According to my husband, it’s with homemade fried chicken that one can steal a man’s heart. After a month of eating out in St. Louis while thinking about this incredible meal that we had at Jackson 20 (see photo), he came home on Friday, begging for a dinner of nothing but fried chicken.
Here’s my how to…
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
4 tbsp Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2-3 pounds of chicken drumsticks and thighs
3 cups nonfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Oil for frying (I like to throw some bacon fat in the mix)
Place buttermilk 1 tablespoon salt and 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper in a medium airtight container. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat in liquid. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons salt, black pepper, baking powder and 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper in a large brown paper bag. Shake vigorously.
One at a time, place the chicken pieces in the bag and shake to coat in the flour mixture. Place the coated pieces on a plate or baking sheet.
Heat the oil and bacon fat in a large cast iron frying pan until it’s 350 degrees.
Use tongs to place the thighs and drumsticks in the oil. Fry until the coating is dark and the internal temperature of the chicken is 190 degrees. This takes about 10 minutes on each side.
Remove chicken from oil and place on a plate with layered paper towels to drain.
Serve while hot (though it’s great cold for a picnic too!)
Enjoy!
