There is nothing better than your first bite into a piece of crispy fried chicken- trust me! The crunchy texture on the outside and moist, ever so juicy meat on the inside is a meal you will always come back to.

Ingredients

For the Spice Mix:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Brine:

• 2 cups of buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of salt

For Cooking:

• 1 full 4 lb. chicken cut into parts (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 4 wings, 2 drumsticks)
• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons of salt

Directions

1. Take your whole chicken and cut it into parts and set aside.
2. Combine the ingredients for the spice mix together and combine. Set aside.
3. For the brine, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the spice mix in a large mixing bowl until fully combined. Add the chicken pieces to the buttermilk brine and massage until fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.
4. When ready to fry remove the chicken from the fridge. Season the chicken with salt and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. While the chicken rests, in a large mixing bowl, add the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and remaining spice mixture. Mix the dry ingredients together until fully combined. Add 2 tablespoons of the marinade to the mix and massage until fully combined with your fingers. (This task is much easier if wear disposable gloves)
6. Remove the chicken from the marinade one piece at a time, letting the excess drip off. Add to the flour mixture and toss to fully coat. Press the chicken into the mix to make sure it adheres all around in a thick layer. Remove, shaking off the excess flour, and set aside on a rack. Continue with the remaining pieces of chicken. Let the chicken rest on the rack at room temperature for 30 minutes.
7. Once all the pieces are dredged, preheat your oven to 300°F degrees.
8. On your stovetop add the oil to your 6 Qt Deep fryer with the basket removed. Turn the heat on to medium and bring the oil to a temperature of 350°F degrees. Check by using a digital thermometer.
9. When the oil comes to temperature add the fryer basket into the pot. Make sure not to overcrowd the chicken pieces by adding them in batches to the pot slowly. Fry for 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown all around. Check the internal temperature of the meat with a thermometer. It should read around 150 degrees. Place on a prepared baking sheet with rack once cooked through. While frying the remaining chicken pieces, place the rack with the cooked chicken into the oven to stay hot.
10. When all the pieces are done let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before enjoying with your favorite hot sauce and sides.

Pro Tip

When the chicken is added to the hot oil the temperature of the oil will drop. Try to maintain a temperature hovering around 315 degrees when the chicken is frying. When adding the chicken to the hot oil slowly let the chicken fry around the top of the pot before letting it fall to the bottom. This will help it from sticking to the basket.

RECIPE BY

All-Clad Resident Chef Derek Finocchiaro

All-Clad’s Resident Chef Derek has been working with flavors and fragrance for his entire career. Finding a path from perfumery to food, Derek competed on numerous amateur cooking shows which led him to the All-Clad Test kitchen. Here he excels in creating new recipes, blogs, video demos, and food photography for our consumers.