Southern Fried Chicken

The other day I was bored trying to figure out what to cook for dinner over the weekend so I asked my husband what he would like for dinner that I hadn't cooked for a while, and he requested good old skillet fried chicken. I hadn't made fried chicken in forever!! I usually marinade my chicken and grill it so it's less fattening, but I thought I would make some fried chicken for a little splurge. I had seen Paula Dean and Bobbie Flay soak theirs in buttermilk on the food network work, so that is what I did. I just threw together some seasonings in my flour mixture and it turned out delicious! I fried mine in my cast-iron skillet filled half full of canola oil, frying until each side was a crisp golden brown... as you see by my picture... mine got away from me on one side but was still good. Then I put it on a cooling rack that I had placed on a cookie sheet and let it bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the inside of the biggest piece was about 165 on a meat thermometer. I served mine with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies! YUM!

Southern Fried Chicken
1 chicken, cut up so you have about 8 pieces
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce (or Frank's is good too)

for the breading:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4  to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

The day before you want to fry your chicken. Place buttermilk and hot sauce in a large Tupperware container with a lid, stir to combine. Add your chicken pieces turning them to make sure they are all coated with buttermilk. Place the lid on and keep in the refrigerator over night.
When ready to fry your chicken, combine the flour and seasonings in a gallon-size zip log bag. Next, doing 1 piece at a time let the chicken drain a little over the container it just came out of, then add to the bag with your flour mixture in it, and shake until it's well coated. Remover from the bag and place on a wire rack that has been placed over a cookie sheet. Coat all the pieces of chicken this way, then let the chicken rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Pour enough canola or vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet so it comes up to about half full. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot place chicken in the hot oil being careful the oil doesn't overflow. Let fry for about 6- 8 minutes or until golden brown. Then turn the chicken over and let that side cook for another 6-8 minutes or until it's golden brown. Remove from skillet and place on the cooling rack. When all the chicken has been fried, place in the oven and let cook a few minutes longer until the larger pieces are about 165 degrees in the center.

                                                                     Serve and enjoy!!