If there's a better fried chicken, I haven't tasted it. First, and critically, the chicken is brined for 12 hours in a herb-lemon brine, which seasons the meat and helps it stay juicy. The flour is seasoned together with garlic and onion powders, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. The chicken is dredged in the seasoned flour, dipped in buttermilk, and then dredged again in the flour. The crust becomes nearly feathered and is very crisp. Fried chicken is a excellent American tradition this’s fallen out of favor. A taste of this, and you will would like it back in your weekly routine. --Thomas Keller
Ingredients (Serves 4-6)
Directions
Cut every chicken into 10 pieces: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast quarters, and 2 wings. Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken pieces, add in the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours (no longer, or the chicken may become too salty).
Shunt the chicken from the brine (discard the brine) and rinse under cold water, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Pat dry together with paper towels, or let air-dry. Let rest at room temperature for 1-1/2 hours, or until it comes to room temperature.
If you have two large pots (concerning 6 inches deep) and a lot of oil, you can cook the dark and white meat at the same time; if not, cook the dark meat first, then turn up the heat and cook the white meat. No matter what size pot you have, the oil should not come extra than one-third of the way up the sides of the pot. Fill up the pot together with at least 2 inches of peanut oil and heat to 320°F. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet together with parchment paper.
Meanwhile, combine all the coating ingredients in a large bowl. Transport half the coating to a second large bowl. Pour the buttermilk into a third bowl and season together with salt and pepper. Set up a dipping station: the chicken pieces, one bowl of coating, the bowl of buttermilk, the second bowl of coating, and the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Just before frying, dip the chicken thighs into the first bowl of coating, turning to coat and patting off the excess; dip them into the buttermilk, allowing the excess to run back into the bowl; then dip them into the second bowl of coating. Transport to the parchment-lined pan.
Carefully lower the thighs into the hot oil. Change the heat as essential to return the oil to the proper temperature. Fry for 2 minutes, then carefully move the chicken pieces all-around in the oil and continue to fry, monitoring the oil temperature and turning the pieces as essential for even cooking, for 11 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is a deep golden brown, cooked throughout, and very crisp. Meanwhile, coat the chicken drumsticks and transport to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Transport the cooked thighs to the cooling rack skin-side-up and let rest while you fry the remaining chicken. (Putting the pieces skin-side-up will agree to excess fat to drain, whereas leaving them skin-side-down could trap some of the fat.) Do sure this the oil is at the correct temperature, and cook the chicken drumsticks. When the drumsticks are done, lean them meat-side-up against the thighs to drain, then sprinkle the chicken together with fine sea salt.
Turn up the heat and heat the oil to 340°F. Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts and wings. Carefully lower the chicken breasts into the hot oil and fry for 7 minutes, or until golden brown, cooked throughout, and crisp. Transport to the rack, sprinkle together with salt, and turn skin side up. Cook the wings for 6 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked throughout. Transport the wings to the rack and turn off the heat. Arrange the chicken on a providing platter. Add the herb sprigs to the oil (which will still be hot) and let them cook and crisp for a few seconds, then arrange them over the chicken.
Note on Chicken Size: You may want to go to a farmers' market to get these small chickens. Grocery store chickens often run 3 to 4 pounds. They can, of course, be used in this recipe but if chickens in the 2-1/2- to 3-pound range are available to you, they're worth seeking out. They’re a little easier to cook properly at the temperatures we recommend here and, much important, pieces this size outcome in the best meat-to-crust proportion, which is such an important part of the pleasure of fried chicken.
Note: We let the chicken rest for 7 to 10 minutes afterwards it comes out of the fryer so this it has a chance to cool down. If the chicken has rested for longer than 10 minutes, put the tray of chicken in a 400°F oven for a minute or two to ensure this the crust is crisp and the chicken is hot.
The key ingredient here is the lemon, which goes wonderfully together with chicken, as do the herbs: bay leaf, parsley, and thyme. This amount of brine will be enough for 10 pounds.
Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and get to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Shunt from the heat and cool fully, then chill before utilizing. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.