Grandmother Grace's Fried Chicken
John Besh's family recipe for juicy, crispy buttermilk fried chicken with a lightly spiced flour crust.
Ingredients
| 1 | chicken, cut into 8 pieces | |
| — | salt and pepper | |
| 1 quart | 945 ml | buttermilk |
| 3 cup | 720 ml | flour |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | celery salt |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | garlic powder |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | cayenne pepper |
| — | canola oil, for frying |
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, soak the chicken in the buttermilk for at least 15 minutes; the lactic acids tenderize the chicken. You can even leave it to soak in the fridge overnight.
- Mix together the flour, celery salt, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Dredge each chicken piece in the seasoned flour to coat well. The coating should just barely adhere, so give each piece a little shake to let the extra flour drop off before frying.
- Heat about 1 inch of canola oil in a heavy skillet until it reaches 350°F (175°C). Place a few pieces of chicken in the oil at a time and fry for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, turn each piece over, then cover the pan and cook for an additional 6 minutes. (Covering the pan creates a kind of pressure-cooker effect so the meat inside cooks while the outside stays crispy.)
- Drain on paper towels and salt well.