Buttermilk Fried Chicken by Donna Hay

Buttermilk fried chicken with a fennel, cucumber and apple salad and buttermilk dressing, from Donna Hay.

Ingredients

2 с.л.	Red pepper (paprika)
1 с.л.	Fennel seeds
2 с.л.	Ginger, ground
1 ч.л.	Coriander, powder
1 ч.л.	Turmeric
1/2 ч.л.	Cumin
1 щипка	Nutmeg
1 щипка	Cardamom
8	Whole boneless chicken thighs
500 мл	Buttermilk or yogurt
—	Oil for frying
300 г	Flour
1 с.л.	Baking powder
2 ч.л.	Sea salt
0.5 ч.л.	Black peppercorns
125 мл	Buttermilk (dressing)
70 г	Yogurt (dressing)
0.5 ч.л.	Dijon mustard
1 с.л.	Balsamic vinegar
0.5 ч.л.	Grated lemon zest
—	Salt and black pepper

For the fried chicken, crush the fennel seeds in a mortar. Mix them in a deep bowl with the red pepper (paprika). Roll all the chicken thighs in the mixture together. Add the buttermilk (you can also use thin yogurt). Place the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat at least four fingers of oil in a deep pan to 180°C. In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and the mortar-crushed black peppercorns. Stir. Transfer the mixture to a tray. Shake each thigh well free of the buttermilk mixture and roll it well in the flour. Fry the thighs in the heated oil in batches of 5-6 minutes, turning them. Remove the fried chicken onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Sprinkle the fried chicken with salt. If needed, reheat the chicken in an oven heated to 140°C.
For the salad, cut the fennel into strips, removing the hard part at the base. Cut the cucumbers into strips too. Slice the apple into very thin slices.
Arrange quarters of baby lettuce in individual plates, top with fennel, cucumber, apple. Crumble blue cheese into pieces. Slice a fried chicken thigh and arrange it over the vegetables.
For the dressing, mix buttermilk, yogurt and mustard in a bowl. Stir and add balsamic vinegar and finely grated lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.
Drizzle each portion of salad with dressing.