[mthomas58]

OK, before you ask here is Keller's buttermilk fried chicken recipe as recently published in Bon Appetite: This is really outstanding

Thomas Keller's Buttermilk Fried Chicken

24 cups water
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup + 1 Tbl Honey
18 Turkish Bay Leaves
30 Unpeeled garlic cloves smashed
3 Tbl black pepper corns
5 lg rosemary sprigs
1 ½ bunches fresh thyme
1 ½ bunches Italian parsley
2 Tbl Lemon peel
¾ cup fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil for 1 minute to dissolve salt. Cool completely and chill approx 2 hours in fridge. Brine Chicken 12 to 24 hours in fridge.

6 cups all purpose flour
5 Tbl Garlic powder
5 Tbl Onion powder
4 tsp Paprika
4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 tsp kosher salt + addl for serving
6 cups buttermilk

Coat chicken in seasoned flour mixture and shake off excess. Dip chicken in buttermilk and then back in flour mixture coating thickly. Do not shake off excess. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and let stand for 1 to 2 hours at room temp to dry.


Fry chicken pieces in batches of no more than 4 turning once about 13 min total until golden brown in peanut oil at 320 -330 degrees.