Alex's Favorite Fried Chicken

prep time:: 3 hr
total time:: 4 hr

Makes 10 pieces

My nephew Alex was born on the Fourth of July. For his fourteenth birthday party, he wanted fried chicken; I made this and it was a huge hit. They declared it “better than Popeye’s.” High praise from a crowd of young teenage boys! This is labor intensive, but the results I think are worth it.

ingredients

One fryer chicken (about 3 lbs.) cut up, with breasts cut in half for faster cooking
For the brine:
1 quart buttermilk
1 cup kosher salt
1 onion, sliced
10 toes garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons Tony Cachere’s seasoning
For the post-soak seasoning, combine:
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 teaspoons ground sage
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed celery seed
3 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
For coating:
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Tony Cachere’s
For frying:
peanut oil
For draining:
a rack placed upside-down on a brown paper bag

directions

1
Mix brine ingredients in a large nonreactive bowl. Place the chicken pieces in brining solution and refrigerate for two to three hours. Remove and place on rack to drain.
2
Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet or a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven to 375°.
3
Season each piece of chicken liberally, both sides, with the seasoning mixture.
4
Combine flour and Tony’s seasoning in a large Tupperware container with a lid. Place the chicken pieces for your first batch in the flour, close the lid, and shake to coat. Remove the chicken pieces, vigorously shaking off the excess flour. Let the chicken pieces sit for one minute before putting them into the hot oil.
5
Place five to six pieces of chicken, skin side down first, in the skillet and cook for seven minutes. Turn chicken and cook, uncovered, for another seven minutes. Allow the oil to return to 375° before frying the next batch.