Granny Foster made the best fried chicken in the world—salty and golden brown with a crackly crust that gave way to meat as moist and tender as could be. The secret is the overnight brine of water, salt, and spices that drives extra moisture and flavor into the meat, where they are locked in during the cooking process.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　One 3- to 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces (see Know-how)

　　3 tablespoons sea salt, plus more to taste

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

　　2 bay leaves

　　2 cups well-shaken buttermilk

　　2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

　　Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

　　Crisco vegetable shortening or canola oil, for frying

　　Fried Chicken Gravy (recipe follows), for serving (optional)

　　

Step 1

Place the chicken in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Add 2 tablespoons of the salt and the sugar, vinegar, and bay leaves and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

　　

Step 2

When ready to cook the chicken, place the buttermilk in a shallow bowl and transfer the chicken from the brine to the buttermilk.

　　

Step 3

Place the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, the black pepper, and cayenne in a separate large, shallow bowl or plastic bag and stir or shake to mix.

　　

Step 4

Melt the shortening about 1/2 inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet and place over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches between 350°F and 375°F. The melted shortening should be deep enough to submerge the chicken about halfway; the level of the shortening will rise slightly when you add the chicken.

　　

Step 5

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and dredge or shake in the flour mixture, one piece at a time, to coat evenly on all sides, beginning with the large pieces. Shake off any excess flour.

　　

Step 6

Place the chicken, skin side down, in the hot shortening, reduce the heat to medium, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Check the pieces to make sure they are not browning too quickly; if so, reduce the heat or turn the pieces. Turn the chicken and fry the other side until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. The chicken is done when the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with the tip of a small knife and an internal thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads about 165°F. The chicken should cook for a total of 30 to 35 minutes.

　　

Step 7

Line a platter with a brown paper bag and transfer the chicken to the platter to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving warm with Fried Chicken Gravy, if desired.

　　

Fried Chicken Gravy

Step 8

When the chicken is done, pour all but about 2 tablespoons of the shortening out of the skillet, leaving all the brown bits on the bottom. Add 3 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the flour is light brown, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and cook and stir until the gravy is thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm.

　　

Sara’s Swaps

Step 9

No worries if you don’t have time to brine the chicken overnight. For same-day fried chicken, just soak the chicken in the buttermilk (rather than the water-and-vinegar solution) for 2 or 3 hours before continuing with the recipe.

　　

Know-how: Frying Chicken like a Southerner

Step 10

As food writer James Villas put it, “To know about fried chicken, you have to have been weaned and reared in the South. Period.” But with these quick tips, you’ll be making fried chicken like a true Southerner in no time.

　　

Step 11

When frying the chicken, do your best to keep the oil at a consistent, even temperature; between 350°F and 375°F is best. (Too low, and the chicken will get soggy and leaden; too high, and the outside will burn before the meat is cooked through.) My grandmother used an electric skillet, which made perfect fried chicken every time, but there are other ways to get her results. First, use a cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet, if possible; it will get you halfway there by retaining heat efficiently and evenly. Make sure the pieces of chicken are roughly uniform in size (you may need to cut the breast in half crosswise) and take care not to overcrowd the skillet, which will drag down the temperature and make the chicken soggy. You can use a clip-on thermometer to monitor the oil temperature and adjust as necessary.

　　

Step 12

Turn the chicken only once or twice; if you keep turning it the crust falls off and the chicken doesn’t get crispy. Use a meat fork instead of tongs to turn the chicken; this will also help keep the crust from falling off.

　　

Step 13

Drop a few tablespoons of bacon grease in with the shortening for added flavor.

　　

Step 14

Drain the chicken on a brown paper bag; it will help keep the chicken crisp.

　　

Know-how: Cutting a Chicken into Ten Pieces

Step 15

Many of the recipes in this chapter begin with a whole chicken cut into ten pieces—breast quarters, thighs, legs, and wings. Here’s everything you need to know to do it yourself.

　　

Step 16

Start with a sharp knife (or, to make it really easy, use a pair of poultry shears).

　　

Step 17

Place the chicken on a cutting board, breast side up. Pull one leg away from the body and cut through the skin between the body and the thigh to expose the hip joint. Lift the chicken, bend the thigh back to push the hip joint out of the socket, and cut through the joint. Repeat with the other leg.

　　

Step 18

Bend the drumstick back toward the thigh to push the knee joint out of the socket and cut through the skin and joint. Repeat with the other leg.

　　

Step 19

Pull one wing away from the body and cut through the skin between the body and wing to expose the shoulder joint. Cut through the joint and repeat with the other wing.

　　

Step 20

Place the chicken on its back. Starting at the tail end and working your way up to the neck, slice horizontally to separate the breast from the back. Lift and cut the breast away from the back on the other side of the shoulder; discard the back or use for broth.

　　

Step 21

Place the breast, skin side down, on the cutting board and flatten with the back of your hand to expose the breastbone. Cut the breast in half through the middle of the breastbone. Cut each half in half again crosswise, just above the rib cage, to make 4 pieces of breast rather than 2.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.