Growing up in the 80s in Ontario, Canada it was a real good day when Mom and Dad brought home a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) with the bright green coleslaw for supper.

Fried chicken is a decadent indulgence, but if you use beef tallow instead of highly processed canola, you can enjoy with no guilt.

Our son-in-law Jake ran a restaurant inside a bar in Toronto serving deep fried chicken with various levels of heat, right up to ghost pepper 🥵. He actually travelled throughout the Southern States trying different versions to develop his recipe. We stay away from heat, but his delicious chicken was a great inspiration.

The recipe we adapted was in the summer 2017 edition of LCBO Food & Drink magazine—the original is here. It’s a two-day process to make as you need a day to brine, but well worth the wait.

Frying chicken is the challenging part, as no one wants to eat raw or incinerated meat. The pictures and video show the process to help you make juicy and tender fried chicken that would make Colonel Sanders smile.

We use a deep fryer for this versus shallow frying and fry up sides such as French or sweet potato fries, zucchini fritters, potato wedges (see below), or this recipe for a blooming onion. If you don’t own a deep fryer, use the shallow fry method outlined in the original recipe.

Boneless chicken thighs are our preference for this recipe, as the bone-in pieces can be trickier to ensure they’re cooked through. Plus, you can make chicken burgers with the leftovers for another indulgent meal.

Ingredients

BRINE

1 onion, coarsely chopped

3 tbsp (45 mL) sea salt

3 tbsp (45 mL) packed brown sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) mustard seeds

1 tsp (5 mL) whole black peppercorns

4 bay leaves

5 cups (1.25 L) cold water, divided

3½ lbs (1.75 kg) chicken thighs, skin-on  (10 pieces)

BUTTERMILK MARINADE

2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk

1 tbsp (15 mL) sweet paprika

2 tsp (10 mL) celery seeds

2 tbsp (30 mL) hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

COATING

1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour

½ cup (125 mL) cornstarch

2 tsp (10 mL) sweet paprika

1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

1 tsp (5 mL) garlic powder (optional)

½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground pepper

½ tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper

4 to 6 cups (1 to 1.5 L) beef tallow (or peanut oil if tallow is not available)

POTATO WEDGES

Potatoes cut into wedges, skin on.

Instructions:

1. For the brine, combine onion, salt, sugar, mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves and 1 cup (250 mL) water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Pour into a large bowl and let cool. Add remaining 4 cups (1 L) water; refrigerate until chilled.
2. Add chicken thighs to cold brine in a nonreactive bowl, pressing to immerse in liquid, or combine in an extra-large resealable plastic bag set in a container. Cover, or seal bag, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or for up to 24 hours.
3. Drain and discard brine from chicken. Rinse off thighs and pat dry with paper towels.
4. For the buttermilk marinade, combine buttermilk, paprika, celery seeds and hot pepper sauce in a clean large non-reactive bowl or container. Add chicken pieces and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or for up to 24 hours.
5. For the coating, whisk together flour, cornstarch, paprika, thyme, salt, garlic powder (if using), pepper and cayenne. You may need more flour mixture and can use it for frying other things such as vegetables.
6. Pour oil into deep fryer. Heat over medium heat to 350°F (180°C).
7. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
8. If making potato wedges, fry these first for 3 ½ minutes until browned but not cooked through. Bake in the oven for ½ hour.
9. Spoon 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the buttermilk marinade into flour mixture, whisking until small clumps form. Working with 1 or 2 pieces at a time, remove chicken from buttermilk marinade and dredge in flour mixture, turning and pressing to coat well. Place on one of the racks on the baking sheet. Repeat until all pieces are coated in flour.
10. Add chicken thighs to hot oil, 2 at a time. Fry for 2 ½ – 3 minutes until browned then flip thighs over, cover, and fry for about 4 ½ to 5 minutes longer or until deep golden-brown and crispy.
11. Using tongs, transfer chicken pieces to clean wire rack set over baking sheet and place in the oven.
12. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Fry the last two for 2 minutes longer and finish in the oven if necessary.
13. Fry your blooming onion if making.
14. Temperature of thighs should register 165°F (74°C). If not, bake on the rack in preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes more and check temperature again.

Tips:

• Make sure the buttermilk is plain and not flavoured.
• Reheat leftover chicken thighs in an air fryer for best results.

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