Southern Fried Chicken

Irv Miller

Ingredients:

For the seasoned flour:

5 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

For the brine:

2 cups chicken broth or water
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse-chopped garlic
1 bay leaf, broken

For the chicken:

2½ – 3 pounds fresh chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups buttermilk
Lard or all-vegetable shortening (Crisco) for shallow frying (Lard added to Crisco adds extra flavoring)

Instructions:

Equipment:

2 large mixing bowls
Cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or temperature-controlled electric deep skillet
2 baking wire racks
Large brown paper bag

For the brine: Combine brining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cut-up chicken and marinate for 2 hours.

For the chicken: Pour buttermilk into a separate large mixing bowl. Remove chicken from brine, wipe off any garlic pieces, transfer brined chicken into the buttermilk and marinate for 30 minutes.

To assemble: Pour oil into a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven or electric skillet and preheat oil to 365 degrees F. Place flour, salt and pepper into the paper bag, close top and mix by shaking. Remove chicken from buttermilk and place in bag. Shake well to coat. Remove from bag and place on the wire rack to let excess flour drop. Let coated chicken rest for 30 minutes before frying.

Place coated chicken breasts in hot oil, skin side down, leaving 1 inch between the pieces. Cook 10 minutes, turn, and fry an additional 12 to 15 minutes. Total cook time is approximately 25 minutes for chicken breasts. Chicken will be crispy and mahogany in color. Place chicken on a wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch any drippings.

Add remaining cuts of chicken, and repeat. Total cook time will be approximately 20 minutes for the smaller pieces. Place onto wire rack to drain.