Southern Pan Fried Chicken
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken, cut into pieces
- 2 quarts cold water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons potato flour
- 1 pound lard
- 1/4 pound unsalted butter
- 1/4 pound bacon or smoked pork shoulder
- Rinse chicken under cold running water.
- Mix water and kosher salt in large bowl, stirring until salt dissolves.
- Cover chicken with salt mixture and refrigerate overnight (minimum 4 hours).
- Remove chicken from salt water brine and immerse in buttermilk.
- Allow to marinate overnight (minimum 4 hours).
- Remove chicken from buttermilk, holding each piece to drip excess buttermilk back into bowl.
- Lay chicken on a wire cooling rack set over a sheet pan.
- Mix flour, sea salt, pepper, cornstarch, and potato flour in a large bowl.
- Dredge chicken parts in flour mixture, shaking off excess.
- Lay chicken parts on the wire cooling rack.
- Using large cast iron, or heavy skillet, melt the lard and butter together and add the bacon or pork shoulder.
- When the mixture is hot (but not smoking), add the chicken, 1 piece at a time, in a single layer, skin side down.
- The chicken should be half covered in the butter-lard mixture.
- Cook each piece 10 to 12 minutes per side, turning once, or more often if necessary, to brown evenly.
- Dark meat cooks more slowly than white meat.
- To check for doneness, cut a thigh to the bone and check for redness.
- When evenly browned, removed the cooked chicken and place on cooling rack.
- Serve hot or allow to cool to room temperature.
chicken, cold water, kosher salt, buttermilk, flour, salt, fresh ground pepper, cornstarch, flour, lard, butter, bacon
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/southern-pan-fried-chicken-recipe.html (may not work)