It’s Friday and I’m craving for Crispy Fried Chicken – and so I decided to make my own version – I called it Buttermilk Tempura Crispy Fried Chicken. The name is long I know, but it made it sound like it is really crispy. It actually is, and I am recommending you try it for yourself. Don’t forget to tag A Slice of Kate on social media.

When I crave for Crispy Fried Chicken, I always think of KFC – that’s a quick-fix and It never disappoints especially if you order Wicked Meal and additional 12 pc. Wicked Wings Pack – for a family of five, not just for myself.

In most kitchens, everyone has its take on Crispy Fried Chicken – I have tried so many recipes out there and I myself is still on the search for the best ones. This one is more on experimentation in the kitchen – after watching so many videos on YouTube. I combined buttermilk and tempura flour for the crunchiest crispiest finish.

I love Korean Dramas and I just finished watching The King – Eternal Monarch starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun, and in most of their episodes, they show The King, Lee Gon and other characters eating BBQ Chicken which makes you want to go to Korea immediately to have some. Korean Fried Chicken is consists of Korean frying powder and I was so unfortunate to find it in our local Asian stores so instead I used tempura flour.

How to Make Buttermilk Tempura Crispy Fried Chicken?

To make this Buttermilk Tempura Crispy Fried Chicken, in a large bowl, coat the chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper and soak them in buttermilk. Cover and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight. Then add 3 cups of flour into your buttermilk mixture to create a nice, rich batter. The chicken should be fully covered with batter. On a separate bowl or a dish, combine all the coating ingredients; tempura flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then one by one transfer the chicken from the batter mix to the dry ingredients. Make sure the chicken is fully coated with the coating flour mix. Heat oil in a pot to 150 degrees C before frying the chicken. It takes about 10-20 minutes each chicken drumstick (depending on the size). Do not overcrowd the pot to make sure chicken are evenly cooked. Then when all the chicken is cooked, bring the temperature of the oil to 175 degrees C, then double fry the chicken, about 2-5 minutes. By doing this, the chicken will have a crispier and crunchier outside and juicier meat inside.

You may also like my other chicken recipes: Crispy Fried Chicken and Korean Coconut Fried Chicken

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Buttermilk Crispy Tempura Fried Chicken Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg (2 pounds) chicken drumstick

FOR MARINADE:

salt and pepper

3 cups buttermilk

FOR BATTER:

3 cups flour

FOR COATING:

3 cups tempura flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. TO MARINATE: In a large bowl, add salt and pepper to the chicken drumsticks. Add buttermilk and make sure the chicken is fully soaked. Marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight. After marinating, add flour on the buttermilk mixture. Mix really well until it creates a nice, rich batter and chicken are completely coated.
2. TO COAT: In a separate bowl, combine tempura flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. One by one, transfer the chicken from the buttermilk mixture to the coating flour. Shake the excess flour off. Make sure all chicken pieces are well-coated with the dry coating mixture.
3. TO FRY: In a pot, bring oil to 150 degrees C. Slowly, place the chicken pieces to the oil, do not overcrowd for even cooking. This will take 10-20 minutes to cook depending on the size of the chicken. When all the chicken is done. Bring the oil to 175 degrees C then double fry the chicken for crispier and crunchier skin, about 2-5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy this Buttermilk Tempura Crispy Fried Chicken with family and friends!

NOTES:

• You can use any parts of the chicken – thigh part is actually really tasty. But in this recipe, I used chicken drumstick. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time as different parts of the chicken cook at different times.
• Use neutral cooking oil in frying chicken – I used canola oil. You can also use vegetable oil. Make sure to bring the oil to the right temperature. Double fry the chicken to achieve crispier and crunchier skin, about 2-5 minutes.
• Instead of tempura flour, you can use Korean frying powder. I just had a hard time finding this in our local Asian store so I ended up using tempura. It works well but not as good as the Korean fried chicken.
• If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make it yourself by mixing a cup of milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. In this recipe, you need to combine 3 cups milk and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar.
• Make sure to completely soak the chicken to buttermilk mixture and marinate it for at least 30 minutes to overnight for a juicier and tastier chicken.

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Did you make this Buttermilk Tempura Crispy Fried Chicken? Please leave us a comment below.

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