Copycat — Barefoot Contessa’s Classic Oven-Fried Chicken
2 chickens, each cut in eight serving pieces
1 qt buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbs salt
1 tbs black pepper
Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350°.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture.
Pour vegetable oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1 inch and heat to 360° on a thermometer.
Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 min on each side until the coating is a light golden brown being sure not to crowd the pieces.
Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360° before frying the next batch.
When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 min at 350° or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot. Serves 6