• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • DIY
    • Homemade Sugar Scrubs
    • DIY Beauty
  • Healthy Living
    • Natural Remedies

Cultured Palate

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Lifestyle
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • DIY
    • Lifestyle
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Chicken

    Published: Aug 15, 2014 by Dina-Marie · Modified: Apr 2, 2022 4 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

    Fried Kefir Battered Chicken

    FacebookTweetPinShares132
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Afraid of fried chicken? Never fear, it is easier than you think! Not only is this Fried Kefir Battered Chicken super easy but you have never tasted such tender and moist chicken - it is delish!

    A photo of fried kefir battered chicken on a draining rack sitting on a wooden surface

    What says, "southern" better than fried chicken? OK, maybe fried chicken and sweet tea.

    At our house, birthdays are a BIG deal and a lot of fun. The birthday boy or girl picks the meal and it is complete with a decorated cake, ice cream and of course, presents.

    I really try to give them the meal of choice and it has never been a problem until fried chicken was requested!

    A photo of a pair of tongs picking up fried kefir battered chicken

    It was soooo much easier than I thought and the children loved the trial run!

    After consulting many, many recipes for fried battered chicken, I decided to try combining a bunch of them and the results were fantastic - moist delicious fried chicken. Plus, we fried it outside so the house stayed cool!

    Step by step photos for making battered chicken

    Instructions

    1. Brining the chicken. In a large bowl combine the water and salt. Add the chicken, covering all pieces with brine solution, cover, and let sit in the fridge overnight. Brining the chicken is an important step to seal in the moisture so, don't skip it!
    2. Soak the chicken in kefir. In a large bowl mix together kefir, dry mustard, paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional), and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Transfer chicken from the salt brine to the kefir batter, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
    3. Prepare chicken for frying. Remove the chicken an hour before frying. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or large pot (filled halfway with oil) to 350F. In a bowl mix together flour, cornmeal, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional), and the rest of the black pepper. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade and dredge in flour mixture.

    Tip: We have a fryer that we use to fry foods like doughnuts and fish and it works great! It is large enough to fry a dozen doughnuts at once - with our crew, that is important!

    1. Frying the chicken. Fry chicken in batches until golden brown and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken reads 160F. It takes about 10 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.
    2. After frying. Remove the chicken from the fryer or skillet and lay it in a single layer on a cooling rack NOT stacked on paper towels - that will make it soggy.

    Let me just say, one more time, this Fried Kefir Battered Chicken is super easy and the taste is absolutely delicious!

    Side Dishes

    If you are looking for some tasty sides to go with Fried Battered Chicken try one of these!

    • Sauteed Green Beans - This is a delicious and healthy side of fresh green beans and garlic, served slightly crisp. Green beans are a great low calorie option filled with lots of fiber.
    • Instant Pot Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes - A great alternative to mashed potatoes that is nutritious and so quick to make.
    • Grilled Zucchini and Squash - It's a summer favorite to make when we have a ton of produce from our garden that gives our meal a pop of color.
    • Oven Roasted Parmesan Asparagus - This is seriously the easiest side dish! It makes a quick and delicious addition to any meal.

    Top Tips

    • When brining the chicken, it actually soaks in some of the salt so, no salt is necessary for the flour used to dredge it before frying. It does take planning ahead to brine it, but trust me, the results are worth it.
    • Be sure to have the oil very hot to fry in. Once you take one batch of chicken out, allow the oil to heat up again so you are putting the new batch into hot oil.
    • When you are frying the chicken don't overcrowd the fryer. If you add too many pieces of chicken the temperature drops and you will lose some crispiness.

    If you’ve tried this Fried Kefir Battered Chicken or any other recipe on Cultured Palate please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YouTube and TWITTER.

    Fried Kefir Battered Chicken

    Cultured Palate

    Nothing beats fried chicken as a special weekend meal.

