8chicken pieces(drumsticks, thighs, breast and/or wings)
Brine
1quart4 cups buttermilk (You can make a substitute by mixing 4 cups of whole milk with 4 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice)
3tspsalt or to taste
Breading
2½cups350 g all-purpose flour
1tspsalt
1½tspwhite sugar
¾tspblack pepper
1½tsponion powder
1½tspgarlic powder
1½tsppaprika
1½tspthyme
¾tspcayenne pepper(Optional)
¾tspground cumin
Oil for frying(Canola, vegetable, corn)
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour in the buttermilk and salt. Mix to cover each piece of chicken really well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at lease 4 hours. Then, take the chicken out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature about 30 minutes before frying. Reserve the buttermilk.
Preheat the oil in a deep fryer, large pot or skillet at 350ºF (180ºC).
In a shallow pan or baking dish mix the flour, salt, sugar, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper and cumin.
Breading: Dip each piece of chicken in the buttermilk you reserved previously and then cover with the flour mixture, shake off the excess. Repeat this process a second time, dip the chicken once again in the buttermilk and cover it with more flour.
Fry the chicken in the preheated oil for a total of 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices run clear. Make sure to turn it over half way through the cooking process. Then, let it drain for a few minutes over a wire rack with paper towels underneath before serving.
Notes
If you're frying your chicken in batches, cover the cooked chicken with aluminum foil and place it in a warm oven (200ºF o 93ºC) while you finish cooking the rest of your chicken.