First attempt at buttermilk brined chicken

[WillTravelForFood]

We never have buttermilk in the house, but ended up with a 1/2 gallon due to baking requirements. So after you use two tablespoons, we were left with the remaining jug.

what to do, what to do.

so for the first time, we tried buttermilk brined grilled chicken breasts. Started the swim a bit late in the day, but added some bbq related seasonings to the bath. Patted dry, threw on the grill.

verdict?

yup, just as tasty as everybody suggested it would be. Definitely a different flavor profile, and super juicy and tender result.

will make a point to get buttermilk occasionally in the future again.

(Tomorrow? Buttermilk-brined steak w rosemary and garlic)

[Stuey1515]

Yep, the secret to my family fave fried chicken. Let soak for 3-4 hrs, rinse then do the breading however you like it, beautifully moist & juicy 😋

[WillTravelForFood]

Don't think you should rinse the chicken after the bath. Just pat it as dry as you are able before the breading process. The remaining buttermilk remnants should help with flavor during the breading/fry.

[WillTravelForFood]

We considered the traditional idea of buttermilk fried chicken, but for us - fried food at home is more of a sometimes dish vs grilled. So when we saw grilling was an option, we ran with it.

[RonB]

I don't rinse or pat dry. I like the thicker coating you get that way. I believe Kenji suggests adding a bit of buttermilk to the flour and working it in with your fingers to add little clumps of wet flour so that there will be some extra crunchy bits on the chicken when ya fry it.

[DavidNorcross]

Buttermilk is my go to for chicken, especially fried. I also soak fish in buttermilk for 30 minutes or so. But then again there is always biscuits......

[Smoke n Beers]

Buttermilk?? OK, I'm in. This is something new to me but I'll try anything twice. Thanks for the info.

[efincoop]

I don't think you will e sorry you tried it!

[Draznnl]

I’m going to have to try this. Sounds tasty.
BTW, an easy way to use buttermilk is instead of regular milk in mashed potatoes. It lends a real nice flavor to the end result.

[fzxdoc]

I do this all the time. Its tanginess is a great foil for all the butter I toss in with the spuds. I sure am in good company on this, Draznnl.

K.

[Smoke n Beers]

I have not tried that but I can see the benefit. Thanks for tip.

[smokin fool]

Also great for substitute for plain milk when making homemade southern style biscuits.

[texastweeter]

Or sourdough waffles

[Bkhuna]

Plain milk is a barely acceptable substitute for buttermilk in Southern biscuits.

There, I fixed it for you. 😁

[Starsky]

I try to find whole buttermilk (I guess that's what you'd call it) But all the stores I go to only have the low - fat version.

[WillTravelForFood]

That was how we ended up with a 1/2 gallon, we needed whole buttermilk. The low fat version came in smaller sizes.

[lostclusters]

I believe buttermilk can be frozen.

[fzxdoc]

Yes it can; you just need to shake it up A LOT to get back to its original consistency.

K.

[RonB]

I freeze both milk and buttermilk for cooking. I don't think either would come back to 100% for drinking. I do portion both for specific recipes and then freeze.

[SheilaAnn]

lostclusters beat me to it!

[fzxdoc]

Kenji's recipe for this is great. He recommends adding a bit of buttermilk to the breading mixture for nice clumpy fried bits, as RonB noted.

I find that plenty of buttermilk gets into the flour mixture on its own during the breading process, at least the way I do it, not shaking off too much of the buttermilk because we love the flavor.

If I let the dredged chicken pieces sit on a wire rack while I clean up the breading mess and while the oil heats, they get that nice sticky clumpy exterior all on their own, appearing as if by magic. (that is a Cooks Illustrated trick I learned a few years back).

Sadly, the crispiness of the fried chicken with so much breading does not survive an overnight trip in the fridge; the leftovers taste good but are not crisp. A trip to the air fryer-type gizmo I have (a GE Advantium oven) helps re-crisp a bit.

Kathryn

[RonB]

There used to be an independent fried chicken place near us that would double fry chicken if you asked. Talk about crunchy...

I wonder if that would restore full crispness to leftover fried chicken. You would probably have to let it warm up a bit after removing from the fridge.

[HawkerXP]

I can't see the pictures.......

[Oak Smoke]

We soak strips of wild turkey breast and strips of pheasant breast in buttermilk with canned jalapeño slices for about 24 hours. It goes straight from the buttermilk into the flower and then into the fryer, We normally batter and fry several of the jalapeño slices too. The flavor is incredible and we think the acids in the buttermilk make the meat tender. Serve it on a bed of long grain and wild rice with some ranch dressing to dip it in. And yes it works great with chicken too.

[Richard Chrz]

Glad you enjoyed it, it is really good, I also soak my sourdough bread crumbs in buttermilk before I use them in meatballs, etc. you can also freeze buttermilk in servings you would like. We keep heavy cream in the house, so I make our butter most every week and then am gifted the buttermilk that remains. It is a far more manageable amount. You can also take butter milk 3 tablespoons to one cup of cream and mix them, leave it in the counter lightly covered for 24 hours or longer depending on house temp (the culture in the buttermilk pretty much protects the cream), the next day you will have crème fraiche.

[fzxdoc]

I need to triple like this post.

K.

[Starsky]

I'm always amazed by the amount of knowledge on this site

[Richard Chrz]

I’m still pretty new to buttermilk, cream, dairy. . I’ve chosen to take on cream this year, or any milk I can source that I can start making my own mozz, and ricotta.
But I had the same “what do I do with all of this buttermilk” not all that long ago. Now the idea of building a mother culture and maintaining it like my starter, is quickly becoming of interest.

[Panhead John]

A lot of great tips and ideas here for buttermilk. I recently had to buy some and wound up throwing 3/4 of it away. It had probably been 5 years since I’d previously used some. Now you guys have me wanting to fry up some chicken one day! Not trying to hijack this post, but I remember a few people mentioning a certain brand of chicken that is supposedly the best tasting chicken around, I think it’s sold at Whole Foods? Anyone know the brand?

[Panhead John]

That’s it! Thanks Kathryn.

[efincoop]

I have also heard many people suggest using good quality air chilled chicken as they feel it is superior for fried chicken.

[SheilaAnn]

I think Rosie’s is also air chilled.

[Murdy]

I haven't had it in my house for a while. Growing up, it was usually around, as my grandmother used to drink it.

[WillTravelForFood]

A lot of great tips and ideas here for buttermilk. I recently had to buy some and wound up throwing 3/4 of it away. It had probably been 5 years since I’d previously used some. Now you guys have me wanting to fry up some chicken one day! Not trying to hijack this post, but I remember a few people mentioning a certain brand of chicken that is supposedly the best tasting chicken around, I think it’s sold at Whole Foods? Anyone know the brand?

We did try the high-end chicken from Whole Foods recently.

We tried making two different chicken breasts that day using the same technique/flavors for comparison purposes.

YES, it did come across as an.... improved?.... different texture/flavor from the normal chicken packages we purchase.

BUT we did not feel the higher cost was worth the difference with chicken.

(higher prices on Prime or Aged Beef, on the other hand... )