Best Buttermilk Chicken

🍗✨ Best Buttermilk Chicken — Crispy, Juicy, and Totally Irresistible

Because life’s too short for soggy chicken — let’s make it golden, crunchy, and downright addictive.

 

If you’ve been searching for the holy grail of fried chicken — the kind that’s shatteringly crisp on the outside, juicy and flavorful on the inside, and seasoned so well you can’t help but lick your fingers — you’ve just found it.

This Best Buttermilk Chicken recipe is everything fried chicken dreams are made of:

• Tender & juicy thanks to a tangy buttermilk marinade.
• Crispy & golden from a perfectly seasoned rice flour and cornstarch coating.
• Packed with flavor in every single bite.
• Perfect for any occasion — from Sunday dinner to game day feasts.

 

 Fried chicken is one of my favorites for dinner. I have tried everything to try to have crispy chicken, but my crust would always fall off, or to make it crispy, a lot of times, I would almost burn the chicken to crisp it up.

My son suggested using corn starch when we were making hot wings, and I was floored by the results! I had never thought of using corn starch in my chicken batter before. We decided that we wanted even crispier, so we added rice flour. When you use it in your batter to fry chicken, it will leave you with the crunchiest and beautiful browned exterior while sealing in all those yummy juices!

 

Best Buttermilk Chicken

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Ingredients

• Marinade
• 3 lbs. chicken thighs and legs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsps. salt
• 2 tsps. white pepper
• 2 tsps. garlic salt
• Crispy Coating:
• 1 ½ cups rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 2 tsps. baking powder
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• vegetable oil for deep frying – (at least 1 litre/four cups)

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour (up to over night)

2. Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 4 cups of oil.

3. Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.

5. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes on 375 degrees until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked. If it’s not done but the skin is getting too dark, continue cooking it in the oven on 200 degrees.

6. Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the chicken. 

🔢 Calorie Count (Per Serving — 8 Servings)

• Calories: ~420
• Protein: 28g
• Carbs: 18g
• Fat: 25g
• Sugar: 1g

📊 Nutritional Facts (Per Serving)

\*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

👩‍🍳 Cooking Tips for the Best Buttermilk Chicken

• Don’t skip the marinade — buttermilk tenderizes and seasons the meat.
• Rice flour + cornstarch = lighter, crispier crust than all-purpose flour.
• Rest after coating — helps the breading stick during frying.
• Monitor oil temperature — too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks; too cool and the chicken gets greasy.
• Drain on a rack, not paper towels — keeps the crust crisp.

🎨 Recipe Variations

• Spicy Kick — Add cayenne pepper or hot sauce to the marinade.
• Herb Lovers — Mix dried thyme, oregano, or rosemary into the coating.
• Sweet Heat — Drizzle with hot honey before serving.
• Gluten-Free — This recipe already is, thanks to rice flour!
• Oven-Fried — Bake coated chicken on a wire rack at 400°F for 40–45 minutes, flipping halfway.

🧒 Kid Tips

• Make smaller drumettes for little hands.
• Serve with mild dipping sauces like ranch or honey mustard.
• Let kids help mix the coating (bonus: they learn measuring skills).
• Skip chili flakes for a milder flavor.

🛒 Grocery Hacks

• Buy chicken in bulk — freeze in meal-size portions.
• Buttermilk substitute — 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice.
• Rice flour — often cheaper in the Asian foods aisle.
• Oil sales — stock up when vegetable oil is discounted.
• Spice blends — buy in bulk to save money and reduce packaging waste.

📣 Reader’s Challenge: #CrispyButtermilkChallenge

I want to see YOUR Best Buttermilk Chicken creations!

1. Make the recipe.
2. Add your own twist — maybe a spicy version, a fun dipping sauce, or a picnic presentation.
3. Snap a photo and share it with #CrispyButtermilkChallenge.
4. Tag me so I can feature your masterpiece in my next roundup.

♻️ Leftover Remix

• Chicken & Waffles — Reheat and serve over waffles with maple syrup.
• Crispy Chicken Salad — Slice and toss with greens, veggies, and ranch.
• Wrap It Up — Roll in a tortilla with lettuce, tomato, and mayo.
• Chicken Parmesan — Top with marinara and mozzarella, bake until bubbly.
• Fried Chicken Tacos — Shred and serve in taco shells with slaw.

💭 Final Thoughts

This Best Buttermilk Chicken is proof that fried chicken doesn’t have to be intimidating. With a little prep, the right coating, and a watchful eye on your oil, you can create restaurant-worthy chicken right in your own kitchen. It’s crunchy, juicy, and seasoned to perfection — the kind of meal that makes people close their eyes and sigh after the first bite.

Some recipes are just food, and some are pure joy. This one? It’s joy. It’s the sound of crispy coating shattering under your teeth. It’s the aroma that fills the kitchen and draws people in before you even call them to the table. It’s the way everyone’s face lights up when they see a platter piled high with golden, glistening chicken.

Fried chicken has a way of turning any meal into an occasion. It’s the kind of dish that makes people linger, talking and laughing long after the plates are clean. It’s a recipe you can pass down, tweak to your taste, and make your own — but it will always have that same comforting, celebratory feel.

So here’s my challenge to you: make it, love it, and share it. Post your version with #CrispyButtermilkChallenge so we can all swap ideas and drool together. Because the only thing better than eating fried chicken is knowing you made it yourself — and that it’s the best you’ve ever had.

Here’s to crispy edges, juicy centers, and recipes that bring people together. 🍗❤️

Did you try our Best Buttermilk Chicken? What did you think? Did you love it? We would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram.

 

 

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