New Favorite Fried Chicken

Today I was in the mood to try a new fried chicken recipe, so I searched quite a bit and found a few that I liked, but nothing that fit exactly what I wanted, so I modified based off of what I have done in the past, flavors I was craving, and this recipe:

https://food52.com/recipes/446-classic-southern-buttermilk-bathed-fried-chicken

The result was what we all (me, my hubby, and my brother) declared was our new favorite among the fried chicken recipes I've ever made so far.  Followers of my blog will know that I've tried about a half a dozen varieties thus far, and I have to say that this really was the champion for a few reasons.  Not only is it a really great balance of flavors, but it's also easy to make, not overly greasy, and a good amount of crunch.  We could hardly keep ourselves from eating it all!  One key thing is finding chicken drumsticks that are not too big; I pay more for the smaller ones and love how they cook and stay moist better.  While my picture does no justice to the amazing-ness of this recipe, I hope that you'll give it a try anyway :)  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

around 3.5 lbs of chicken drumsticks (or whatever bone-in chicken pieces you prefer; adjust cooking times accordingly)

spice rub:
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried marjoram
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 T. kosher salt
1/2 T. coarse ground black pepper

around 3/4 qt. buttermilk
2 T. Tabasco

breading mix:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. rice flour
1/2 T. Kosher salt
1/2 T. coarse ground black pepper
1/2 T. paprika
1/2 T. dried rosemary, lightly crushed between fingers

canola oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Place chicken drumsticks in a large bowl.  Combine the 'spice rub' ingredients in a small bowl, then pour over the chicken and toss to coat the chicken as evenly as possible.  Leave on countertop to rest for 1 hour.

2. Pour enough buttermilk over chicken to cover (for mine, this was around 3/4 qt.).  Stir in Tabasco and leave to rest for 1 more hour.

3. Meanwhile, combine breading mix ingredients in a medium/large bowl.

4. Use a large colander to strain off the buttermilk from the chicken.  Leave to drain off while you heat the canola oil in a Fry Daddy (or cast iron Dutch oven, or other preferred oil-frying device) to 350°F.

5. Once the buttermilk has drained off, add some of the chicken pieces to the breading mixture and leave until the oil has reached temperature.

6. Fry in the heated oil for 12 minutes, or until internal temp of chicken is 165°F+. 

7. Drain on wire racks placed over paper towels or a rimmed cookie sheet.  Enjoy (a lot)!