This is the now famous fried chicken recipe, from the now infamous going away party I threw last week. It is from the Barefoot Contessa’s (Ms. Ina Garten’s) kitchen. I tweaked it a little to my tastes. Hope you don’t mind, Ina! It’s so easy and delicious. And even though I had TONS left over (that happens when you make 40 pounds!), it was delicious cold. We ate on it for about a week! Try it, and let me know what you think.
2 chickens (3 pounds each), cut in 8 serving pieces
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening
Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees F on a thermometer.
Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don’t crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees F before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot.