    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 30 mins

    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American

    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 683 kcal

    Ingredients

      

    • 3 tablespoon salt
    • 4 lbs chicken drumsticks
    • 2 cup kefir may use thinned yogurt or buttermilk
    • 3 teaspoons dry mustard
    • 2 teaspoons paprika
    • 1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
    • 2 teaspoons black pepper
    • 2 cup all purpose flour
    • 3 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
    • oil for frying

    Instructions

     

    To brine:

    • In a large bowl, stir together 10 cups water and 2 tablespoon salt. Add the chicken covering all pieces with brine solution. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

    To marinate:

    • In another bowl, whisk together kefir, 1 tablespoon salt, mustard, paprika, ½ cayenne pepper (if using) and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
    • Transfer chicken from the salt brine to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

    To cook:

    • Remove the chicken from refrigerator an hour before frying - let stand at room temperature.
    • Mix together flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if using).
    • Whether using a deep fryer or oil in heavy pot (filled halfway with oil), heat oil to 350F.
    • Remove chicken from the marinade a few pieces at a time - do not shake off excess - dredge in flour mixture.
    • Fry chicken in batches until golden brown and thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 160F. It takes about 10 minutes depending upon the size of pieces.
    • Transfer to wire rack.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Be sure to allow the oil to reheat between batches.
    • Do not stack chicken on paper towel - this causes the crust to become soggy.
    • The brining of the chicken is an important step to seal in the moisture so, don't skip it! It sounds really fancy but it is simply soaking the chicken in a salt bath.  

    • With the chicken, it actually soaks in some of the salt so, no salt is necessary in the flour used to dredge it before frying. It does take planning ahead to brine it, but trust me, the results are worth it.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 683kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 47gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 3743mgPotassium: 584mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 760IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 139mgIron: 5.3mg

    Keyword battered chicken, chicken, fried chicken
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Chicken Recipes

    • chicken stroganoff in a bowl
      Chicken Stroganoff Recipe
    • chicken tenders on a plate
      Low Carb Chicken Tenders
    • taquitos stacked on a plate
      Oven Baked Chipotle Chicken Taquitos
    • Complete Chicken Dinner in Crockpot shown in horizontal image on white plate.
      Complete Chicken Dinner in Crockpot

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Teri says

      August 15, 2014 at 1:51 pm

      5 stars
      Looks soooo yummy! I love the combination of spices you used. This is a keeper. Pinned!

      Reply
    2. Emily Kemp says

      April 24, 2018 at 2:56 am

      5 stars
      What a great idea to use kefir, love your tips for soaking the chicken too I bet it makes a big difference!

      Reply
    3. JRlamp says

      June 13, 2018 at 3:22 pm

      doesn't frying it kill all the health benefits of kefir?

      Reply
      • Dina-Marie says

        June 18, 2018 at 3:36 pm

        JRlamp, you are right, the frying does kill the probiotics in the kefir. But, while you do not receive the health benefit of the kefir when eating it, the bacterial action of the kefir works on the chicken while it marinates making it very moist. It is delicious!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Your gut health plays a central role in nutrient absorption, and affects all other systems in your body. The bacterial cultures in your intestines are an often overlooked and neglected part of the average diet.

    Known as the "second brain", your gut has more than 100 million neurons, and needs to be nourished.

    You'll find recipes here that focus on prebiotic ingredients, whole vegetables, and probiotics like kefir, sauerkraut and cheese.

    About myCulturedPalate!

    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    Trending

    • How to Make Bone Broth
      How to Make Bone Broth - Easy and Delicious
    • Simple Guacamole Recipe
    • Sourdough Bread Bowls on green plate filled with soup.
      Sourdough Bread Bowls
    • Diabetic Brownies shown on white tray with yellow napkin.
      Diabetic Brownies
    • image showing Dough Enhancer Recipe
      Dough Enhancer
    • Carrot Juice Recipe for Weight Loss shown with white background and veggies around jar.
      Carrot Juice Recipe for Weight Loss
    • cream of rice in a white bowl with a spoon
      Homemade Cream of Rice Recipe
    • Oven Roasted Pork Loin with veggies in a polish pottery dish.
      Boneless Pork Loin in Dutch Oven

    Calendars

    • march 2023 calendar
      March 2023 Printable Calendar
    • february 2023 calendar
      February 2023 Printable Calendar
    • january 2023 printable calendar
      January 2023 Printable Calendar

    As seen in

    Subscribe for new recipes!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Calendars
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About

    The content on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.

    Copyright © 2023 MyCulturedPalate