BUTTERMILK CHIPOTLE ONION RINGS
•I Knew you’d stop by…..who doesn’t love onion rings? These have a little extra crunch factor from the cornmeal and a little spice and smokiness from the chipotle. I know, I know, I know, I’ve posted a bunch of recipes using chipotle, but come on…..it’s delicious! I had a half can left over from making chipotle lime shrimp with grilled corn and quinoa salad last week and just had to use them up, oh the sacrifices I make.
buttermilk ranch dressing for dipping- I would suggest adding less buttermilk to make it more of a dip and give the chipotle ranch recipe at the bottom a whirl for that extra kick and to nicely round out the chipotle flavor.
Cut the onion into 1/2 inch slices and separate the ring into a large bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper, toss. Add the chipotle peppers and sauce, toss again. Let sit for 30 min.
Pour in the buttermilk, making sure the onions are completely submerged. Put a small plate or lid of some sort on top of the onions to keep under the liquid and let sit in the fridge a couple hours.
When ready to fry, heat up your oil to 350° over med high heat- use a candy thermometer to check the temp or sprinkle in just a pinch of the flour mix into the oil, if it bubbles and fries up, the oil is ready.
In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and the ground chipotle pepper.
Remove the onions from the buttermilk, making sure they are coated but the excess is shaken off, then dredge into the cornmeal mixture.
Drop only a few onions at a time into the hot oil. You don’t want to crowd then pot. Turn them a couple times with tongs until even golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Continue with the rest of the onions. You can keep the onions warm in a 200° oven for up to a half hour. Serve immediately with the dip of your choice (I suggest chipotle ranch dressing)♥Enjoy
