Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Pan Gravy
Fried chicken is a Southern main meal in the USA, served often at "Sunday dinner" ("dinner" being the midday meal for many Southerners) or church "suppers" ("supper" being the term for the evening meal). Recipes are legion; every family has one handed down.
1 whole chicken
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tsp paprika
Flour seasoned with herbs and spices (e.g. pepper, cayenne, salt, ground coriander, cinnamon, thyme, oregano)
Oil (e.g. peanut or corn oil)
Oil
1 small onion (or shallots), chopped
1 clove of garlic
3–4 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken stock (or 2 cups stock + 1 cup cream)
Salt
Pepper
Cut the chicken into 8–10 pieces.
Combine the buttermilk and spices, and marinate the chicken pieces for 4 hours in the mixture.
4 hours
Take each chicken piece out of the marinade and allow it to drip dry for a few seconds. Then, dredge it in seasoned flour. An easy way to dredge involves putting flour and seasonings in a small plastic bag, dropping the piece in, and shaking.
Let the pieces rest (separately; do not stack) for about 10 minutes. Then dredge them again. The first dredging absorbs the buttermilk marinade. The second dredging gives a seasoned flour outer coat.
10 minutes
Heat the oil in a deep, wide pan. When oil is smoking hot, drop chicken pieces into the pan, and be careful to not overcrowd (pieces should not touch; fry in multiple batches). After 3 or 4 minutes, turn the chicken, and reduce the heat. Let the chicken fry for 20–25 minutes, turning the pieces every few minutes. When the chicken is a deep golden-brown, and the juices run clear, it's done. The chicken will continue to cook after being removed from the pan, so err on the side of "just about done".
4 minutes
Drain the chicken on absorbent paper or cloth. If you are not serving the chicken immediately, place it in a lightly-warmed oven, uncovered, separately (not stacked).
Pour off the accumulated oil from the pan, reserving 3–4 tablespoons and all the flour and chicken residue. Keeping the pan on medium flame, add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes. Whisk in 3–4 tablespoons of flour, and keep stirring until the mixture becomes light to medium brown. Do not burn.
Whisk in 3 cups of chicken stock. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
15 minutes
Serve chicken with rice and some green vegetables. Spoon gravy over rice and chicken.
- •The spice mix isn't fixed. You can use more or less as desired.