• Servings: 4 people
• Prep time: 2 hours
• Cooking time: 40 mins
• Total time: 2 hours 40 mins
• Difficulty: Easy

I currently study hospitality full-time in Switzerland, with our closest KFC at least 40 minutes away from us. This pushed me to come up with a fried chicken recipe of my own that’s just as good, if not better, and is a recipe that took a while for me to perfect. The chicken is juicy and tender on the inside with the crispiest skin!

Ingredients:

• 8 drumsticks (about 1 kg)
• 16 wings (about 700g)
• 2 liters of neutral frying oil

Buttermilk brine:

• 1 liter buttermilk
• ⅓ tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tbsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp mild paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 4 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder

Add later to brine:

• 1 egg
• ½ can of beer (lager, pale ale, etc.)
• ¾ cup of all-purpose flour

Dry Dredge:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

Steps:

1) Start by scoring all the chicken about 1 cm deep, slicing diagonally. Place all the chicken in a large container to brine. In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients listed for the buttermilk brine.

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2) Place all the chicken pieces into the buttermilk brine and ensure everything is fully submerged. Place an empty bowl to help push down the chicken into the liquid, cover the top with plastic wrap, and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 4 hours.

3) Sieve the chicken out of the brine, and set aside on a separate tray. Discard half of the brine and mix in 1 egg, ½ can of beer (lager or pale ale), along with ¾ cup of all-purpose flour. Whisk thoroughly to form a thick batter.

4) In a deep large tray or bowl, mix in all the dry dredge ingredients and whisk thoroughly. Coat one to two pieces of chicken in the thick batter before placing it into the dry dredge mix. Lightly squeeze the flour mix into the chicken piece and ensure each side is coated thoroughly.

5) Place all the coated chicken pieces into a large paper or Ziploc bag, in separate batches, along with at least 5 tbsp of flour from the dry dredge. Shake the bag thoroughly and remove all the chicken pieces from the bag, setting aside on a tray dusted with some flour. Let rest for about 10 minutes before starting the fry.

6) Place a heavy-bottomed deep pot onto the stove at medium heat. Add in all the oil when the pot is heated; use a thermometer to check when the oil hits 170 to 175 °C.

7) Add about 3 to 4 pieces at a time to the pot; fry the drumsticks for at least 12 minutes and the chicken wings for at least 8 minutes to achieve the crispiest skin and juicy bite! After each batch, allow the oil to reach 170 to 175 °C again.

8) Serve with sauce of your choice and enjoy it with friends and family!

Practical Tips:

• To ensure that the chicken is properly cooked, check the inside with a thermometer, which should be 74 °C minimum, and 80 to 85 °C for drumsticks.
• The beer can be swapped for sparkling water for an alcohol free version.