Serves a Crowd
Michael Ruhlman's Rosemary-Brined, Buttermilk Fried Chicken
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86 Reviews
Ruthie Z.
November 4, 2018
I keep a kosher kitchen. Could I possibly substitute the buttermilk with almond or coconut milk?
pjcamp
November 4, 2018
I doubt it would be nearly as satisfying. Buttermilk is acidic and that changes the structure of the chicken and tenderizes it as well as adding a tang. You might try adding one tablespoon of either lemon juice or white vinegar to your plant milk. You can do that with regular milk to approximate buttermilk. You let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes to curdle. That's more or less what happens in buttermilk except with lactic acid from the bacteria. I'd be interested in knowing if it works.
Why is buttermilk not kosher?
Why is buttermilk not kosher?
Chantelle
February 13, 2019
So according to Kosher Dairy Primer its because it contains emulsifiers and stabilizers which may include non-Kosher glycerides and gelatin. SO, if she uses regular milk and does vinegar to curdle that both meet the kosher standards she could get the same result.
Nan G.
October 12, 2018
This recipe is great, I've made it at least 4 times.
Once I used leftover tea in place of the plain water for the brine.
It was so good that, since then I always make tea, let it cool then use it instead of water in brines.
It adds a delicate fragrant edge to the chicken.
I've used Thai tea, Constant Comment and Earl Gray on various occasions.
Once I used leftover tea in place of the plain water for the brine.
It was so good that, since then I always make tea, let it cool then use it instead of water in brines.
It adds a delicate fragrant edge to the chicken.
I've used Thai tea, Constant Comment and Earl Gray on various occasions.
Carol
July 25, 2018
I really like this recipe. The chicken is flavorful and wonderfully crispy. I've only made fried chicken once or twice before this time so I'm no expert but i did alright. Having a thermometer to monitor the oil temp was super helpful. I made a mountain of it for 4th of July, and the leftovers got snatched up by my guests. :)
bas26
May 12, 2018
This is the first time I've ever made fried chicken and it was delicious. The brine and the flavored dredging flour were well balanced and the salt was just right. I had 2 large chicken thighs so I scaled the ingredients down and had plenty of flour left over so next time I may use less. The chicken came out perfectly and I saved some for the next day. I reheated it in a 200 degree oven for about 30 minutes and it came out very crisp and not overdone. This recipe is a winner! I'm wondering how I didn't come across it until now.
sdschorr
March 4, 2018
For fellow "make it ahead" fanatics, this recipe is great. For a 630 dinner, I put out my rinsed/dried chicken around 3 to come to room temp. Around 430 I began the process of dredging (I fried more chicken than this recipe calls for, but generally I recommend you make 1.5x the flour mixture as you lose some to the buttermilk clumping). I was ready to fry around 5, and finished by 530 (each batch took about 4/5 mins). I put the chicken in 350 oven (use a rack over a cookie sheet to keep it crisp) a bit before 6 and pulled it out 630ish. This gave me plenty of time to clean up and remove all evidence of frying. I served it w/Martha Stewart macaroni and cheese (make it earlier in the day), a Lee Brothers recipe for collard greens w/ smoked turkey leg rather than pork (make it 3 hours ahead) and a vinegar-y Cole slaw w/red and green cabbage, red onions and scallions (make ahead and dress 30-45 mins before serving, using seasoned rice wine vinegar/oo). Did I mention the chicken is one of the best fried I've ever had? Sweet potato pie is a nice finish!
Paul F.
January 24, 2018
Can't wait to try this fried chicken recipe. Because it really look's very Good. And I would like to share it with my friend's. Thank you Food 52.com
MARK M.
April 17, 2017
I place my chicken in a bag with olive oil and spices for a few hours, then I brine in buttermilk and egg, no salt, overnight. The next day let your chicken drain on a rack while you prepare your dredge. Use a sleeve of Ritz cracker in your dredge; it adds flavor and extra crispiness to your bird. I only dredge once; I find that the crust, while good, is simply too thick for me. Dredging once gives the crust a tempura like crispiness that makes you want to eat every single piece of chicken in the plate! At this time I heat my oil. I use a stock pot instead of a skillet; same amount or a bit more oil, but no splatter and it acts like a deep fryer. To me, waiting to heat the oil until now gives the single dredge the perfect allotment of time to bind to the chicken. Ten minutes in the oil and you are talking some SERIOUS genius; ENJOY :)
Dave T.
February 9, 2017
Better to brine in a glass container than a plastic bag, especially with the lemon juice.
pjcamp
May 30, 2016
Why anyone would brine chicken in anything other than buttermilk baffles me. What I'd do is let the aromatics cool, then dump them and the salt and chicken into buttermilk and let it work overnight.
