Ingredients:
- 2 fryers, cut into 8 pieces each
- 2 qt. buttermilk
- 4 tbsp. salt
- 3½ c. all-purpose flour
- ½ c. cornstarch
- 3 tbsp. garlic powder
- 3 tbsp. onion powder
- 2 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. sea salt
- 1 tbsp. coarse ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp. of the reserved buttermilk brine
- 1¾ c. peanut oil, per pan
- ½ c. bacon grease, per pan
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, per pan
- 1 slice country ham, per pan
Directions:
- Whisk together the buttermilk and salt.
- Place the chicken in a large container or bowl.
- Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least four hours. Overnight is better, and the difference is worth planning for.
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about thirty minutes before frying and let it sit to knock the chill off.
- Set aside four tablespoons of the buttermilk brine—you’ll want it for the flour.
- Drain the chicken in a colander, but don’t mess with patting it dry. Leave it damp.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large stainless steel bowl. The cornstarch is what keeps the crust light instead of heavy, so don’t skip it.
- Drizzle the reserved buttermilk over the flour and rub it through with your fingers until you have little shaggy clumps scattered all through it. Those clumps fry up into the craggy bits everybody wants.
- Dredge each piece of chicken. Coat them well—really roll them around in it.
- Set coated chicken aside on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and let it rest thirty minutes. The flour needs that time to drink up the buttermilk and glue itself to the skin. Rush it and your good crust slides off into the pan.
- Put the oil, bacon grease, butter, and country ham in your skillet and set it over low heat for thirty to forty-five minutes. Skim it as it goes. You’re waiting on two things: the butter to quit throwing off foam, and the ham to brown. Start the fat when you take the chicken out of the refrigerator and it’ll be ready about the time the dredged chicken finishes resting. Fish out the ham before you fry. Don’t throw it away. Cook’s treat. Enjoy it with a glass of rich red wine.
- Use a 16 inch cast iron pan—a deep one. I use my 16 inch and my 12 inch at the same time because two at a time doesn’t take as long.
- Bring the seasoned fat up to medium high heat. I don’t mess with thermometers, but if you do, you’re looking for 325 to 350 degrees, held steady. If you don’t, shake a pinch of the seasoned flour into the fat. It ought to sizzle right up and go golden in about thirty seconds. The temperature will drop when you add the chicken, and it needs to climb back. Don’t let it get to smoking.
- Add the chicken to the pan, skin side down. Don’t crowd it. Fry it in batches. Cover tightly and cook six minutes.
- Uncover and continue cooking about nine minutes, but peek at a piece in the middle to make sure it isn’t getting too brown.
- Turn, cover, and cook six minutes.
- Uncover and cook an additional seven to nine minutes. Total time in the pan is typically 30 minutes. You may need to turn it a few more times for even browning.
- Pull each piece when it’s done rather than running one clock for the whole pan. Breasts finish ahead of thighs every time.
- Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and let it drain on a rack, not paper towels. Salt it right then, while the crust is hot enough to take it, and go light. The bacon grease and the ham have already been at work. Tent with aluminum foil until you’re ready to serve.
- Note: Cut into a thigh near the bone and make sure the juices run clear. If not, it isn’t done. If you’d rather use an instant read thermometer, 165 degrees is the safety minimum for any piece. Thighs are better at 175 – 180, where the connective tissue gives up and goes tender. Breasts come out at 160 and finish on the rack. Put the probe in the thickest part and keep it off the bone. Bone reads hot and will lie to you. The size of chicken pieces isn’t uniform, of course, so exact cooking times are problematic. If you need additional cooking time, return it to the pan, or some folks will put it in the oven for a while. I don’t recommend that.
- Pour off the fat from one of the pans until you’re left with roughly a cup, and leave every one of the brown bits behind.
- Whisk in about ¼ cup of the seasoned flour and cook it into a roux. When it’s browned, add half and half. Figure two cups, whisked in a cup at a time, and more if you like it thinner. Let it cook a few minutes and serve with the chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits.
Mamma’s Notes:
When mixing the dry ingredients, I don’t really measure the salt and pepper. I just shake it in generously, so use your best judgement here.
When selecting an oil, keep in mind that peanut oil is what I use. It takes the heat better than anything else on the shelf and it has a faint sweetness that suits chicken. If you’re cooking for anybody with a peanut allergy, use high-oleic sunflower oil instead. Refined avocado oil works too, though it’ll cost you an arm and a leg.
Enjoy!