Make Your Own Southern Fried Chicken

We recently passed a Kentucky Fried Chicken and the piles of their bags and rubbish in nearby bins, and it got us thinking about making our own delicious chicken dish ourselves (no waste, no nasty preservatives, real free-range chicken) – we don’t fry, we bake the chicken and think it’s a much healthier way to cook. It’s a pretty easy dish to make and buttermilk is the key to the soft texture once marinated. In the summer we finish off the chicken pieces on the barbecue for an additional charred flavour.

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Ingredients

(for 4 people – up quantities for more people to feed)

6 x chicken drumsticks
4 x chicken thighs
300ml buttermilk
2 tablespoons mixed dried herbs
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
good pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
heap of fresh breadcrumbs

Method

Mix the buttermilk, herbs, cayenne pepper and seasoning together and coat the chicken pieces, leaving to marinade for at least 3 hours (overnight if possible). We put all the ingredients in a large zip plastic bag and plop the chicken pieces in to it giving it a good shake to coat and then lay flat in the fridge.
When ready to cook mix the smoked paprika with the breadcrumbs
Remove the chicken from marinade and roll the pieces in the breadcrumbs
Place on to a baking tray (with baking paper) and cook in pre-heated oven (180c) for 25-30 minutes (if barbecuing cook for 20 and finish off on the grill)
Serve with homemade sweet potatoe chips and a coleslaw

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