It has been a while since I deep-fry any chicken wings (or parts).
Today, however, I decided to fry some chicken that had been soaking overnight in buttermilk.
There are two main reasons for this.
The first reason is because I want to show you how fabulous this recipe is – by marinating chicken in buttermilk overnight then coating them with seasoned flour before frying will result in the the juiciest, tastiest and the most crunchy fried chicken ever!
The second reason why I am sharing this recipe today is because I want to show you how you can fry your food perfectly every time. And that is by using a cast iron pot from Le Creuset!
I have been cooking since I was 10 – and over the last 30-odd years, I have noticed that the best deep-frying was always done in a cast iron pot.
Why is that? Let me list the reasons for you.
1. Cast iron pots are able to conduct heat evenly. This means that no matter which part of the pot your food is lurking around in, it will cook as evenly as its neighbors.
2. The temperature of the oil will drop when food hits it, but cast iron retains heat like almost nothing else, so your food will cook properly and evenly.
3. Le Creuset’s French ovens come with a layer of enamel coating. Being made from materials that are of top-notch quality, it will not flake off – which is all important as you really don’t want strange bits (or worse still, strange chemicals) cooking together with your food!
4. Being a deep and heavy bottom pot, this French oven has high sides and a sturdy bottom which makes deep-frying a breeze – the pot stays put and there is less spillage and/or splatter.
All that aside, you get beautifully cooked food every single time!
So let me show you how to cook crispy, crunchy and juicy fried chicken!
On the day before you want to cook the chicken, place the buttermilk into a large container. (For home made buttermilk recipe, please see here). Add salt and whisk to combine.
Place the chicken (you can use any chicken parts) into the buttermilk.
Mush them around so everything is coated. Cover and keep this in the fridge overnight for the buttermilk to do its magic.
About an hour before cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge and place it on the kitchen counter to let the chicken come (somewhat) to room temperature. It is okay if the chicken is still a bit cool.
In a bowl, whisk together paprika (or smoked paprika if you have some), cayenne, garlic powder, salt, coarsely ground black pepper and flour.
Add about 2 tablespoons of buttermilk (don’t add too much!) into this and whisk. This will help the batter form small lumps which will later become the crunchy bits on the chicken.
Take each piece of chicken, shake off the excess buttermilk and coat with the flour mixture. Roll the chicken around, pressing to make sure that all sides of the chicken are well coated. Place this on a tray and continue to coat the remaining chicken.
Once the oil is hot (Drop a few bits of flour into the oil. If they start to bubble, the oil is hot.), gently add the chicken to the oil. Do not crowd the pot – for my 24cm round Le Creuset French Oven, I cooked about 8 – 10 pieces of drumlets each time. 
Leave the chicken pieces to cook for about 2 minutes, then use a pair of tongs to give them a gently stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken pieces are golden brown. This will take about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
Place the cooked chicken on a wire rack, skim off bits of fallen coating with a sieve and continue cooking the remaining chicken.
To make the dipping sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream (or yogurt), rice vinegar, salt and black pepper. Stir in chopped spring onions.
Serve the chicken immediately (with some beer, maybe?) and see them disappear! It’s really like magic!
Enjoy!
- 2 pounds (1 kg) chicken parts - I used drumlets
- 2 teaspoons salt (coarse Kosher salt preferably)
- 2 cups (480ml) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5g) plain flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika - I used smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) sour cream - I used Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- On the day before you want to serve the chicken, place the buttermilk into a large container. (For home made buttermilk recipe, please see here). Add salt and whisk to combine.
- Place the chicken (you can use any chicken parts) into the buttermilk.
- Mush them around so everything is coated. Cover and keep this in the fridge overnight for the buttermilk to do its magic.
- About an hour before cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge and place it on the kitchen counter to let the chicken come (somewhat) to room temperature. It is okay if the chicken is still a bit cool.
- In a bowl, whisk together paprika (or smoked paprika if you have some), cayenne, garlic powder, salt, coarsely ground black pepper and flour.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of buttermilk (don’t add too much!) into this and whisk. This will help the batter form small lumps which will later become the crunchy bits on the chicken.
- Take each piece of chicken, shake off the excess buttermilk and coat with the flour mixture. Roll the chicken around, pressing to make sure that all sides of the chicken is well coated. Place this on a tray and continue to coat the remaining chicken.
- Once the oil is hot (drop a few bis of flour into the oil. If they start to bubble, the oil is hot), gently add the chicken to the oil. Do not crowd the pot.
- Leave the chicken pieces to cook for about 2 minutes, then use a pair of tongs to give them a gently stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken pieces are golden brown. This will take about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
- Place the cooked chicken on a wire rack, skim off bits of fallen coating with a sieve and continue cooking the remaining chicken.
- To make the dipping sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream (or yogurt), rice vinegar, salt and black pepper. Stir in chopped spring onions.
- Serve the chicken immediately.
Some other dishes you can cook with a Le Creuset cast iron pots:
Nigel Slater’s Coq Au Reisling
Thai Ginger, Prawns And Glass Noodles (กุ้งอบวุ้นเส้น) | Goong Ob Woon Sen
One-Pot Spaghetti With Chicken Parmesan
Hi, your recipe you have forgotten to provide the link for homemade buttermilk recipe. Please share once it is ready. thank you.
Hi Adeline I did provide the link – it is in blue. You have to click on it.
Harro, the chix looks yummy! May i know roughly how much oil is poured into the pot for frying? Wat can i do wif the oil after it? Thx!
Hi just enough oil to fill about half the pot, I sieve the oil again and reuse it.
May I know which supermarket did u buy your buttermilk?
Cold Storage, and most Fairprice carries it.