Fried Chicken

The only time of the year worth making fried chicken for, to me, is summer. I don't make it very often but it has to be one of my guilty pleasures. This recipe makes a large batch so it's perfect for a picnic or if you have teenagers who fight over the leftovers.

Several pieces of bone in, skin on chicken(anywhere from 8-12 pieces) I use legs and thighs
1-2 quarts buttermilk
1-16 oz bottle of buffalo wing sauce( I use Ken's)
In a clean gallon zip lock bag put
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons unsalted garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
3 teaspoons pepper
In 1 -2 gallon zip lock bags fill half way with buttermilk and wing sauce. Close bag and squish to mix. Open bag and insert several pieces of chicken. Make sure you can close the bag and all the chicken inside will be immersed in the liquid. I stand the bags in a baking dish and store in the frig. either all day or overnight. Believe it or not, the wing sauce will not make the chicken overly spicy. It adds a wonderful tang.

Place the dry ingredients in a large zip lock bag. Zip, mix and set aside. Spray a 5-6 quart pot with cooking spray and then pour about 4 inches of canola oil into the pot. Heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees. Drain the buttermilk from the chicken. Drop 5-6 pieces into the flour bag, zip closed and shake to coat with the seasoned flour. When the oil is hot, carefully put the chicken into the oil and cook for about 10-15minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from oil and lay on a cookie sheet covered with paper towel. Place in a warm oven while you cook the next  batch.

Cook's Notes- Don't over crowd the pot with the chicken. The temp. of the oil will drop when you put the chicken in so the more you add, the longer it will take the oil to come back up to temperature.

Don't be concerned that you are adding a lot of seasoning to the flour. Remember, only a small portion of that flour mixture will actually coat the chicken so it won't be overpowering on the finished product. If you are making a lot of chicken. Fill 2 bags with the flour mixture. The above amounts will fill only one bag. Throw the any leftover buttermilk mixture and flour mixture away, do not save leftovers for another day.