step 1
In a large bowl, combine Salt (3 Tbsp), Water (8 cups), Garlic (2 cloves), and Bay Leaves (2) to make the brine.
step 2
If you are using Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Legs (4), separate the drums from the thighs so that it becomes 8 pieces of chicken.
step 3
Add the chicken to the brine and let it sit for a minimum of 4 hours in the fridge or room temperature.
step 4
In a large Tupperware or bowl, combine Potato Starch (1 1/2 cups), All-Purpose Flour (1/3 cup), Ground Black Pepper (1/2 Tbsp), Baking Powder (1/2 Tbsp), and Salt (1 Tbsp). Set aside.
step 5
Scoop out 1/2 cup of the dry mix into a separate bowl and add the Potato Starch (1/2 cup), Onion Powder (1/2 Tbsp), McCormick® Garlic Powder (1/2 Tbsp), Cayenne Pepper (1/2 Tbsp), Distilled White Vinegar (1/3 cup)and Water (1/3 cup) and set aside.
step 6
Once the chicken has brined for a few hours remove it from the brine and dry it out VERY WELL with paper towel.
step 7
Pour the “Dry Mix” into a tupperware or a bag and put in a few chicken in at a time and shake the bag/tupperware to dust the chicken with it.
step 8
Make sure you remove any excess dry mix from the chicken. You want a very light dusting on it. Set the chicken in a single layer aside to rest for 5 minutes.
step 9
Once the chicken has rested for 5 minutes, use a fork to mix the wet batter (it may have settled and separated) and dunk the chicken into the wet batter. Make sure you let the excess batter drip off very well.
step 10
Add the battered chicken back into the “Dry Mix” and shake it vigorously to coat the chicken and to give it a bit of texture for some crunch.
step 11
Remove the chicken from the dry mix and set it in a single layer and let it rest for 20-30 minutes so it can stick to the chicken better.
step 12
Fill a cast iron pan or deep fryer with oil and set the temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
step 13
Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken slowly. Do not over crowd the pan, you don’t want the oil temperature to drop. You may need to cook this in a few batches.
step 14
Cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes
step 15
Once it has cooked for 15-20 minutes, remove it from the oil and let it rest on a rack, newspaper or parchment paper for a few minutes before digging in. Enjoy!
