Fried Chicken in a Basket

By Addie

Recipe courtesy Alex Guarnaschelli
Show: Alex's Day Off
Episode: Dinner and a Movie

Ingredients

• Marinade:
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 gallon canola oil, for deep-frying
• Chicken:
• 1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces, or 4 legs and 4 thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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• Coating:
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

Preparation

Step 1

Make the marinade by combining the buttermilk, sour cream, Dijon mustard, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix well with a whisk. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and place in the marinade. Stir everything together so the chicken is coated evenly, cover, and set aside in the fridge to marinate for 12 hours.

Fill a heavy-based pot (such a deep cast iron skillet) with canola oil and set over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, heat the oil until 375 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the coating by adding the all-purpose flour, salt, paprika, mustard powder, and garlic powder together in a large bowl. Mix with a whisk. Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade and dredge lightly in the seasoned flour, 1 at a time. Set the coated pieces on a wire rack over a tray as you work.

Add the chicken, 3 to 4 pieces at a time, to the hot oil, skin-side down. Cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Increase the heat on the oil if you need to as the chicken will bring the temperature of the oil down. Remove the chicken from the pot with a wire strainer and set over a clean rack over a tray. Season with salt while still hot. Continue to cook in batches, allowing the oil to heat up again before adding the chicken to the pot each time.

Place the chicken into the oven and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes until cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Pile high in a basket for a fun presentation.
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REVIEWS:

I made this two nights ago and my husband is STILL raving on how tender the chicken was. Must be the addition of sour cream to the buttermilk. Waaaay better than M.Stewart's. The mustard was a surprisingly pleasant addition to the flavors. We like our chicken with a tidge of a kick so I added a couple tablespoons of Sriracha hot sauce to the marinate. After frying, I baked the breasts and wings for 20 minutes, removed them from the oven and left the thighs and legs in for an additional 15 minutes. Keep the pieces elevated on a small wire rack over a baking pan so that the oven heat can swirl all around them. The trick I've learned to getting the coating to stick to the skin is to refrigerate the pieces for 1/2 hour before frying. This is my forever fried chicken recipe from now on. Can't imagine how it can be improved. Thanks Alex, you've got my vote for the Next Iron Chef!!

Very tasty and crunchy!

this was delicious and the meat stayed moist, i deep fryed mine for 17 min. since i already i had the deep frier going for sweet potaoe fries. this is a keeper recipe!

These were very moist but needed to cook longer than suggested, otherwise good!

I absolutely love this recipe! It was easy to make and tasted great! I watched her make this on her show and made it for dinner that night...and I am actually making it tomorrow for dinner as well!!

Yummy recipe, but hard to pack for a picinic lunch, doesnt stay crispy! maybe I need to cool completely before I pack it?

I made this last week and to my surprise it was quite good. I tweaked the seasoning to my taste but this is a very satisfying way to prepare chicken. I am definitely making this again.

I didn't have any sour cream, so I made it without. I agree that my huge chicken legs took a bit longer to cook, but excellent taste overall! I love Alex. Keep her on!

Thanks for sharing this great recipe. It was yummy. I did bake it longer as suggested by someone else as my chicken pieces were quite large. It turned out great except that the coating did not stick to the chicken when being served.

Amazing flavor! Crispy and juicy. Don't skimp on the spices. Just remember the basics: dark meat takes longer to cook and keep the oil temperature at 375. This will be my fried chicken "go to" recipe. Just loved it.