Food At Faithlegg

One Saturday a month, head chef at Faithlegg House Hotel Jenny Flynn will join Maria McCann on The Saturday Café for Food At Faithlegg. This week Jenny is sharing a delicious Buttermilk Chicken recipe. Jenny will share a seasonal recipe and talk about the upcoming trends in the food world, focusing on local suppliers. She will also give tips and tricks for entertaining at home.

Buttermilk Chicken

I heard fried chicken on the radio during the week and it inspired me to put pen to paper to share my Buttermilk Chicken recipe. The acidity in the buttermilk helps tenderize the chicken by breaking down the protein in the chicken so it cooks faster and is softer. I like using chicken thighs and breasts. Use 4 free-range chicken thighs and 4 breasts of chicken cut into chunks for this recipe.

Buttermilk Marinade Ingredients

Warm the honey and mix through the buttermilk.

500 ml buttermilk
50g honey

Additional Ingredients

1 litre of vegetable oil or sunflower for frying
300 g white flour
1-2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt and black pepper
1 tsp granulated onion

Method

Place the chicken in a large bowl and cover it in the buttermilk marinade. Add a good pinch of salt and ground black pepper Leave overnight in the fridge.

Mix well. Bring back to room temperature before cooking. Once ready to cook, pour a 1.5cm depth of oil into a heavy-based sauté pan.

Place over medium heat until the oil reaches 170C .

Put the flour on a plate and mix with the spices and a pinch of salt and black pepper.

Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk, then dip them into the spice and flour mixture, ensuring all sides are coated. I find that it helps to leave the chicken to rest in the flour for a couple of minutes to really soak up any excess moisture.

Carefully lower the coated chicken pieces into the hot oil in the pan. Only add the chicken in a single layer (you might need to do it in batches), turning constantly for 25-30 minutes, until evenly golden brown.

If you have a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature of each piece. It should be at least 75C.

Once cooked, remove from the oil and place the chicken onto kitchen paper or paper towels - ideally on a wire rack (cooling rack). This helps absorb any excess oil. Then give them a couple of minutes before serving.

I serve this in a salad or in a burger bun, A lovely, sweet chilli sauce or a nicely dressed salad.

Enjoy!

Jenny, Executive Chef Faithlegg Hotel

About Faithlegg

Faithlegg is an award-winning 4-star hotel set in beautiful grounds with its own 18 – hole golf course right on the doorstep. Opened officially by FBD Hotels & Resorts in 1998, Faithlegg is a luxury property designed to meet the needs of the most discerning guest whether staying for business or leisure.

Dining is always a pleasure at Faithlegg, where talented Head Chef Jenny Flynn takes pride in creating delicious dishes showcasing the very best of local ingredients.

Faithlegg takes pride in its dedicated team and boasts many long-serving experienced staff whose wealth of knowledge and genuine duty of customer care has managed to reach and maintain a high standard of service over the years.

Follow Jenny Flynn on Twitter and check out Faithlegg on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or see faithlegg.com.

You can also check out other Food At Faithlegg recipes here.