THE BEST SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Step 1

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add 2 tsp salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, toss to coat the chicken in the spices.

Step 2

Add the buttermilk and hot sauce to the bowl, stir until everything is combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but it’s best if you can let it sit overnight.

Step 3

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, 2 tsp salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Step 4

Fill up your deep fryer (deep cast iron skillet or dutch oven) with peanut oil (or frying oil of your choice) and preheat to 350°F.

Step 5

Taking the chicken pieces one at a time, let the excess buttermilk drip off. Coat in the flour mixture, make sure the chicken is well coated. Shake off any excess.

Step 6

Carefully add the piece of chicken to the deep fryer. Fry until golden brown, turning every few minutes.

Step 7

You will need to fry in batches so you do not overcrowd the fryer. Chicken is done when golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Depending on the size of the chicken, dark meat takes about 12-14 minutes and white meat takes 8-10 minutes.

Step 8

When the chicken is done frying, place it on a paper towel lined sheet tray and immediately sprinkle a little flaked salt on top. Continue with the rest of the chicken pieces.