There isn’t much in my fridge. I was supposed to go shopping on Monday. And then Tuesday. And then Wednesday. Well, you get the idea. The week got away from me before I knew it. The only upshot? Saturday’s Brooklyn Food Conference (hello, Anna Lappe!) is right around the corner. If you’re going, please stop by and say hi. We’ll be the ones with the homemade playdough and no-knead bread… jacked up on way too much coffee (well, at least me).

Luckily, while I was desperately trying to plan dinner in my head on my way home from work, the ChowPapa was actually making dinner. Surprise! (Or should I say, whew!) And what a dinner it was. Just the kind of comfort food I needed after a not so comfortable day. Here’s his recipe for his Buttermilk Fried Chicken—made a little healthier with skinless chicken thighs.

Classic Buttermilk Fried Chicken

(for kids 12+ mos)

1 cup organic buttermilk

1.5 tsp organic cayenne pepper

6 boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)

1.5 cups organic  flour

1 cup organic canola oil

4.5 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

1. In a large shallow bowl or baking dish, combine buttermilk, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and  1.5 tsp salt. Stir to combine. Add chicken thighs and spoon the liquid over the chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. In another large shallow bowl, combine the flour with 1 tsp cayenne and 3 tsp salt. 

3. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a cast iron pan. (I’ve heard you can judge this by when a pinch of flour sizzles when you drop it in the oil, but I can’t attest to that—I’m a chronic measurer so I go by a food thermometer.)

4. Dredge chicken pieces in the mixture (one at a time!) and shake off the excess. 

5. Carefully lay only as many chicken pieces in the pan as you can without crowding. Cook about 10 minutes per side until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked all the way through. (I always like to cut one thigh open to be sure.)

6. Remove thighs from oil and transfer to a rack or plate covered with a paper towel to drain.

Note: If you haven’t fit all the thighs in your pan, you’ll have to repeat with the remaining chicken. Make sure you get oil back up to 350 degrees before cooking the next batch of thighs. Sliced, this fried chicken is  a great alternative to chicken fingers and a great finger food for kids—while still being a delicious meal for you!