My fried buttermilk brined chicken legs are packed with unique flavours that will keep you coming back for more. The skin is crispy, and the chicken is juicy.
That’s all you need to enjoy the best tasting fried chicken going around.
I know what you’re thinking, “another fried chicken drumstick recipe”.
What makes yours any different from all the other recipes out there?
To answer that, I must start with the buttermilk brine and what I put in it to add more flavour to my chicken.
The buttermilk in this recipe is entirely homemade and super simple to make. It will guarantee the juiciest of chicken every time.
The best part is the savings you’ll make compared to buying ready-made buttermilk from your supermarket.
You may have never noticed, but why is it that the flavour stops at the crust?
The chicken tastes, well, like chicken. So what if I could enhance the flavour slightly.
I added fresh rosemary and garlic powder to the buttermilk and marinated my chicken in the fridge overnight.
An extra step but way worth the trouble, to enhance the flavours in your fried buttermilk brined chicken legs.
Ingredients you’ll need to make fried buttermilk brined chicken legs.
Aside from needing some fresh ingredients, you should already have most of the ingredients in your pantry.
Homemade Buttermilk Brine:
- 1.5kg chicken legs/drumsticks (9-10 legs)
- White vinegar
- Milk
- Rosemary (fresh)
- Garlic powder
You can also add fresh thyme and cracked pepper if you like.
Flour Mixture:
- Plain/all-purpose flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda (bi-carb)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Parsley (fresh)
- Salt & black pepper
- Vegetable/Canola oil for deep-frying
Egg Mixture:
- Eggs
- Salt
Creamy Gravy:
- Leftover frying oil
- Plain/all-purpose flour
- Chicken stock
- Milk
- Salt & black pepper (to taste)
How to make homemade buttermilk?
Making buttermilk at home is really simple and requires only 2 ingredients.
It’s inexpensive and will last in your fridge for up to 3 days.
To begin making buttermilk brined chicken legs combine 4 tbsp of white vinegar to 2 cups of milk.
Set aside on the bench for 30-45 minutes. You are looking for skin forming on top of the milk and should have a curdling appearance.
Once you see that, your buttermilk is ready.
Brining the chicken with buttermilk
Finely chop some fresh rosemary and measure out 1/2 tbsp of garlic powder.
Place your chicken drumsticks inside a large zip lock bag and pour in the buttermilk.
Add the rosemary and garlic powder, then push the air out and zip the bag up.
Next, fold and tuck the end of the zip lock bag under the chicken and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 1-2 hours.
Although leaving the chicken to marinate overnight is ideal.
The buttermilk will break down muscle fibres in the chicken, giving you a tender chicken.
Power Tip: Rotate the bag in the fridge each time you open it throughout the day. Doing this will ensure the chicken is fully coated in the buttermilk.
Preparing the flour mixture
I have made some slight changes to my buttermilk brined chicken legs recipe.
My previous marinated chicken drumstick recipe was a simple herb blend with plain/all-purpose flour.
For this one, I’ve added baking powder and baking soda (bi-carb).
The chicken will be crispy but will hold more moisture and have a softer texture.
Whisk together plain/all-purpose flour, baking soda (bi-carb), and baking powder in a large bowl.
Add salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and a 1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley.
Mix together thoroughly and set aside.
Set up your dredging station
Set up two rectangle-shaped bowls if you have them.
If not, two large bowls will work.
To the first bowl, add the flour mix, and to the second bowl, add two eggs with a pinch of salt and whisk.
You can get excellent quality stainless-steel breading pans that come in a set of 3 from Amazon that will work amazingly.
They are the right size and shape for even the smallest kitchen benches and are purpose-built for chicken drumsticks.
Preheat the oil in your fryer
Whether you’re using an electric deep fryer, large pan or crock-pot, preheat two to two and a half litres of vegetable/canola oil to 190°C (375°F).
If you don’t feel confident enough to know your oil temperature, grab yourself a candy thermometer.
I use one when I’m frying, and they are great for keeping track of your oil.
They are inexpensive but highly valuable to monitor the oil temperature when frying, and it sits on the side of your crock-pot out of the way.
Check out the Tala candy thermometer I personally use at amazon.
Breading the chicken
While the oil is heating, remove the chicken legs from the zip lock bag and place them onto a wire rack.
Pat down the chicken with a paper towel and begin dredging however many legs that will fit in your fryer.
Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shake then into the egg.
Allow the egg to drip off the chicken, then place back into the flour.
Shake off any excess flour, then set aside until the first batch of chicken is fully coated.
How to fry chicken legs/drumsticks?
The chicken will naturally drop the temperature of the oil below 190°C (375°F).
It is vital to turn the temperature up to keep the oil around the recommended mark.
Place the chicken into the fryer, making sure to place it away from you to avoid injury from the hot oil.
Fry the chicken for 10-12 minutes, turning over halfway if your oil is a bit shallow.
