Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken from Retro Rose

This past Sunday, we had a good old fashioned Sunday Supper with buttermilk fried chicken, buttermilk blueberry pie, buttermilk salad dressing. Friends brought mashed potatoes and a flourless chocolate cake made with Guiness that I’m going to share with you later in the week.

Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken is the first grown up dish I ever made.

Southern buttermilk fried chicken is one of the first dishes I ever made for a crowd.  At age 15, I was the one that brought the  chicken and potato salad to the picnics I used to organize with my teenage friends. Looking back, my penchant for bringing people together with food was well under way at an early age.

I’m usually the one that hosts the dinners for my friends. I enjoy it, even if it is a lot of work. Shopping, cooking, cleaning up, having to put that extra leaf in the table, finding enough matching glasses, and trying to figure out how to get everything ready at the same time are challenges, but worth it.

People don’t entertain in their homes as much as they would like to because they worry too much about everything being so perfect. Just do it.  People do not notice the things you worry about. They appreciate the invitation.  No one really cares if everything is perfect. No one notices the unmatched glasses or the dessert that didn’t turn out as exactly expected. People remember the conversations, the hugs, the laughter and the break from otherwise hectic lives. Sure they remember the food. The food helps create bonds, but food is often a means to an end. It’s about relationships.

This is what Southern Hospitality is all about, staging food and people and letting the fun begin.

Southern buttermilk fried chicken is so delicious because the buttermilk is used as a marinade and tenderizes the chicken and even makes white meat taste good. Of course, it’s the crunch we all love, and I especially love it the next day, right out of the fridge. Southern fried chicken is probably the only meat good cold.

Buttermilk fried chicken is a process. One way to do it is to divide and conquer. I cut the chicken, brined it, made the buttermilk marinade, and seasoned the flour. I then delivered the chicken in plastic bags soaking in buttermilk to Retro Rose to do the frying. That’s the part I hate, but she loves.

All that buttermilk inspired me to give you a week of buttermilk recipes.  The buttermilk salad dressing can be found here. Stay tuned for at least two more.

So tell me, do you have Sunday dinner gatherings, and do you cook with buttermilk?

What to Eat with Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Mashed Potatoes

Easy Homemade Creamed Corn

or

Corn on the Cob

Buttermilk Ranch Farmhouse Salad

Blueberry Buttermilk Pie

Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken from Retro Rose

 

Author:

Angela Roberts

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

Prep time: 24 hours

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 25 hours

Print

 

Buttermilk fried chicken, a staple of the South.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces (not including backs)
• salt
• 2 cups peanut oil or canola oil

Buttermilk Marinade

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoons cayenne powder
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• handful of fresh parsley
• salt
• pepper

Seasoned Flour

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Instructions

Buttermilk Marinade

1. Combine all ingredients together.

Seasoned Flour

1. Combine flour and spices. Use more or less cayenne powder, as desired.

Fried Chicken

1. Salt chicken liberally and wrap in plastic for at least 24 hours.
2. Remove chicken and place in buttermilk marinade no longer than 8 hours, but at least 4 hours.
3. Remove chicken from buttermilk, shake off and dip into flour.
4. Heat oil in electric frying pan or cast iron pan to 350 degrees.
5. Fry the breasts first without crowding until golden brown and juices run clear.
6. Fry remaining pieces, until golden brown and juices run clear.
7. Remove to paper towels.

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