Skillet-Fried Chicken

For awhile I had a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine, I think I got free with airline miles. I let the free subscription run out and didn't renew it because I felt like generally it is way too gourmet for me and not worth paying for. But I did save this recipe for Skillet-Fried Chicken from the Feb 2012 issue, and I made it last night and it was amazing! I didn't have any onion powder so I just used more garlic powder. I used slightly less cayenne than called for, and I only let the chicken sit with the spices on it for about an hour because I didn't plan ahead very well. Even doing that the chicken was still great.

This recipe however was a lot of work and did require a lot of babysitting at the stove. I had a hard time maintaining the correct temperature of the oil (it got too hot more than once which resulted in the chicken getting darker than I would have liked). So I would have to say that is the only thing I really didn't like about this recipe was just the difficulty in maintaining the correct oil temp. The chicken got very brown (almost burnt) and I even ended up taking the chicken out of the oil before it was fully cooked and let it finish cooking by baking about 5-10 mins in the oven on a rack set inside a baking sheet, and that worked great. This is by far the best fried chicken I've ever had, and ever made at home. This blows KFC out of the water, and this doesn't have MSG either. I will definitely make this again when I don't mind doing a recipe that is a lot of work.

This recipe, combined with an awesome gravy recipe I also got out of their magazine, has me considering paying for a subscription.

• Yield

  4 Servings

Ingredients

2

tablespoons kosher salt, divided

2

teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1½

teaspoons paprika

¾

teaspoon cayenne pepper

½

teaspoon garlic powder

½

teaspoon onion powder

1

3–4-lb. chicken (not kosher), cut into 10 pieces, backbone and wing tips removed

1

cup buttermilk

1

large egg

3

cups all-purpose flour

1

tablespoon cornstarch

Peanut oil (for frying)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Whisk 1 Tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Season chicken with spices. Place chicken in a medium bowl, cover, and chill overnight.

   Step 2

   Let chicken stand covered at room temperature for 1 hour. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and ½ cup water in a medium bowl. Whisk flour, cornstarch, remaining 1 Tbsp. salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. pepper in a 9x13x2" baking dish.

   Step 3

   Pour oil into a 10"–12" cast-iron skillet or other heavy straight-sided skillet (not nonstick) to a depth of ¾". Prop deep-fry thermometer in oil so bulb is submerged. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°. Meanwhile, set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet.

   Step 4

   Working with 1 piece at a time (use 1 hand for wet ingredients and the other for dry ingredients), dip chicken in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Dredge in flour mixture; tap against bowl to shake off excess. Place 5 pieces of chicken in skillet. Fry chicken, turning with tongs every 1–2 minutes and adjusting heat to maintain a steady temperature of 300°–325°, until skin is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165°, about 10 minutes for wings and 12 minutes for thighs, legs, and breasts.

   Step 5

   Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet, allowing excess oil to drip back into skillet; transfer chicken to prepared rack.

   Step 6

   Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Per Serving

1 serving contains: Calories (kcal) 616.0 %Calories from Fat 50.4 Fat (g) 35.0 Saturated Fat (g) 8.6 Cholesterol (mg) 180.9 Carbohydrates (g) 23.9 Dietary Fiber (g) 0.6 Total Sugars (g) 2.6 Net Carbs (g) 23.3 Protein (g) 49.5 Sodium (mg) 613.4