We wanted to get the fresh, tangy flavor of ranch dressing into a coating for fried chicken. But the herbs that give ranch its hallmark flavor quickly lost their taste in hot oil. We got around this problem by swapping in thinner boneless chicken thighs for the usual bone-in chicken pieces; the thighs needed much less time to cook through, so the herbs didn’t spend as much time in the oil. We incorporated the herbs chives, cilantro, and dill in three places: in the buttermilk mixture and the flour coating for the chicken, as well as in a creamy dipping sauce for serving.
Ingredients
Buttermilk Mixture
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Chicken and Coating
- 8 (5- to 7-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
Ranch Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
How to Make It
-
For the Buttermilk Mixture
- Whisk all ingredients together in large bowl. Set aside ¼ cup buttermilk mixture in small bowl for ranch sauce. For the Chicken and Coating
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Whisk flour, cornstarch, chives, cilantro, dill, garlic powder, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl.
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Working with 1 piece at a time, dip chicken in remaining buttermilk mixture to coat, letting excess drip back into bowl, then dredge in coating, pressing to adhere. Transfer chicken to prepared wire rack. (Chicken can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 2 hours.)
- Add oil to Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Set second wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Add half of chicken to hot oil and fry until golden brown and registers 175 degrees, 7 to 9 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees.
- Transfer chicken to paper towel–lined side of second wire rack to drain on each side for 30 seconds, then move to unlined side of rack. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. For the Ranch Sauce
- Whisk mayonnaise into reserved buttermilk mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken, passing sauce separately.