Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breasts

How to Make Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breasts

There’s one key thing to remember when you make homemade fried chicken. You’re going to get messy. It’s ok. Embrace it.

• Prepare the chicken. If the chicken breasts you are using are large, cut them in half to get 6 pieces. Place the chicken breasts in a zippered plastic bag. Use the side of a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken breasts to 1/2″ thickness throughout so they cook evenly. 
• Soak the chicken. How long do you soak chicken in buttermilk? For a minimum of 8 hours, but up to 24 hours in a large bowl in the fridge.
• Fried Chicken Breading. Mix up the breading mixture. You’ll notice our recipe has cornstarch in it. Why use cornstarch in fried chicken? Corn starch is a thickening agent. It will soak up that buttermilk and really give you a nice crunchy coating on your fried chicken. You can also use tapioca starch if you’d like.
• Dredging station. Take a piece of chicken from the buttermilk soak and allow it to drip for a few seconds. Place the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat. Dip the chicken back in the bowl of buttermilk. Then coat one last time with flour.
• Let the chicken rest. Allow it to rest 20 minutes before frying it. This will allow that “batter” to thicken up  and stick on your chicken. Allowing it to come to room temperature will also help the chicken to cook better. If the chicken is too cold it will cool down the hot oil.
• Fry the chicken. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the frying pan and allow it to cook for 6 minutes. Turn the chicken to cook on the other side and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about another 4-6 minutes (depending on thickness).
• Let the chicken drain. To keep the outside of the chicken crispy, place the cooked chicken on a wire rack. This will keep the chicken from getting soggy.

Tips to Remember:

• Vegetable oil, canola oil or peanut oil is best for frying chicken. Olive oil has a low smoke point and may make the chicken taste bitter.
• Heat the oil to about 375º Fahrenheit before adding the chicken. The chicken will drop the temperature down to about 325º Fahrenheit, which is where you’ll want to keep it while the chicken is cooking. Test the temperature with a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer.
• Don’t crowd the chicken. Give the chicken space to have the oil boiling all around it. Fry the chicken in batches if needed.
• Finish cooking the chicken until the internal temperature is 165º F and is no longer pink.

Recipe Variations for Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breasts

• We do a simple spice combination of paprika, dry mustard, salt and pepper. You can switch it up a little if you’d like. Add garlic powder, onion powder or a teaspoon cayenne pepper to add a little heat.
• If your kids like chicken tenders as much as mine do, buy chicken tenders from the fresh meat case and use them instead of chicken breasts. The buttermilk soaked chicken tenders are better than a restaurant!
• Use your air fryer! Set the air fryer to about 380ºF. Spray the outside of the chicken with a bit of cooking spray. Then air fry for about 15 minutes, turning once in between. Time will depend on the thickness of the chicken, so watch it closely.
• Love hot sauce? Brush buffalo sauce or hot sauce over the chicken when it is done frying.

Make it a meal.

Bring the family together around this fried chicken! Serve with:

• oven baked fries
• pineapple coleslaw
• homemade bbq sauce
• garlic cheesy bread

Use any leftover buttermilk in our caramel apple muffins.

Other Recipes to Love

• honey butter fried chicken
• garlic butter parmesan chicken
• fried pork chops