After I made the other fried chicken, my mom told me I was a silly goose for not making my great-grandmother’s version. Yes, she actually said “silly goose.” And I had no idea my great-grandmother had a fried chicken recipe.

This one is also easy, although I made a mistake by not replacing the oil from last time. The coating got overcooked, which was not good. Although I did see somewhere that the Pioneer Woman suggests frying the chicken until the coating is the way you want it and then sticking it in the oven to make sure the chicken is cooked through. I have no argument with that method. I just didn’t do it this time.

What I did do was put a lot of flour on this chicken. A LOT. I also bought a package that contained a whole chicken, already cut into pieces.

This is one of the keys to Lele’s fried chicken. You let it sit in buttermilk for a while (preferrably overnight, but two hours or so is sufficient), then dip it in flour. THEN you dip it in MORE buttermilk and MORE flour. My mom remembers this awesomeness from when she was a little girl — the extra flour makes extra crispy yumminess, which is really the best part. Genius.

If you don’t have a fry daddy, it’s OK. You can do it in a pot or something… just be careful not to put too much oil in there. The level will rise significantly when you have it hot and put the chicken in.

Lele’s fried chicken
1 chicken, cut into pieces (or a combination of chicken pieces with skin)
Buttermilk (about 2 1/2 cups for a whole chicken)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Paprika
All-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
4 cups canola oil or a can of Crisco, for frying

Rinse off the chicken and put in a freezer bag or Tupperware-type container. Pour in about a cup and a half of buttermilk, so all the chicken is wet. Put it in the fridge for at least two hours. (If you are going to let it sit overnight, you should probably turn it once)

Turn on your Fry Daddy or start warming your oil for frying. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Put a cup of flour in a low bowl (add about a teaspoon of pepper and another of paprika, if you wish). Put 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk in another bowl.

Dredge pieces of chicken in flour. Then dip it in the fresh buttermilk and cover it in flour again.

Fry pieces of chicken a few at a time. Dark meat will take about 15 minutes, light meat 8-10. If the coating looks done and the chicken isn’t, put the chicken in the oven at 350 until it’s fully cooked. Enjoy!