We Gon' Fry Us Up Some Chick'n

There's a little Southern in all of us. I mean it. This past weekend, I invited some great friends over for dinner and what else would be more homey than a good Southern cooked meal? Suffice to say, we had Corn Pone, Fried Tomatoes, Biscuits, Carolina Sweet Tea (done Collegiate Style), Rice, and Fried Chicken. Yes, you heard me right: FRIED CHICKEN. While listening to some Brooks & Dunn, Dolly Parton, and Lynyrd Skynard, I got to cooking and let me tell you something, frying chicken does make you feel better about life. So here it is, my fried chicken recipe, done the right way:

Ingredients

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 cups low fat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Flour, for dredging
• Vegetable Oil

Directions

1. Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

2. At slightly below medium heat, add about an inch of vegetable oil to a soup pot. 

3. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. 

4. Drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags.