Crispy Southern Fried Chicken
Description
You know that classic crispy fried chicken that mom used to cook on Sundays? Well, why wait for mom to do it for you? Here's a quick and easy recipe for an awesome classic meal. This recipe yields 4-5 servings.
Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks
For the marinade:
3 lemons, halved
2 Tablespoons crushed bay leaves (or use 12 bay leaves)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons black peppercorns
3/4 cup kosher salt
1 gallon water
For the coating:
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 Tablespoons garlic powder, divided
2 Tablespoons onion powder, divided
2 teaspoons paprika, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 cups + 3 Tablespoons buttermilk, divided
For frying:
1 quart + canola oil
Directions
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1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large pot. Bring to a boil and continue to stir and boil for about 1 minute, or until salt dissolves. Remove from heat and chill the marinade before adding chicken pieces (you don't want to cook your chicken already!). After marinade is chilled, add chicken drumsticks and let sit, refrigerated, for at least 4 hours (don't let it sit over 12 hours, otherwise it will get too salty). Take chicken out of marinade, rinse under cold water, and pat dry. Let sit for 1 1/2 hours, or until it comes to room temperature.
2. Take out 2 medium sized shallow bowls. Pour 1 1/2 cups of flour in each, and divide the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper equally between the two bowls. (If using regular table salt, use less.) Add 3 Tablespoons of buttermilk to one of the bowls and mix til it is crumbly. In a separate bowl, pour the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk.
3. Set up your bowls with the dry bowl first, then the buttermilk bowl, then the crumbly mix bowl. Place a parchment lined baking sheet or pan next to the last bowl. Pour oil in a large pot (you want it several inches deep), and using a thermometer, bring the oil to a temperature of 320°. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet for the cooked chicken to drain.
4. Coat each drumstick with the dry mixture, then dip in the buttermilk and let the excess drip off. Then, roll the drumstick in the crumbly mixture and place on the parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat with remaining drumsticks.
5. Once the oil is heated, carefully lower drumsticks into hot oil (I used mitts and tongs, although I definitely could have skipped that, since the oil wasn't splattering.) and fry for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from hot oil using tongs and place on prepared cooling rack. Repeat until all chicken is fried. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. (If you need to keep the chicken warm, you can place it in a 400° oven for several minutes.)