Recipe: Cochon's Sunday Night Fried Chicken

DONALD LINK'S SUNDAY NIGHT FRIED CHICKEN
"On the pass-through between the open kitchen and the dining room at Donald Link's New Orleans restaurant, Cochon, there sits an enviable collection of cast-iron vessels, used nightly to prepare Link's modern-traditional take on Cajun cooking."



"Link's understandably popular fried chicken is made just like his granny used to make it in Lake Charles: seasoned, skillet-fried, dark, and so crunchy that each bite practically echoes through the large, wood-accented dining room. Take the extra time to make that dirty rice: the introduction of pureed liver lends an earthy depth to the dish (and fools the liver-averse every time)."

1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces, with wing-on breast halves*
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 dashes Louisiana hot sauce
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups lard, vegetable shortening, bacon fat, or a combination of the three, for frying**
3 cups all-purpose flour
Lake Charles Dirty Rice, for serving (see recipe)

SEASON THE CHICKEN:
In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, and hot sauce until evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day (the longer the better, to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat).

DREDGE THE CHICKEN:
Transfer the chicken to a clean mixing bowl and pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Heat the frying fat of your choice in a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet to 350 degrees F, or until a pinch of flour sizzles when dropped into the fat. As the oil heats, remove the chicken from the buttermilk, allowing excess liquid to drip off, and transfer to a clean bowl. Add the flour and toss to coat.

FRY THE CHICKEN:
When the oil is ready, working in batches and starting with the large bone-in cuts, add the chicken pieces to the skillet, shaking off any excess flour before placing in the oil. (Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.) Fry the chicken pieces, turning with tongs occasionally and making sure the oil maintains a mellow sizzle, 8 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Let the chicken sit for 20 minutes while you make the Lake Charles Dirty Rice. (Once it's out of the skillet, slow down: Link believes that waiting up to 20 minutes allows the bird's natural chicken juices to settle.)

Serve the chicken with the Lake Charles Dirty Rice on the side.

*For Link's recipe, cutting the chicken into ten pieces instead of the more typical eight (two wings, two breasts, two drumsticks, two thighs) results in smaller, easy-to-hold pieces with more crispy goodness. Cut the chicken into eight pieces (or buy a pre-sectioned chicken), leaving the breast side of the wing attached. Cut the breast in half, making ten pieces, which gives you two wings, two thighs, two legs, and four pieces of breast - two with the drumstick side of the wing attached.

**The recipe calls for a mix of fats, but don't fret if you end up using just one.

Makes 4-6 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: Fried and True by Lee Brian Schrager and Adeena Sussman