Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 12 pieces of chicken
• 1 quart of buttermilk
• a generous amount of salt
• 1 onion sliced into rings or Lyonnaise style
• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. 1
   In a large bowl, coat the chicken pieces liberally with salt. This not only salts the chicken, it draws out impurities, preventing unsightly blood spotting as you fry. Let the chicken sit in the salt for one hour.
2. 2
   Rinse the salt from the chicken. Rinse the bowl, too, for reuse.
3. 3
   Return chicken to the bowl and add the sliced onion. Toss together and cover with buttermilk. Cover and set in refrigerator overnight or for one full day.
4. 4
   In a skillet, pour one inch of oil and heat to 325 degrees. Try not to let the oil get hotter or the chicken will burn.
5. 5
   In another large bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons each of salt and pepper and the cayenne
6. 6
   Remove all the chicken from the buttermilk-tainted bowl. Shake excess buttermilk from a piece of chicken and roll it in the flour mixure. Dip the chicken back into the buttermilk and once more into the flour. Add the chicken to your pan as you go, skin side down.
7. 7
   Fry the chicken until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes per side.
8. 8
   As each piece finishes frying, place on a rack to drain.
9. 9
   9. Take the onion. Proceed as with the chicken, battering and double dipping.