Mexican Fried Chicken and Drop Biscuits
Let me tell you guys something–something extremely important.
When it comes to food, there are very few things I love more than fried chicken and biscuits. I love the mashed potatoes and collard greens or green beans I’ll often eat alongside them. But honestly for me, the main stars of a meal even consisting of chicken and biscuits, are –without question–going to be the chicken and biscuits.
The chicken biscuit is something that most people here in the States can get anywhere.
Chik-fil-A are famous for their chicken biscuits drizzled with the red sauce. I’ve been known to slice a Popeye’s biscuit and layer it with chicken I took off the bone of a spicy breast and drizzled with honey to make a sandwich. And KFC has…something. I think. I don’t know. Maybe. (Haven’t been there in *years*).
Maybe you’ve brought home a bucket of chicken from one of the above places, then served them with the refrigerated Grand’s biscuits. Maybe you made the chicken and used the refrigerated biscuits. Or, maybe you’ve done the reverse and made the biscuits, but bought the chicken.
No judgment here. All of the above are cool. I like Popeyes. I like the flaky-style Grand’s biscuits. And to be honest, frying chicken and making biscuits from scratch may be something that scares more than a few folks, and I’m sure there are others who just don’t think that making either from scratch is worth it.
While I don’t judge taking those shortcuts, you guys still know what I’m about to say, right? I mean, cooking IS my sport.
So, it stands to reason that I’m gonna say that making fried chicken from scratch at home, IS worth it. Making biscuits from scratch at home, IS worth it. Scared of making fried chicken from scratch? Even more scared of making biscuits from scratch?
Don’t be. I got you.
Here’s what I love about this recipe: it takes one of my favorite food combinations, and gives it a twist that is not only yummy, but pretty simple to pull off, especially where the biscuits are concerned. The chicken is set overnight in a buttermilk marinade that ensures it will be extra juicy and tender, then tossed in a flour breading that’s mixed in with Mexican seasonings (chili powder, cumin, oregano) and fried until golden brown and crisp.
Now I know in some of my past posts I’ve talked a bit about the technique of making scratch biscuits being key to ensuring that they turn out right. Typically, I will ALWAYS freeze my butter and use a box grater to cut it directly into the flour to ensure that the butter is evenly distributed. Then, I take care to knead the biscuits as little possible to make sure they don’t end up tough.
Maybe all of those above tips seem scary. Maybe you don’t have a box grater and don’t feel like getting one right this second. Maybe the idea of kneading dough AT ALL is a no-go.Guess what? You can STILL get great biscuits. With drop biscuits, there’s no freezing the butter, no grating it in, no kneading. It all comes together in one bowl and the dough is then scooped out with a 1/4 cup measure onto a baking sheet, and baked off just like that. They come out golden brown/craggy on the outside and soft/fluffy on the inside. They’re also near impossible to screw up.
As you guys can see, once I had this finished I took a big piece of the chicken, sliced a biscuit in half, plopped a few pickles on top, then shook some Frank’d Red Hot on, and had myself a pretty sensational chicken biscuit. Why not all of you do the same for yourselves?
(Linking up to Fiesta Friday #163)
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Mexican Fried Chicken and Drop Biscuits
Recipe Adapted from Chow.com and America’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
For the Fried Chicken
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
- 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 breast/wing pieces, 2 breast pieces)
- Canola or peanut oil for deep-frying
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
For Biscuits
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk, chilled
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted then slightly cooled, plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing on top of biscuits
- About 1 tablespoon of your choice of a combination of mixed dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage all work fine)
Directions
For the Fried Chicken:
Brine the Chicken: In a large gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag, combine the buttermilk, kosher salt, garlic and Mexican oregano. Add the chicken and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours and up to overnight.
