Why stop at chicken when you can throw a few other goodies into the fryer? That’s why we love this Fried Chicken with Lemon and Pickles recipe!
Fried Chicken with Lemon and Pickles
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 (5-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
- 1½ cups dill pickle juice
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning*, divided
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ cups plain white cornmeal
- 2 cups whole buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2½ cups dill pickle chips, drained
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
- Dill Buttermilk Dressing (recipe follows), to serve
Instructions
- In a large resealable plastic bag, combine chicken and pickle juice, and seal bag. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, for 4 to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 200°. Place a wire rack in each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Spray racks with cooking spray.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together flour, 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reserve one-third of flour mixture in a small bowl, and add cornmeal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce. Reserve half of buttermilk mixture in a small bowl.
- In a large cast-iron Dutch oven, pour oil to fill halfway, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325°.
- Drain chicken, discarding brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. Dredge in flour mixture, gently pressing to adhere; shake off excess. Place on prepared wire rack.
- Fry chicken in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 12 minutes for dark meat and 18 minutes for white meat. Remove using tongs, place on other prepared wire rack, and keep warm in oven.
- Increase heat for oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°. Repeat procedure with pickle chips, lemon slices, and the reserved buttermilk mixture and reserved cornmeal mixture from steps 3 and 4. Fry pickles and lemon in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon, and place on wire rack with chicken. Keep warm until ready to serve with Dill Buttermilk Dressing.
Notes
TIPS from GRANDMA
Use your cast-iron cookware.
Use your cast-iron cookware.
Dill Buttermilk Dressing
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup whole buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
- 1½ teaspoons dill pickle brine
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning*
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
*We used Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning.
