Crispy Fried Chicken

This is what I came up with after tinkering a bit with fried chicken. My family loves the crunchy outside, and juicy tender chicken. I buy chicken parts, bone in. But this does work with boneless skinless chicken too. If you are cutting up a chicken, its best to buy one about 4 lbs, any bigger and the outside will burn before the inside is cooked through. This is enough coating to cook 4 thighs, 4 drumsticks and a couple chicken breasts.

• Ready In: 6 hrs 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 4  lbs broiler-fryer chickens, cut
• 2  cups flour, plus additional as needed
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 2  tablespoons seasoning salt, plus
• 1  teaspoon seasoning salt
• 3  teaspoons oregano
• 1⁄2 tablespoon paprika
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
•  buttermilk, to cover chicken
• 1  cup  hot sauce (I use Franks)
•  oil, i use peanut oil (for frying)

Directions

1. Soak the chicken in the refrigerator in a bath of buttermilk, hot sauce 1 tsp seasoning sale and pepper. Enough buttermilk to completely coat the chicken. At least 4 hours, up to overnight.
2. mix (in a gallon sized baggie works nicely) 1 cup flour with remaining spices.and pepper if you'd like.
3. pull chicken pieces out of bath, allowing excess liquid to drip off a little. Shake each piece separately in the flour mixture and place on a drying rack to rest. Allow to rest at least 15 minutes, and up to 30. Reserve the buttermilk mixture.
4. Repeat: Dip each piece of chicken into buttermilk and then into the flour mixture. Place on drying racks and allow to rest another 15 to 30 minutes.
5. in a skillet or electric frying pan, put enough oil to come up 1/2 each chicken piece. Heat to 360. Place chicken skin side down a piece or two at a time to avoid the temp from dropping too low (that will make your chicken turn out oily). Do not crowd chicken.
6. Cook until brown and blood starts bubbling out of the top. you can shake the pan a little to make sure they are not sticking. Turn each piece and cook again until brown. At this point you can finish in a 350 oven on a greased (sprayed) cookie sheet. Otherwise cook turning occassionally until juices run clean when tested.