Author Notes
A friend once told me the secret to great fried chicken is a 24-hour buttermilk marinade. This recipe utilizes such a marinade, adds some nice spices to the flour for coating, and double dips the chicken to get a thicker crust. It came out beautifully crispy and juicy inside. —clintonhillbilly
Ingredients
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2
whole chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
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2/3 cup
buttermilk
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several dashes
hot sauce
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1 cup
flour
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1 teaspoon
garlic granules or garlic powder
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1 teaspoon
smoked paprika
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1/2-1 teaspoons
cayenne, to taste
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1/2 teaspoon
onion powder
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salt
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black pepper
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1
large egg, beaten
Directions
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Add several dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the buttermilk and season it well with salt and pepper. Pour it into a ziplock bag, add chicken, and shake up to make sure chicken is entirely covered. Marinate for 24 hours, turning over once.
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Mix the flour and spices together in a large, fairly shallow bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, beat egg.
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Pour an inch and a half of canola oil into a cast iron skillet and heat until it's ready for frying. The oil is ready when you put the end of a wooden spoon and bubbles immediately form around the spoon.
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Remove one chicken leg from the buttermilk. Shake it off, roll it in the flour mixture, dip it in the egg, and roll it in the flour mixture again so it is completely coated. Do the same with the remaining chicken leg.
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Add chicken legs to oil and fry about 4 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Test the chicken for doneness with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. If it does not read at least 165, place the chicken on a wire rack in the oven for another 5-10 minutes until it is completely cooked. You may want to put a pan beneath the wire rack to catch dripping oil.
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Sprinkle a little more salt on the outside if you like your fried chicken nice and salty. Enjoy!
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