Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Begin by breaking down the chicken. Remove both of the legs by slicing the skin between the leg and the breast and pulling the leg away from the body. Pop out the joint and cut along the body of the chicken to remove the leg. Now cut each into a drum and a thigh by slicing through the joint that connects the two pieces. Now remove the spine from the crown by cutting through the ribs below each breast towards the top of the chicken. Split the crown in half through the breast plate and then cut each breast into 3, bone-in, chunks of breast, one with the wing attached.

Combine the buttermilk with the Frank’s Red Hot and the pickle brine from the jar. Mix well and season generously with salt. Tip in the chicken pieces and brine for 3-4 hours.

Combine the plain flour, cornflour, paprika, mustard powder, allspice and white pepper. Mix well and set aside.

When you’re ready to fry, preheat a half-full pot of vegetable oil to 170°C.

Fish out a couple of pieces of chicken from the buttermilk brine and transfer them to the dry mix. Add a few drops of the buttermilk brine and now scrunch that dry mix into the chicken. This’ll give you an amazing craggy texture. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Carefully drop 2 or 3 pieces of chicken into the hot oil and fry for 8-9 mins, moving now and then, until golden brown and cooked through. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of each piece, you want to hit at least 70°C before pulling them out! Keep the pieces warm in a low oven (120°C) while you fry the rest of the chicken.

Serve the fried chicken with lemon wedges, loads of shichimi togarashi and plenty of pickles on the side. A bit of coleslaw wouldn’t go amiss, either.