Cook the chicken to a safe eating temperature of 73°C (163°F).
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, I highly recommend Inkbird Instant Read Meat Thermometer.
I personally use it to test the temperature of all meat I cook on JustSoYum.
This way, I can always make sure the meat is cooked and safe to eat.
When your chicken looks a beautiful shade of brown, place the chicken onto either a wire rack to drain or a paper towel.
Cover with aluminium foil to keep warm while you prepare the creamy gravy.
Making the creamy gravy
This gravy is incredibly creamy, and I’m sure you’re going to love it!
I’ve repurposed the oil the chicken was cooked in to add a wonderful dimension to the gravy.
In a small pot, stir 1/3 cup of flour to 2 tablespoons of repurposed oil over low heat for 2 minutes.
Try to add some of the crunchy bits leftover from the oil.
Whisk in 1 and 1/4 cup of chicken stock and 1 cup of milk. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring continuously.
Finally, season with a pinch of salt & black pepper to taste.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring until the sauce thickens.
Serve with the chicken legs, and most importantly, enjoy!
Check out our favourite recipes at JustSoYum!
Crispy Asian honey chicken: Bring authentic Asian flavours home with my honey chicken recipe. Cooked to the exact specifications of your local Chinese restaurant.
Air fryer marinated chicken drumsticks: Do you feel like a slightly healthier option for your fried chicken? Then this is the recipe for you.
Bacon-wrapped cannelloni: The cannelloni is stuffed beautifully with cheese and seasoned beef and pork. Then wrapped in bacon.
On top sits a hand-picked selection of fresh herbs in a passata sauce and topped with delicious melted cheese.
I bet you’re hungry now!
Crispy Asian honey chicken: Bring authentic Asian flavours home with my honey chicken recipe. Cooked to the exact specifications of your local Chinese restaurant.
Air fryer marinated chicken drumsticks: Do you feel like a slightly healthier option for your fried chicken? Then this is the recipe for you.
Bacon-wrapped cannelloni: The cannelloni is stuffed beautifully with cheese and seasoned beef and pork. Then wrapped in bacon.
On top sits a hand-picked selection of fresh herbs in a passata sauce and topped with delicious melted cheese.
I bet you’re hungry now!
We’re an affiliate
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Thank you if you use our links, we really appreciate it!
Fried Buttermilk Brined Chicken Legs With Creamy Gravy
Ingredients
Homemade Buttermilk (optional)
- 4 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp rosemary freshly chopped
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
Flour Mixture
- 2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking/bi-carb soda
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp parsely freshly chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Egg Mixture
- ½ tsp salt
Creamy Gravy (optional)
- 2 tbsp oil re-purposed
- ⅓ cup plain/all-purpose flour
- 310 ml chicken stock or 1 and ¼ cup
- 1 cup milk
- salt pinch (add more if required)
- black pepper pinch (add more of required)
Cooking Oil
- 2 litres Oil vegetable/canola oil for frying
Instructions
Homemade Buttermilk Brine (optional)
- Combine 4 tbsp of vinegar with 2 cups of milk into a small mixing bowl. Allow the buttermilk to sit for 30-40 minutes. Please don’t put it in the fridge. After the buttermilk has a curdled appearance, It is ready to use.
- Dice fresh rosemary and add to the buttermilk with ½ tbsp of garlic powder.
- Pour the buttermilk into a zip lock bag and add chicken legs. Using your hands, gently move the buttermilk around the chicken. Fold the bag over and place it into the fridge for 2-24 hours to marinate. Rotate the bag each time you go to the fridge.
Flour Mixture
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, ½ tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp onion powder and ¼ cup of finely chopped fresh parsley.
Egg Mixture
- Into a bowl, crack three eggs and add ½ tsp of salt, then whisk.
Dredging & Frying
- Pour 2 litres of vegetable oil into a wok or crockpot and heat to 190°C (375°F). The temperature will fall as soon as the chicken is added. Keep the heat up High until the oil is back within 180°C – 190°C (375°F – 355°F).
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Dredge into the flour mix, egg, then back into the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and place chicken onto a wire rack.
- Carefully add the chicken into the hot oil, placing the chicken away from you. Fry the chicken for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway.
- The safe eating temperature of the chicken should be between 73°C (163°F) and 75°C (167°F). Drain chicken onto a wire rack or paper towel and wrap with aluminium foil to keep warm.
Creamy Gravy (optional)
- Stir ⅓ cup of flour to 2 tbsp of repurposed oil over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add some of the crunchy flakes on the bottom of the wok/crockpot.
- Whisk in 1 and ¼ cup (310ml) of chicken stock and 1 cup of milk and bring to boil over high heat, stirring continuously.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thickened. Serve immediately with the chicken legs.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @justsoyum on Instagram or Facebook so we can find your masterpiece.
Alternatively, you can leave a comment below and let us know how you went.