In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat at least 2-3 inches of the canola or peanut oil to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large wire rack over a baking sheet next to the stove. Place another wire rack over a baking sheet and set it aside (this will be for the finished chicken)
Combine the flour, chili powder, cumin, baking powder, and corn starch together in a bowl with a fork. Remove the chicken from the brine, shake off the excess and place in the flour mixture, using the fork to help the dry ingredients adhere to the chicken. Place the chicken on the wire rack baking sheet. (I recommend chilling the chicken like this for about 35 minutes to an hour if you have the time and space in your fridge. But if not, that’s okay.)
When the oil is heated, take the chicken and just before you add each piece into the oil, re-dip each piece in the flour ingredients. Add to the oil, no more than three at a time. (Also bear in mind that you’re going to need to adjust the heat to maintain the temperature of 325 degrees) Using a pair of tongs, fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, remove the chicken from the oil and place it on the second wire rack baking sheet. Keep it in an oven or a microwave to keep the chicken warm. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken until done.
For the Biscuits:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position in an oven and preheat it to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, table salt, baking soda and herbs together in a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl combine the buttermilk and melted butter together until small clumps form.
Use a rubber spatula to incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ones, stirring just until the mixture comes together. Place the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Spray a 1/4 cup measure with nonstick cooking spray, then scoop a level amount of batter out and onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve scooped out the rest of the batter, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Freeze the biscuits for about 30 minutes, then bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes. Brush the tops with the 2 tablespoons melted butter and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Those look ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!
Thank you, they are 😉
We have the same favourites 🙂 thanks for sharing !
Great KR; glad to hear it. Thanks for stopping by.
Mmm these sound amazing! My husband is Mexican and loves doing some non-traditional variations of Mexican cooking like this!
Thanks Abbey, I think your husband would like this dish for sure.
I made my first ‘biscuits’ this week and my son loved them, but my husband couldn’t cope with something that looked like a scone but wasn’t sweet! And they couldn’t get their heads round eating them with a meal, so I’ll show them your photos as proof 🙂
Haha, that’s awesome Elaine. I hope he can learn ‘adjust’ to biscuits, I certainly don’t need any help with that 😉
Ha ha! 😊😊 my son is happy not to have to share!!
I’m beginning to understand the term ‘food porn’ more and more. I’m sitting at work scrolling food with my mouth watering, Jess. Lol. Now I really want fried chicken and biscuits.
Lol, well, then I’d say my work here is done. I love when my photos can make people hungry and want to cook/eat. Thanks Eartha 🙂
Great tips, thanks for sharing 😁
You’re welcome, thanks for stopping by!
Looks delicious
Thanks Tracey 🙂
Love the idea of fried chicken with Mexican seasoning. One of my favorite items is chicken and biscuits
It’s a nice twist on one of my favorite dishes too. Thanks Lisa!
These look delicious!
Thanks Lina 🙂
Love how crispy the chicken looks and I love even more how easy the biscuit recipe is. Simple and tasty – my kind of recipe!
I’m in love with your recipes! Haha… Wow. Your pictures are so great too!
Thanks so much, I just cook/bake the things that I like to eat and try to make it look/turn out appealing to everyone else 😉
Oh heavens that chicken is to die for! I am just drooling looking at it! Biscuits any day for me too and you’ve plopped both of them together. Amazing!
Thank you Julie! This was one of my favorite dinners I’d made in a while 🙂
I meant to comment as soon as I saw this on FF last week – Mexican spices – genius! I used to have a thing for the Burger King Spicy Chicken sandwiches – they were on the dollar menu! When I was laying the tile in my kitchen, I think my son and I went just about every day and got one. I lost like 10 pounds, lol! Maybe this will be my home version!
Girl, I LOVED those spicy chicken sandwiches! And what’s more, I DO think this recipe is a great way to make them at home with pronounceable ingredients lol 😉
Scrrrrumptious☺😉
That it is! Thanks lol 😉
wow looks so yummy!!! i ashamely never had or tasted this dish before but now i guess i should 😍. greetings from Italy!
Thanks Elisabetta; no shame, it’s never too late to try fried chicken & biscuits. I’m positive you’ll love them just as much as everyone else does lol 😉
Sounds so good! Can’t wait to try it for myself
Awesome, I hope you enjoy. Thank you very much 🙂