Buttermilk Southern Fried Chicken

DIRECTIONS

• Wash chicken pieces thoroughly and pat dry.
• Place chicken in a long, shallow glass baking dish.
• Pour the buttermilk over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for a least 4 hours, turning once or twice. In a clean plastic or brown paper bag, combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and if desired the garlic and onion powders.
• Drain the chicken and place two or three pieces of chicken in the bag and shake well to coat evenly.
• Repeat until all chicken has been coated with seasoned flour mixture. In a large, heavy skillet, heat about one-half of oil over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking.
• Add chicken (in batches if necessary) and brown on all sides, about three minutes per side. Place browned chicken on a warm platter until all pieces are cooked.
• When all the chicken pieces are browned, crowd them into the skillet, turn heat to medium-low, cover and cook, turning occasionally, until tender, about 35-40 minutes.
• Remove cover, turn heat to medium-high and cook six to eight minutes more or until skin is crispy.
• Serve at once. Serves 4.