Skillet Fried Chicken

I don't make too many deep fried foods, and certainly not too many that are as quintessentially American as this one: fried chicken.  Like most of my beginning posts, I've made this recipe many times now.  Here is a link to the original recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/skillet-fried-chicken

I follow the beginning part exactly with the seasonings and amounts.  This is what the rub looks like after whisking together:

Since I do not enjoy cutting up a whole chicken and frying the larger pieces has not worked as well for me in the past, I opted to use 3 1/3 lb. of chicken drumsticks instead.  Here they are after applying the seasoning/rub:

I've done the overnight refrigeration a couple of times and honestly, I don't think it really changes the flavor enough to bother with it.  Thus, I typically skip that step and just leave the chicken out at room temp for a half hour to hour before proceeding.  This time, I had to leave for a while, so I did refrigerate it for a couple of hours; however, I neglected to leave it out at room temp when I returned.  The consequence?  It takes longer to fry and get to the correct internal temp.  Already a time consuming process (the frying), I advise you don't skip the room temp step.

The other modification I do is to the amount of flour mixture I prepare--I only prepare half of what is written, which means using 1 1/2 c. flour and 1/2 T. each of cornstarch, Kosher salt, and pepper (I use coarse ground).
For the frying, I use my wonderful cast iron skillet.  When heating the oil, be sure to monitor the temperature with a deep fry or candy thermometer.  Because the chicken causes the temperature to dip when it first goes into fry, I start with the temperature closer to 350° F instead of the 300-325° in the recipe.  I find that it fries quite well between 325-350°.  One other caution is to be sure not to crowd the pan with too many pieces--they will not fry evenly and will take even longer.  Here is what my pan looked like as I put some in:

  I added only one more piece after this picture, for a total of 5 in the pan (like suggested in the recipe).  I didn't time it, but I know it takes around 15 minutes or more to reach the internal temp of 165°--and yes, I use a meat thermometer to verify.  Speaking of which, be careful when doing so; piercing the fried skin and meat sometimes results in the oil popping (it is not pleasant to get "bit" by the hot oil, I assure you!).  As expected, the frying does make the stove quite messy; I suppose I should use a splatter screen, but I tend to forget that for some reason!

For ease of cleanup, I suggest lining a cookie sheet with a paper towel and putting the cooling racks  in it.  And here is the end result...mmm tasty!!