a few minutes, then flip and cook until the second side is also golden, a few minutes more. Set the cooked tenders on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Fry remaining tenders in batches adjusting the heat as necessary (if the tenders are browning too fast, lower the heat). Serve hot.
• Note: I find that it's hard to tell how golden the chicken is when it's immersed in the oil. It may only look lightly golden, but it's actually a perfect fried chicken golden brown. If you're unsure, simply pull a tender out of the oil and rest it on the paper towels to see the true color.
• Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately ¼ cup of the oil is absorbed into the chicken tenders when frying.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, put the frozen tenders on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven until heated through and crisp, about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED FRIED CHICKEN WITH SAGE

Steps:

• Twenty-four hours before cooking, prepare the brine: In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water with the remaining brine ingredients until the salt has dissolved. Submerge the chicken pieces in the brine. Cover and refrigerate. (To save space, you can also put the chicken and brine in a large sealable bag.)
• When ready to cook, prepare the breading by whisking together 2 cups of the flour and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs to break them up, then whisk in the buttermilk. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups of flour, the cornmeal, sage, mustard, paprika, thyme and 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
• Dredge the chicken in the plain flour, then in the buttermilk, then in the cornmeal mixture, taking care not to let the breading get too thick. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, set a large 12-to-14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and fill with oil to 11/2 inches below the top. Heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees. Working in batches, fry the chicken pieces, turning them 3 or 4 times to create an even, dark-golden crust. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 10 minutes. (Place a splatter guard over the pan as you fry.)