Spicy Fried Chicken

Take a large and deep bowl/pot and add 1 cup buttermilk, salt, and cayenne. Then add enough water to to pot so that you’ll be able to fully cover the chicken. You are creating a brine. Place chicken pieces in the buttermilk/water mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

In a large, shallow pan or platter, mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper until well blended. Set aside.

In another shallow bowl or platter, combine the remaining 2 cups buttermilk, chili sauce, soy sauce and salt and whisk well.

Now, drain the water off of the chicken and pat it completely dry. Dredge the pieces of chicken, a few at a time, in the seasoned flour. Then dip each piece into the buttermilk mixture. Dredge again in flour. Set aside and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Repeat dredging of the remaining chicken.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (to keep fried chicken warm while waiting for the whole batch to finish frying).

Pour frying oil (peanut, canola) into large, deep pot, less than halfway up the sides of the pot. Heat oil on high to 350 to 365 F using a deep-fry thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer you can test to see if bubbles appear by dipping handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. The oil should bubble when you put the spoon in. If not, continue heating the oil until it does.

After placing chicken in oil, 2-3 pieces at a time, and without overcrowding the pan, reduce heat to medium. Fry until golden brown and cooked through (turn only once), about 15 minutes per side.

Take the fried pieces out of the pot using a slotted spoon, draining as much oil as you can. Place cooked chicken on paper towel-lined baking sheets in preheated oven to keep warm. Repeat the frying process with all of the remaining chicken.

Serve hot, with lemon wedges, peppers or whatever you prefer.

Notes:
– I take the skin off the pieces of chicken, but if you prefer skin on chicken, keep it on.
– The purpose of immersing the chicken in the buttermilk/water mixture is to brine it. This is a method that moistens meat and improves flavor. It provides a sort of temperature cushion while frying chicken.
– Remember, if you don’t need this much heat, lessen the quantity of spice or substitute paprika for some of the cayenne.