Not long ago my local PBS station started showing Cook’s Country, another cooking program from the producers of America’s Test Kitchen. I happened to catch an episode devoted to fried chicken. I watched, hoping to pick up some helpful tips. The technique used was pretty close to what I was already doing but with a few tweaks.
A Soapbox Rant: I really have a problem with the present obsession with either salting or brining meat. I get tired of almost every pork or poultry recipe in almost every cooking magazine or cooking show starting with salting/brining as first step. And always accompanied by some sort of phraseology implying that the only way to ensure juicy, tender meat is to salt or brine it. The producers of Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines and the America’s Test Kitchen TV show are in that camp. So, of course, their fried chicken recipe begins with a buttermilk/salt brine. Naturally, I stuck with my tried and true plain buttermilk soak.
However, the recipe also included an interesting twist. The recipe testers discovered that the addition of a dribble of buttermilk mixed with the flour produced a crispy coating with delicious crunchy bits. I gave the technique a try and was quite pleased with the results. Since then, I’ve made the fried chicken two additional times, using various bone-in cuts. The recipe produces a really crispy and crunchy fried chicken. And juicy too! Even without brining in a salt solution. (By the way, the real key to tender, juicy meat is to not overcook it. Pretty simple! A good instant and probe thermometer are valuable tools.)
Here’s the Cook’s Country recipe and my notes:
Extra-Crunchy Fried Chicken
6/2004
Making fried chicken at home can be a messy, time-consuming affair. And rarely is the crust as crunchy as that of fast-food fried chicken. We wanted to make juicy, rich tasting fried chicken at home without the big mess and with a crust as crunchy as KFC. Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries
- Brine the chicken in heavily salted buttermilk to keep it moist and make it well seasoned. In this case, buttermilk replaces the water for a richer flavor. An hour’s soak seasons the meat to the bone. (I usually soak chicken pieces in buttermilk for at least two hours and often overnight.)
- After trying everything from Melba toast to pancake batter for the crunchy coating, we found a completely unexpected method works best. Combine flour with a little baking powder, and then add buttermilk to make a thick slurry, which clings tightly to the meat.
- Fry the chicken with the lid on the pot for half the cooking time to contain the spatter-prone oil, and to keep the oil hot. As an added bonus, the lid appears to make the meat moister. (I’ve always done this.)
- Shortening provides the cleanest flavor and least-greasy chicken; peanut oil’s a close second. (I prefer oil, usually grapeseed or a light olive oil.)
Keeping the oil at the correct temperature is essential to producing crunchy fried chicken that is neither too brown nor too greasy. Use a candy/deep-fry thermometer to check the temperature of the oil before you add the chicken. (I just drop a crumb from the flour coating into the oil. When it starts bubbling in the hot oil, I know the temperature is OK.) If you cannot find a chicken that weighs 3 1/2 pounds or less, or if you don't have a pan that is 11 inches in diameter, you will have to fry the chicken in two batches. Follow the recipe, frying the chicken four pieces at a time and keeping the first batch warm in a 200-degree oven while the second batch is cooking. If you want to produce a slightly healthier version of this recipe, you can remove the skin from the chicken before soaking it in the buttermilk. The chicken will be slightly less crunchy.
2 cups buttermilk plus 6 additional tablespoons (I use Knudsen brand, a very low sodium product)
2 tablespoons table salt (I omitted all this salt)
1 whole chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, cut into 8 pieces (I usually fry bone-in thighs, sometimes bone-in breasts, & sometimes boneless, skinless breasts)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (I used Hain Featherweight, a sodium free product)
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme (I used about 1 tsp.)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

(I also added 1 tsp. Tony Chachere’s Salt Free Seasoning)
4 - 5 cups vegetable shortening or peanut oil (I used only about ¼ - ⅓ inch of oil)
1. Whisk together 2 cups buttermilk and salt in large bowl until salt is dissolved. Add chicken pieces to bowl and stir to coat; cover bowl with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Don't let chicken soak much longer or it will become too salty. (I used enough buttermilk to completely cover the chicken pieces and seasoned it with a dash of Tabasco. I let the chicken soak for at least two hours.)
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, thyme, pepper, and garlic powder together in large bowl. Add remaining 6 tablespoons buttermilk (I used a little less, closer to 3-4 tablespoons); with your fingers rub flour and buttermilk together until buttermilk is evenly incorporated into flour and mixture resembles coarse wet sand.
3. Working in batches of two, drop chicken pieces into flour mixture and turn to thoroughly coat, gently pressing flour mixture onto chicken. Shake excess flour from each piece of chicken and transfer to wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet.
4. Heat oil (it should measure 3/4 inch deep) in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with 11-inch diameter over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. [I used a 12 inch frying pan and poured in only about ¼ - ⅓ inch of oil. I did not use a thermometer.] Place chicken pieces, skin-side down, in oil, cover, and fry until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove lid after 4 minutes and lift chicken pieces to check for even browning; rearrange if some pieces are browning faster than others. (At this point, oil should be about 300 degrees. Adjust burner, if necessary, to regulate temperature of oil.) Turn chicken pieces over and continue to fry, uncovered, until chicken pieces are deep golden brown on second side, 6 to 8 minutes longer. (At this point, to keep chicken from browning too quickly, adjust burner to maintain oil temperature of about 315 degrees.) Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate lined with paper towels; let stand for 5 minutes to drain. Serve.













