Extra Crispy Fried Chicken

Up until now, I had one recipe I relied on for fried chicken, as it is amazing and not too difficult (just messy).  As I poured through some of my old cooking magazines the other day, this recipe caught my attention and I decided I had to give it go when I had some time on my hands:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/extra-crispy-fried-chicken
Oh, am I ever glad I did!  It's really excellent--as much or more so than the other one.  However, it's far more time-consuming--you will need a few hours to fully prep correctly (not all active time--much is spent with the chicken in the oven and the fridge).  As usual, I modified slightly and think it worked out brilliantly!

Ingredients:

1/4 c. plus 2 T. kosher salt
1/4 c. coarse ground black pepper (or freshly ground)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 T. minced fresh rosemary, plus 4 sprigs
1 1/2 T. minced fresh thyme, plus 4 sprigs
1 1/2 T. minced fresh sage, plus 4 sprigs
5 minced bay leaves (preferably fresh--which is what I used), plus 5 whole leaves
1 1/2 tsp. bottled minced garlic (or 3 fresh cloves minced)
1 whole head of fresh garlic, broken in to cloves and each peeled
4 lbs. chicken legs/drumsticks (this was 12 for me)
1 qt. buttermilk
1 T. Tabasco/hot sauce
1 tsp. sugar
canola oil for frying
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. rice flour
1/4 c. garlic powder
1/4 c. onion powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.

2. In a bowl, whisk 3 T. kosher salt, 2 T. black pepper, the olive oil, the minced fresh herbs, and the minced garlic.

3. Rub the mixture over all the chicken pieces and place them in a roasting pan.  Roast for 2 1/2 hours, then remove and let cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, and sugar.

5. Add chicken pieces to this mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

6. In a Fry Daddy (or large heavy saucepan on stove; I used the Fry Daddy), pour in oil for frying until it is 2 inches deep.  Heat to 375°F, then add the remaining fresh herb sprigs and garlic cloves.

7. Fry herbs until garlic starts to turn golden brown, then remove and discard.  (The original recipe suggests to save these and use as garnish, but I doubt I would ever do such a thing, personally.)

8. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rice flour, garlic powder, and onion powder.

9. Remove a chicken piece from the buttermilk mixture, let drip for a moment, then dredge in flour mixture.

10. Fry in batches (I fried 3 at a time) for 8 minutes each.  Let cool on wire rack and enjoy!