Fried Chicken

The Early Show Recipes - Katie Lee Cooks Her Favorite Sunday Supper Dishes

Fried Chicken

People always ask me what my favorite thing to cook is, and I have to say that I enjoy nothing more than fryin' up some chicken. The only think I enjoy more than cooking it is eating it! Paula Deen taught me to cover the chicken for part of its cooking time so that it steams and keeps the meat juicy. I transfer my chicken to the oven for the last 10 minutes of cooking which I find makes the skin really crisp. It also makes it really easy to fry in batches and keep all of the chicken hot. Don't be afraid of the hot sauce in the recipe-the chicken will not be spicy.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Fryer chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 large eggs
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup buttermilk peanut oil
2 1/2 cups self rising flour*

*Self-rising flour is all-purpose flour with added salt and leavening (baking powder). You will notice that recipes that call for self-rising flour do not call for baking powder.

METHOD:
Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a large bowl, big enough to accommodate all of the chicken, whisk the eggs, hot sauce, and buttermilk. Add the chicken and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate. Let marinate at least 2 and up to 4 hours.

In a large Dutch oven, heat a couple inches of peanut oil to 350°F degrees. Preheat oven to 450°F.

Dredge the chicken in the flour, taking care to evenly coat each piece. Transfer in batches to the hot oil. Cover and let cook 5 minutes. Remove the cover and turn the chicken. Let cook uncovered an additional 5 minutes. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Serve immediately.