Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Special Tools: Deep fryer

2 whole chickens OR 16 piece chicken

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 tsp. paprika

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. thyme

2 litres canola or peanut oil for frying

2 tbsp. honey (optional)

2 tbsp. sriracha (optional)

* To make this fried chicken a little extra special I made a trip to the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market to pick up some premium ingredients. After all, I was throwing away the discipline for a day to indulge in some “junk” food, but it didn’t mean the food I ate had to be junk.

* I started by grabbing myself a couple of beautiful whole chickens from the great folks at Four Whistle Farm. Their chickens are free range and hormone and antibiotic free, leaving me assured that I am working with some of the best.

* If you have any butchery skills at all I recommend buying your chicken whole. You can break down the chicken into eight pieces for frying, remove the wings and drumsticks for a tasty snack and use the carcass to prepare a chicken stock if you like. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes tops to do so, and it can save you a little money. If you aren’t that comfortable with your knife skills don’t sweat it, you can still buy good quality chicken that is already cut for you. Just try to ensure you are buying pieces with the bone in. I find it ends in a moister and more flavourful fried chicken when all is said and done.

* While at the market I decided to grab a bag of flour from Gold Forest Grains. I figured if I wanted to try to use the best ingredients I might as well try to keep the trend going. Their grains are of heritage varieties, grown on organic land, giving the piece of mind to know that they are free of pesticides and are not GMOs.

* With my key ingredients in tow it was time to put the fried

Prep time: 20 minutes Soaking time: minumum 4 hours Cooking time: 20-25 minutes Feeds: 4-6 people chicken together. Here is how I did it.

* Break down the chickens into eight pieces, removing the legs from the carcass, then cutting in half at the joint, then removing the breasts from the carcass, and then cutting the breast in half. I like to cut the wings and drummettes off to use for an appetizer or snack at some other point, but there is nothing wrong with leaving them on. Keep the remaining carcass to prepare a stock or soup if you wish.

* Once you have the chicken broken down place it in a deep pan or bowl and cover with the buttermilk. Work the chicken around in the buttermilk, coating all sides.

* Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours, but overnight is preferable.

* With a little time to spare you might want to prepare something to serve with your fried chicken. Coleslaw is always nice, but I really love the southern classic of serving cornbread with it. Head to my website www.chefpaulshufelt. com and look under recipes for a delicious cornbread recipe. It’s easy to make and will taste delicious.

* Once the chicken has soaked turn on the deep fryer to about 300F. You want it hot enough to fry the chicken, but not so hot that it burns the skin before it cooks the chicken, through.

* Using a very large Ziploc bag, combine the flour and spices.

* Drain the

buttermilk from the chicken, then place some chicken in the bag and seal, three-four pieces at a time. I recommend starting with the breast pieces that are thicker and take a little longer to cook.

* Shake it like no one is looking!

* Knock off excess flour and carefully place the chicken in the fryer.

* Cook the chicken on one side until deep brown and crispy, 10-12 minutes, then flip and repeat for 6-8 minutes

* Repeat with the remaining chicken.

* Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the fat, drain off excess and season with salt and pepper.

* If you would like to spice it up, drizzle it with honey and sriracha to take your fried chicken to a whole other level.