Judi’s Ultimate Crispy Fried Chicken
While I used to soak my chicken overnight, several years ago a Southerner taught me that dry rub overnight makes the skin extra crispy.
Equipment
- 1 Large cast-iron pan (the older the better)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt divided fresh-ground black pepper, generously grind
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken cut into 10 pieces, backbone removed.
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- peanut oil for frying
- hot or orange blossom honey for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Make a blend of the salt, fresh-ground pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Rub all over chicken and place on rack in refrigerator overnight to let the skin dry. Remove from refrigerator ½ hour before frying.
- Pout oil into cast-iron pan to approximately ¾ of the pan. Prop a deep-fry thermometer so it doesn’t sink into the oil. Heat oil to 350°.
- Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mix buttermilk and egg with ½ cup water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper. (You may also add a splash of hot sauce.)
- In a separate baking dish, use a whisk to incorporate flour with cornstarch.
- Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip chicken into buttermilk mixture and shake off excess. Dip into flour mixture to coat evenly and shake off excess. Place 5 pieces of chicken in the oil. Fry and, using tongs, turn the chicken every 2 minutes and adjust heat to keep a steady temperature of 300–325° until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperature is 165° (10 minutes for wings and 12 minutes for thighs, legs, and small breasts).
- Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet, allowing excess oil to drip back into pan. Cool just slightly on cooling rack and serve with hot honey.
