Buttermilk-fried chicken

• Serves: 4
• Cooks in: 30 minutes – up to 24 hours marinade and chill time
• Difficulty: Easy

Enjoy, buttermilk-fried chicken in a brioche bun like you’re watching the match down the pub, with a pint in your other hand.

Ingredients

• • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• • 2 banana shallots, sliced (use regular shallots if banana shallots unavailable)
• • 4 sprigs of thyme, rubbed
• • 500ml buttermilk 
• • 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• • 1 tablespoon white wine
• • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• • 2 teaspoons of sea salt (we use Maldon sea salt)
• • 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
• • 700g skinned and boneless chicken thighs
• • 200g panko bread crumbs
• • Approximately 500ml vegetable oil or sunflower oil
  

Method

1. Place the garlic, shallots, thyme, buttermilk,smoked paprika, wine, lemon sea salt and black peppercorns into a large bowl.
2. Place the chicken into the buttermilk marinade and chill in the fridge for 24 hours. You can chill for a minimum of 6 hours if you are short of time, however the longer you let the chicken marinade, the greater depth of flavour you will get.
3. When you are ready to serve, remove the chicken from the marinade, dip into the panko bread crumbs and shallow fry in a pan with around an inch of vegetable oil or sunflower oil until golden brown on each side. Ensure the chicken is hot and cooked to over 75°C all the way through.
4. Serve the chicken in a brioche burger bun, with a chipotle mayonnaise and sweet potato fries, or with a summer salad.