Step 1

Create a brine and trim the chicken. Get out a large prep bowl and measure 2 tablespoons of sea salt into it. Add 1 cup (236 ml) of warm water and stir it until the water dissolves. You should also cut off any fat off of 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.Try to make your brine early in the day or the night before, so the chicken can soak for a long time.

Step 2

Chill the chicken in the brine. Place the chicken thighs in the bowl and add enough cold water to the bowl to cover the chicken. Add one tray of ice cubes to make the water very cold. Stir the water around and put the bowl in the refrigerator. Chill the chicken for several hours or overnight.Using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will give the dish more flavor and keep it moister than boneless, skinless chicken.

Step 3

Preheat the oven and dry the chicken. Turn the oven on to 400°F (200°C). Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and drain the brine. Blot the chicken with paper towels until it's completely dry.Removing the water will help the chicken crisp up in the oven.

Step 4

Prepare the roasting pan. Get out a large roasting pan that's big enough to hold all of the pieces of chicken in a single layer. Place 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter into the pan and put the pan in the preheating oven. The butter will melt and the pan should become hot while you prepare the chicken.Heating the pan will also help the chicken develop a crispy crust.

Step 5

Toss the chicken with flour and seasonings. Pour 1/2 cup (62 g) of all-purpose flour into a large plastic freezer bag. Add the last tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper. Shake the bag a little, so the salt and pepper mix. Put 2 of the chicken thighs in at a time and shake them until they're coated.If you put all of the chicken thighs in at once, they may not be evenly covered in the flour mixture.

Step 6

Lay the chicken in the roasting pan. Remove the 2 chicken thighs from the bag and shake off any extra flour. Set them on a plate while you coat the rest of the thighs. Use hot pads to take the hot baking dish out of the oven. Lay the coated chicken thighs skin-side down in the roasting pan.If you don't shake the extra flour off of the chicken, the chicken will have a thick coating that doesn't become crunchy.

Step 7

Bake the chicken. Put the baking dish in the oven and cook the chicken for 40 minutes. You'll hear the chicken sizzle as it oven fries. It should become dark brown and crispy on the bottom.Avoid flipping the chicken as it cooks.Depending on your oven, you may need to cook the chicken longer until it becomes golden brown.

Step 8

Flip and finish baking the chicken. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and use a thin spatula to scoop up the thighs and flip them over. Return the pan to the oven and finish cooking the chicken for 20 more minutes. This will make the other side of the chicken crisp up.You could also use tongs to turn the chicken thighs, if they aren't clinging to the pan.

Step 9

Serve the classic oven-fried chicken. Lay paper towels on a serving plate. Remove the baking dish from the oven and use tongs to carefully transfer the chicken thighs to the serving plate. Sprinkle the chicken with a little extra salt and ground pepper before serving.The paper towels will help to absorb any excess grease or oil.