The Best Fried Chicken and Biscuits

My hubby loves fried chicken. Growing up, his dad used to make it he says "all the time." I've had his dad's fried chicken tenders and they are delicious, but not his nor my husbands previous attempts at fried chicken can compare to this. We have had this twice in the past month and even talked about having this fried chicken for Thanksgiving this year instead of turkey! It is much more labor intensive than I usually like, but SO worth it! The recipe comes from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, named after his restaurant in the Napa Valley that we have had the opportunity to visit a few times. He is an expert and making simple dishes absolutely fantastic. Everything we've eaten there is the best version of that dish we've ever had. Check out the restaurant's website at Adhocrestaurant.com.

The brine that the chicken sits in for 12 hours is not your typical brine - it contains not just salt, but honey, lemons, herbs, and garlic. The chicken is moist and flavorful and the coating is crunchy and complex in flavor. The cayenne adds something to the coating that makes you just want to keep eating it. It is perfectly salty and not too greasy. Basically, if it were good for you, I would want to eat it a few times a week for dinner!

To make this, you need to make the brine the night before, chill the brine, then brine the chicken for 12 hours. The chicken needs to come to room temperature (about 1 1/2 hours) before you dredge it and fry it. We used a dutch oven (for even heat distribution) on an electric stove to fry ours, and although it tasted great, there were spots that were darker than others due to the uneven cooking. The best option would be a deep fryer, but if not, a big dutch oven on a gas stove works well too.

Thomas Keller's biscuits are amazing too, but I'll have to share that recipe another day.

The key is to start with the dark meat at an oil temperature of 320 degrees F, cooking the thighs for a specific amount of time as well as the legs. Then you turn up the heat so the oil reaches 340 degrees F, cooking the breasts and wings each for a specific amount of time. All the pieces will be golden brown, crunchy, and cooked through.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken (adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook)

Chicken Brine

3 small or 2 large lemons, halved

6 bay leaves

1/2 bunch thyme (about 1/2 ounce)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 head garlic, halved so all the cloves are exposed

2 Tbl black peppercorns

1 cup (5ounces) kosher salt

1 gallon water

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. Brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Fried Chicken

One 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken or about the same weight in chicken parts (bone-in, skin-on)

Peanut or canola oil for frying

2 cups buttermilk

Salt and pepper (freshly ground is best)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbl garlic powder

2 Tbl onion podwer

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cut the chicken into 10 pieces: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast quarters, and 2 wings. Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken pieces, add in the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours (no longer or the chicken may become too salty).

Remove chicken from brine and discard brine. Rinse chicken under cold water, removing any herbs sticking to the skin. Pat dry with paper towels and let rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is room temperature.

Fill a large pot with oil up to no more than 1/3 of the way up the sides of the pot (at least 2 inches of oil) and heat to 320 degrees F. Set cooling rack over a baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.

Meanwhile, combine all the coating ingredients in a large bowl (flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper). Set up a dipping station: the chicken pieces, one bowl of coating, the bowl of buttermilk, the second bowl of coating, and the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Just before frying, dip the chicken thighs into the first bowl of coating, turning to coat and patting off the excess; dip them into the buttermilk, allowing the excess to run back into the bowl; then dip them into the second bowl of coating. Transfer to parchment-lined pan.

Carefully lower the thighs into the hot oil. Adjust the heat as necessary to return the oil to the proper temperature. Fry for 2 minutes, then carefully move the chicken pieces around in the oil and continue to fry, monitoring the oil temperature and turning the pieces as necessary for even cooking, for 11 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is a deep golden brown, cooked through, and very crisp. Meanwhile, coat the chicken drumsticks and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Transfer the cooked thighs to the cooling rack skin side up and let rest while you fry the remaining chicken. (Or, you can put the chicken, on the cooling rack, in a 220 degree F oven while you fry the other pieces to keep it warm. You can keep adding the cooked chicken to the pan while you fry the remaining pieces.) Make sure the oil is at the correct temperature, and cook the chicken drumsticks. When drumsticks are done, lean them meat side up against the thighs to drain.

Turn up the heat and heat the oil to 340 degrees F. Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts and wings. Carefully lower the breasts into the hot oil and fry for 7 minutes, or until golden brown, cooked through, and crisp. Transfer to the rack skin side up. Cook the wings for 6 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the wings to the rack and turn off the heat.

(If you're not sure about any of the chicken being cooked completely, you can always use a meat thermometer to make sure it is 165 degrees F internally.)

Arrange the chicken on a serving platter and serve while hot! We love the room temperature and even cold fried chicken too. Basically, you can't go wrong with this recipe. Enjoy!