Ingredients
Scale
Chicken:
- 4 drumsticks, 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, 1 bone-in skin-on chicken breast cut in half through the bone
For the Marinade:
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups buttermilk
- 1 sweet yellow onion, sliced into thick half moon shapes
- kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
For the Flour Dredge:
- 3/4 cup superfine white rice flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
You’ll Also Need:
- vegetable oil for frying
- fry thermometer and meat thermometer
Instructions
- First marinade the chicken by placing the raw chicken pieces in a large bowl with sliced onions. Pour in the buttermilk, toss to coat, submerging as much of the chicken as you can. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the dredging ingredients. Whisk together rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the paprika, dried herbs, and all the spices. Whisk well.
- Prepare a few baking sheets. Line one rimmed baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper to rest the dredged chicken. Line a second rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack to place the chicken after it’s fried.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and get ready to dredge. Use a pair of tongs and remove one piece of chicken at a time from the buttermilk, coat thoroughly in the rice flour mixture and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Coat all of the chicken pieces as well as the onions.
- Allow the chicken and onions to rest at room temperature, allowing the flour mixture to absorb on the chicken pieces for about 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll see the flour absorb the residual buttermilk. Allowing the chicken to rest will help the coating stick to the chicken as it cooks.
- While the chicken and onion pieces rest, place about 3 inches of oil in a large saucepan, add a fry thermometer, and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the oil to 365 degrees F.
- One at a time, use a heatproof tongs to add chicken to the hot oil. Add three pieces at a time and as the chicken begins to fry, move the pieces around the hot oil a bit to keep the breading from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Fry the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Drumsticks and thighs take about 10 to 12 minutes. Chicken breasts take about 15 minutes. Remove from the oil in batches and place on top of the rack.
- Allow the fry oil to come back up to 365 degrees F before frying to next batch. Cold oil results in overly greasy chicken so it’s worth waiting.
- Fry the onion stings until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Enjoy chicken warm or cold. It’s delicious all ways. Store in the refrigerator overnight.