ULTIMATE CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lbs Chicken

• 1/2 Cup Buttermilk

• 1/4 + 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

• 1/3 Cup Potato Starch or Corn Starch

• 12g Salt

• 2 tsp Baking Powder

• 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika

• 1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

• 1 tsp Garlic Powder

• 1 tsp Onion Powder

• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)

• 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)

• ~4 Cups Vegetable Oil (or other neutral oil), for frying

STEPS

1. Salt the chicken in advance (minimum of 1 hour, but up to 48).

2. In a large bowl, toss chicken in 1/4 cup of flour (per pound of chicken). Transfer chicken to a wire rack to rest for at least 30 minutes (optional, but highly recommended).

3. To that same bowl (with the excess flour still in it), add the rest of your flour along with the starch, salt, baking powder, MSG (if using) and all of the spices (if using). Whisk to combine.

4. In a medium-sized bowl, add the buttermilk.

5. In a heavy pot, heat oil to desired temperature - 375F (190C) for smaller cuts of chicken, and 350F (175C) for larger cuts (the temperature will drop by about 25F (14C) when the chicken is added.

6. When the oil is heated, prepare the breading station by:

   1. Adding a few Tablespoons of the flour/starch mixture into the buttermilk, and whisking to combine. It should resemble a very thin batter.

   2. Adding a few Tablespoons of the liquid back into the flour/starch mixture, and stirring to create craggy bits.

7. Bread the (already floured) chicken by first dunking it in the buttermilk, letting the excess liquid drip off as much as possible, then coating it in the flour/starch mixture, and shaking off the excess flour as much as possible.

8. Gently place the breaded chicken into the hot oil, and fry until the center is cooked to the desired internal temperature (about 160F (71C) for light meat and 175-190F (80-88C) for dark meat). For large bone-in cuts, transfer to a 350F (175C) oven once the breading is browned to your liking, and bake until the proper internal temperature is reached.

9. Transfer chicken to a wire rack to drain and cool for at least 5-10 minutes before eating.

10. For chicken that you plan to coat with sauce, you may want to double fry it. To do this, let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes after frying. Then, fry it again at the same temperature for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the chicken back to the wire rack to drain and cool for at least a few minutes before tossing with sauce.

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