Whether you call itcountry fried, chicken fried, or buttermilk fried, every small game hunter should have a classic fried rabbit recipe in their repertoire. It’s cliché, but it really does taste like chicken.

Although you can use any cut from any rabbit, I’m picky about which meat hits the fryer. For older rabbits, I only use hindquarters and loins for frying, while saving the front quarters for braising or stewing. The shoulders of old cottontails tend to be too tough for quick cooking applications. This isn’t an issue with younger rabbits—you can fry everything from them.

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1. Soak rabbits in a resealable bag with buttermilk for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Set a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Prepare stations for breading the meat, frying the meat, and cooling the meat.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, and garlic. Whisk together until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg.
4. Remove the meat from the buttermilk that it was soaking in. Dust the meat in dry mixture, giving it a light, even coat. Then dip the meat in the wet mixture until it’s fully submerged. After that, place it back in the dry mixture and bury it. Firmly press the flour onto the meat.
5. Carefully place breaded meat in fryer for about 5 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Don’t crowd the fryer or the temperature will drop and cause inconsistent cooking. When the rabbit is done cooking, place it on a wire rack for cooling.
6. Repeat process with remaining rabbit pieces, serve while warm and crispy.