Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Ranch Dressing
This may look like a lot of ingredients, but the recipe actually comes together really easily. I’ve used garlic powder and onion powder – these may not be your usual store cupboard staples but buy them anyway.
SERVES
4
PEOPLE
Ingredients
For the chicken
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (choose larger rather than small)
1 shallot, finely diced
1 small red chili, finely diced
600ml buttermilk
Zest of 1 lime
Large pinch of salt
For the coating
200g plain flour
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
Pinch of salt
Sunflower oil, for frying
For the ranch dressing
100g sour cream
80g mayonnaise
60ml buttermilk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced or finely grated
A bunch of tarragon, finely chopped
A bunch of dill, finely chopped
A splash of Tabasco
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lime
Method
Put the chicken thighs between two sheets of parchment paper and give them a little hammering with a rolling pin to even them out.
In a large bowl with a lid, mix together the shallot, chili, buttermilk, lime zest and chicken pieces. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for anywhere between 8 hours and 2 days.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt together in a large bowl. Using tongs, remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, shaking off any excess, then drag through the flour mixture and coat evenly.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chicken in batches of about 4 at a time, for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.
Transfer the fried chicken to an oven tray and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden, crispy and cooked through.
For the ranch dressing, simply mix all the ingredients together.
This is a meal in itself with a big green salad.
