Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken

By Vaughn Vreeland

Published June 26, 2024

Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ brining
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, plus at least 4 hours’ brining
Rating: (0)
Notes: Read community notes

Great fried chicken at home is much easier than you might think. This version celebrates the tangy, herbaceous complexity of ranch seasoning, which is whisked into buttermilk to create an easy brine that ensures a flavorful, juicy end result. A whole chicken works best: Cutting it into parts takes a bit of practice but saves money and yields a good variety of pieces. (If looking for a shortcut, a mixture of thighs and drumsticks works well too.) After the chicken is brined, it’s dredged in flour seasoned with onion powder and garlic powder, echoing ranch seasoning, and supplemented with cornstarch, which yields a delightfully crispy exterior that holds up very well to chilling, for those among us who love cold fried chicken. Don’t be afraid to fry at home! This chicken fries in a large, deep Dutch oven — and it fries mostly covered, which helps reduce any mess. Maintain the right oil temperature and follow the visual cues to determine doneness, and you’ll be fine.

Learn: How to Make Fried Chicken

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Ingredients

Yield:10 pieces

4cups full-fat buttermilk
1(1-ounce) packet ranch dressing seasoning
3tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1tablespoon cracked black pepper
1small (3- to 3½-pound) chicken, cut into 10 parts, or a mixture of thighs and drumsticks (2½ pounds)
About 8 cups vegetable oil, peanut oil or other neutral oil
1½cups/194 grams all-purpose flour
½cup/69 grams cornstarch
2teaspoons onion powder
2teaspoons garlic powder
Any combination of fresh dill, hot sauce and ranch dressing, for garnishing

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk to combine the buttermilk, ranch seasoning, 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of black pepper. Place the chicken pieces in the buttermilk brine, ensuring they’re fully submerged, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Step 2
When ready to fry, pour the oil into a large Dutch oven that has a tight-fitting lid, to a depth of 3 or 4 inches. (For safe frying, make sure the oil doesn’t go more than halfway up the sides.) Heat oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.
Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder and remaining 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You can also use a heavy paper bag that is large enough to fit the chicken pieces.) Working with a few pieces of chicken at a time, shake off excess brine and toss in the flour mixture to coat thoroughly on all sides. Gently press the mixture onto the chicken to ensure it fully adheres, shake off any excess flour and place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the chicken until all the pieces are coated.
Step 4
Working with a few pieces at a time, gently lower the chicken skin-side down into the pot and fry, covered, for 5 minutes. Carefully uncover, flip the chicken and continue to cook another 5 minutes, maintaining a medium to medium-high heat and an oil temperature of about 325 degrees. (Adding the cold chicken will cause the temperature of the oil to drop.) Fry until the pieces are a deep golden-brown on all sides, then remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. (Make sure your chicken is cooked through: When you pierce the meat, any juices that escape should run clear, not pink. If pink, simply cook a few minutes longer. If you have a meat thermometer, it should register 160 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken. After removing the pieces from the oil, the residual heat will continue to cook the chicken to 165 degrees.) Season with salt and repeat this step with the remaining pieces.
Step 5
Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with dill, alongside hot sauce and ranch dressing, if desired.

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Miss Austen’s Quill10 hours ago

Vaughn, this recipe is GENIUS! And so simple… Also love the accompanying (and all of your) videos. Bravo. Keep the cowboy outfits coming…

Lois3 days ago

Used this (pre Vaughn’s vid … great minds) as the brine and just the spices in the dredge : https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019546-classic-ranch-dressing?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Great stuff. A fav with the fam is Sam’s plain brine and then dredging with a tbsp of a top tier creole blend added in (the kind you can’t recreate bc it’s not labeled - mine is from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in NOLA)

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