Cold Fried Chicken

By DreiFromBK

Double-dredging the chicken in a spiced mix of wheat and rice flours means you get really crunchy bits that stay crisp in the refrigerator," says chef Justin Yu, who created this extra-crispy fried chicken to be served cold at Public Services in Houston. It's great with a slightly off-dry Riesling.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons pimentón de la Vera
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• One 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 quart buttermilk
• coating
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons pimentón de la Vera
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rice flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Canola oil, for frying

Details

Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make the chicken In a bowl, combine the salt, pimentón, garlic and pepper. Add the chicken and rub all over with the spices. Add the buttermilk and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Make the coating In a small skillet, toast the coriander, cumin, caraway, oregano, peppercorns and red pepper over low heat, stirring, until very fragrant, 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder, let cool slightly, then finely grind. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the pimentón, garlic, salt and all-purpose flour. Transfer half of the flour mixture to another bowl and whisk in the rice flour and cornstarch.
Drain the chicken, reserving the buttermilk. Coat the chicken in the seasoned all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess. Set on a rack and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 3 inches of oil 
to 325°. Dip the chicken in the reserved buttermilk, then dredge in the rice flour mixture. Fry in 2 batches, turning, until the dark meat registers 155° on an instant-read thermometer and the breast meat registers 150°, about 15 minutes for the dark meat and 20 minutes for the breast. Transfer to a rack and let cool, then refrigerate until cold.