Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken Sandwich

"You don't want to make a steady diet of just lettuce. You don't want to make a steady diet of fried chicken."
- Paula Deen

If, however, you eat them together you should be just fine.  My mom made these chicken sandwiches when I was a kid, and I have only been able to get them perfect a couple of times.  Heating oil and then frying something in it (other than corn chips) takes a bit of practice.  I don't like to fry very often for several reasons:  it is not healthy, my gallbladder does not like grease, I don't like the way my house smells afterward, and unless I'm frying a batch of fresh fish and homemade hush puppies I feel it is a tad bit expensive to use oil once and then toss it.  That being said, I don't have a whole lot of practice under my belt on this particular dish.  When the crust fries to perfection, though, let me just tell you...Colonel Sanders better run and hide!  My mom never added the Ranch dip mix to hers, she just dredged them in flour after a buttermilk bath.  Either way you want to do them is A-Ok.  If you just do flour, season it with some S&P first.  I seem to be missing quite a few pictures of this process, but it really is very straightforward.

Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken Sandwich

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 packets Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dip mix

1 qt buttermilk

vegetable, corn, or canola oil for frying

5 or more boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1. Be sure your chicken is thawed and close to room temperature before you begin so it will cook evenly and quickly.  Halve each breast horizontally (aka butterfly it all the way through), so you have 10 pieces of thinner chicken breast halves.

2. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, high-sided skillet, cast iron, dutch oven, electric skillet or deep fryer, or saucepan.  I add oil to half the depth of the pan I am frying in.  Oil should be between 325º and 350º.  Use a candy thermometer (or electric skillet or fryer) to maintain oil temperature.  I used the skillet my mom always used.  If you look closely at the top center of the skillet, there is a dark spot.  That is where the skillet caught fire while she was frying up a batch of this type of chicken when I was a kid - probably 20 years ago.  There is a depression in the skillet, but no hole, so of course we still use it to fry chicken!

3. While oil is coming to temperature, pour buttermilk into a wide dish that is about 1" deep (pie plate or cake pan will work for this).  Place 4 pieces of chicken at a time in the buttermilk and soak for at least 5 minutes.  If the buttermilk doesn't cover the pieces, turn them to coat.

4. In a separate dish, mix together the flour and Ranch mix.  Stir until it is well-blended.  

5. After the breasts have soaked in buttermilk, let the excess drip off.  Lay the breasts in the flour mix.  Press them into the flour before turning them to coat.

6. Once oil is heated, carefully shake excess flour back into the dish and ease the chicken into the hot oil.  I don't do more than 4 pieces at a time.  Less is better because the oil temperature drops each time you add a piece of meat.

7. I didn't time this, so I'm not sure of an exact amount of time they need to fry.  I go more based on color.  Fry them until they are golden, then check with an instant read thermometer to be sure the internal temperature is 165º.

8. If you are frying a large batch, keep them warm in the oven.  You may want to put them on a wire rack on a pan, because the crust may stick to the pan and pull off when you are ready to serve it.  I heated the oven and pan to 250º while the chicken fried.

  
9. You can certainly serve this with any of your favorite sides, but we prefer to eat them on a white bun with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mustard, and mayonnaise.