Fried Chicken: A Southern Favorite

1. Thoroughly mix marinade ingredients in a zippered plastic bag, add chicken, and refrigerate 12 - 24 hours, turning occasionally to ensure coverage. (If you're in a hurry, you can skip the delay and simply dip the chicken in the marinade and then proceed to step 3 but chances are it's not going to be as juicy.)
2. Mix coating ingredients in a zippered plastic bag and shake well. Empty into a deep bowl or square baking dish.

1. Remove chicken from marinade, shake off excess marinade, then dredge in coating.
2.  Set chicken aside on a plate and allow to rest for 30 minutes in a refrigerator.
3. Heat 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a medium, straight-sided, lidded skillet over medium high heat.
4. Once oil is hot, re-dredge chicken in coating, shake off excess, and add to skillet (skin-side down).
5. Cook for four minutes or until a light golden brown.
6. Turn chicken over, reduce temperature to low, cover and cook 15 - 20 minutes more. (Ideally, cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 150F for breasts or 155F for thighs.)
7. Remove cover, increase heat to medium-high, and turn over again. Cook another 5 minutes until coating is crisp and mahogany brown.
8. Drain on a plate on paper towels or drying racks above tinfoil lined baking sheets.
    

Note1: Stick with either breasts or thighs that are the same size to assure equal cooking times.

Note 2: If doubling recipe, cook in two batches to avoid over-crowding or use a large to very large skillet.

Note 3: Although cast iron is widely lauded as the skillet of choice for pan-fried chicken, I find stainless steel or aluminum work better. Cast iron is slow to heat and slow to cool and you really want a quicker response when you turn the burner down and up.