Restaurants & Cafes
4 great restaurants in Dubai to get buttermilk-fried chicken
Although associated with the Deep South in the US, fried chicken is a tricky dish to pin down. There are many recipes for it from around the world – from Japan’s katsu to Indian-Chinese chicken lollipops – but when you get right down to it, there are only really two types of fried chicken: the good stuff and the stuff you regret eating immediately. Today, we’re talking about the former and – more specifically – buttermilk-fried chicken. Creamy and smooth, this crispy delight is known as Chicken Maryland. Traditionally served with a cream gravy, this offering sees chicken marinated in buttermilk before being breaded and fried until crisp and golden. It really is the ultimate comfort food.
Weslodge Saloon’s buttermilk chicken
If you are after a taste of the American South without having to fly 24-plus hours to get there, then you’d be wise to catch a cab to Business Bay for a plate of Southern-fried chicken at Weslodge. Generous hunks of bird are marinated in buttermilk labneh and then fried until they’re crisp but not oily, with the meat turning out incredibly tender. Served with Tabasco honey and a surprisingly moreish Brussel sprouts slaw, this dish may very well leave you with a Southern accent. If you’re coming with hungry family or friends, the Jumbo Prawn, featuring spiced shellfish butter, is phenomenal, too.
Where: Weslodge Saloon, JW Marriot Marquis
Contact: +971 4 560 1700,
3 Fils’ buttermilk chicken slider
This decadent burger is the ideal definition of feel-good food. Traditionally prepared by marinating chicken in buttermilk before battering and frying it until golden, our juicy meat hero sits inside a ridiculously soft bite-me bun with crispy lettuce and mayonnaise. Staying on the slider trail, the Cheeseburger and Spicy Shrimp sliders are equally moreish. If you’re looking to round off the meal with something sweet, the Toothfairy is the well-named treat to opt for. Featuring saffron meringue, violet sour curd and blackberry, this unique delight proffers flavours you won’t have eaten together before.
Where: 3 Fils, Jumeirah Fishing Harbour 1
Contact: +971 56 273 0030,
Jones the Grocer’s buttermilk chicken burger
New to the Jones menu, this little number is perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon. Marinated in buttermilk and crisped to golden perfection, a generous slab of chicken meat is slipped between a tender bun and slathered with Sriracha mayo and topped with carrot, mango and sesame slaw. Oh, and it’s served with nori dusted fries. If you want to sample every buttermilk offering on the menu, you can. A little lighter than the burger is the grilled spatchcock corn-fed chicken, marinated in buttermilk, fresh oregano and garlic and served on quinoa, avocado, pomegranate and blistered-corn salad with chimichurri sauce.
Where: Jones the Grocer, Sheikh Zayed Road
Contact: +971 4 346 6886,