Place chicken pieces in the skillet skin-side down (they can be near each other, but shouldn’t overlap) and turn heat down to medium and cover the skillet. Fry on one side until golden brown (10-15 minutes), then remove the lid, turn the chicken with tongs, and fry other side 10 more minutes or until golden brown.
Stick an instant read thermometer in the largest piece, and check that it’s 165°F. If not, continue to cook for a couple more minutes.
This method produces a very thin but crispy crust. If you want a super-thick crust, you can do a flour dredge, then dip it into buttermilk and then dredge in flour again. And go easy on the salt since the chicken will already be salty from the brine. If you desire, you can add herbs to your brine. If you want to do a buttermilk soak, place the pieces in a bowl and then submerge in buttermilk for at least eight hours. If you have the time and want to do both the salt-water and the buttermilk soak, do the salt-water first and then the buttermilk soak. If you need to fry in batches, you can keep the fried chicken warm in an oven set at 150 degrees. Just don’t leave it in the oven longer than 30 minutes or it will get too dry.
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