Name: Buttermilk fried chicken
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1.5 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, any excess skin trimmed; 2 x 284ml cartons buttermilk; 1 onion, peeled and sliced; 200g plain flour; for frying groundnut oil; sea salt flakes; 3 tsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic salt; 1 tsp celery salt; ½ tsp cayenne; 1 tsp dried thyme

1.5 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks
any excess skin trimmed
2 x 284ml cartons buttermilk
1 onion
peeled and sliced
200g plain flour
for frying groundnut oil
sea salt flakes

SPICE MIX

3 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp celery salt
½ tsp cayenne
1 tsp dried thyme

Method

step 1
Toss the chicken pieces in a bowl with the buttermilk, onion and some seasoning. Cover and leave for 3-4 hours.
step 2
Heat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Put a large roasting rack over a roasting tin. Put the spice mix and flour on a large flat plate. Add a generous amount of seasoning and toss together. Take each piece of chicken and shake, leaving excess marinade and the onion behind. Toss in the spiced flour to coat.
step 3
Heat 2cm oil in a large deep non-stick frying pan until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Add the chicken in batches of 3 or 4 pieces and fry for a few minutes on all sides until light golden (don’t let them get too dark as you are going to cook them in the oven). Carefully transfer each piece to the roasting rack and tray. When all the pieces have had their initial frying, put in the oven on a low shelf for 30-35 minutes to finish cooking. Serve hot sprinkled with sea salt.