Fried Chicken The Flay Way

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 quart buttermilk, plus
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder or 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 roasting chickens, cut up into 8 pieces (3 to 4 pounds)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• fresh ground black pepper
• peanut oil, for deep-frying
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons dried ancho chile powder
• salt

Recipe

• 1 whisk together 1 quart of the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt and the chili de arbol in a large bowl or large baking dish. add the chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl.
• 2 stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika and cayenne in a large bowl and divide among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper.
• 3 drain the chicken in a colander and pat it dry. dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off.
• 4 dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess. put the chicken pieces on a baking rack set over a baking sheet while the oil heats.
• 5 pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than half way up the sides of the pot. put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375°f on a deep-fry thermometer.
• 6 working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. serve hot drizzled with the ancho honey, if desired.
• 7 if making ancho honey, whisk together honey, chili powder and salt in a bowl, and drizzle over the chicken.