When it comes to chicken I'm just not sure there is anything more delicious than a juicy, crusty piece of finger-licking fried chicken. It might seem intimidating to fry your own chicken, but it's actually pretty straightforward and it beats the heck out of fried chicken from the grocery store or fast food. If you have a thermometer for the oil and a timer I promise you that you can produce fail-proof fried chicken. I love using my usual cajun seasonings to flavor the breading. Combine that with the hot sauce and you have just enough kick to bring about full flavor, without being too spicy for my kids. We made this for our Independence Day feast as a nod to our fellow Americans in the South. We had some friends over, of course. After taking a bite, the first words out of my friend's mouth were, "So juicy!" Ya baby, that's a good sign. If you've ever wanted to make your own fried chicken, now is the time to try!
Ingredients
6 chicken thighs
6 chicken drumsticks
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Franks Hot Sauce
1 egg
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
Vegetable Oil for frying
Instructions
1. Pour the vegetable oil in a skillet until it is about 3/4 inch deep. Heat to 350 degrees.
2. Season the chicken thighs and drumsticks with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Set aside.
3. Prepare the wet ingredients by combining the buttermilk, hot sauce, and egg in a shallow dish. Whisk together until well combined.
4. Prepare the breading by combining the flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt in a shallow dish. Mix it thoroughly.
5. Dip each piece of seasoned chicken into the wet ingredients. Shake it gently to remove the excess. Place it in the breading mix and coat thoroughly. Tap off the excess.
6. Place the breaded chicken into the 350 degree oil. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time. The chicken will drop the temperature of the oil so keep it at about 325 degrees. Fry each piece for 14 minutes, turning each piece over about every 2 minutes. Set a timer to make it easy.
7. Remove from the oil and place on paper towels. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving so no one burns their mouth with hot oil.