Prettybunny
May 20, 2016
I have been using the Marcus Samuelsson recipe for yardbird--or at this point I guess my memory of it--but the genius recipes are always good, and I loved the straightforward flavors of this one. I did incorporate his idea of using some semolina flour, which can never hurt the texture. I substituted a third. Also somewhere in the comments there was a question about using coconut milk instead of buttermilk--he uses a combination and the chicken soaks in it overnight. I think with the baking soda and added semolina flour the texture would be fine. Good recipe. Relatively quick and easy and made it several hours ahead. Reheated beautifully. One guest took some home and reported it stayed crisp even after microwave reheating the following day.
Emily
April 12, 2016
How long do I fry if I'm just making chicken tenders? Is 5 mins per side reasonable?
SarahBunny
August 7, 2015
I made this recipe for Sunday Supper following the procedure precisely (I used a combination of drumsticks and breasts). Even though it was my first attempt at fried chicken -- heck, deep-fried ANYTHING -- it turned out beautifully. Several guests declared it the best fried chicken they'd ever eaten (and they hail from the South)! Genius recipe indeed.
Mary B.
July 5, 2015
Thank you for all the helpful comments! I just made this today. I used a cut up chicken and the breasts were very big, so I made them into boneless chicken tenders for my kids. I did find the comment about the heat very good. 350 was too hot and the outside went very dark, but between 300-325 was the best point for me. I did use a fryer to keep a better eye on the oil temp. The leftover flour and buttermilk made an outstanding batter to make some fried pickles and fried olives.
gabby
July 5, 2015
I made this today (brined last night) for a family BBQ. I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour mix in place of AP. It was ridiculously good. I don't know what the regular crust is like in terms of delicate vs. hearty crunch, but this crust was hearty, crunchy, and delicious. (Two nephews have celiac, so I make subs when I can.)
Beth
July 2, 2015
My chicken breasts are brining as I write this. I cut them in half because they're large. I can't wait to fry these on Saturday.
Sam M.
July 2, 2015
Beth, I've made this recipe and the Thomas Keller recipe (This recipe is based on it and it's very similar. He says it in his book.) at least 15 times in the last two years, and I've made every mistake possible and at the same time I've made perfect fried chicken many times. I'd say it's a good thing you cut them in half. I always do too now. And make sure you keep the oil around and over 300 as it will drop when you first put the chicken in. Constantly monitor the temp and adjust the flame accordingly.
But timing is everything. Through trial and error, I've learned that exactly 7 min for white meat and 14 min for dark meat is perfect. It'll be juicy without over cooking. Now I've also learned to never use a chicken larger than 4 lb for this recipe. It throws off everything.
If the oil is consistently around 300 when cooking, the batter will be a nice light brown. If you keep the oil closer to 350, it'll be a dark brown. So it's up to you which you want. And no, it doesn't effect the doneness of the chicken. The reasoning being, the surface of the chicken never gets above 212 degrees as it's the boiling temperature of water and so it doesn't effect the time you need to cook the chicken. The temp mainly effects the cooking of the crust. But if the oil temp drops below 270ish it'll start to effect your chicken since you're getting close to the boiling point of water.
And make sure not to put more than four pieces of chicken in the pot if your using a standard 8qt pot that is filled 1/3 with oil. Too much chicken lowers the oil temperature too much and it may not recover quick enough unless you have a very good expensive stove.
And putting it in a 200 deg oven (I know it's lower than the recipe) for 15 minutes or more really helps.
But timing is everything. Through trial and error, I've learned that exactly 7 min for white meat and 14 min for dark meat is perfect. It'll be juicy without over cooking. Now I've also learned to never use a chicken larger than 4 lb for this recipe. It throws off everything.
If the oil is consistently around 300 when cooking, the batter will be a nice light brown. If you keep the oil closer to 350, it'll be a dark brown. So it's up to you which you want. And no, it doesn't effect the doneness of the chicken. The reasoning being, the surface of the chicken never gets above 212 degrees as it's the boiling temperature of water and so it doesn't effect the time you need to cook the chicken. The temp mainly effects the cooking of the crust. But if the oil temp drops below 270ish it'll start to effect your chicken since you're getting close to the boiling point of water.
And make sure not to put more than four pieces of chicken in the pot if your using a standard 8qt pot that is filled 1/3 with oil. Too much chicken lowers the oil temperature too much and it may not recover quick enough unless you have a very good expensive stove.
And putting it in a 200 deg oven (I know it's lower than the recipe) for 15 minutes or more really helps.
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