Stump Fried Chicken

My friend Noah submits this recipe for fried chicken, noting "if you're looking to get in touch with your Southern roots, the chicken tastes even better on top of a homemade waffle with syrup." He's from Texas, so I won't argue with that. 

So I can give credit where credit is due, a quick google search shows that this came from America's Test Kitchen, which, in my mind, is becoming the definitive source for all kinds of recipes. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/4cups buttermilk
•  Table salt
• dash hot sauce
• 3teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1teaspoon garlic powder
• 1teaspoon paprika
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 1/2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat(see note)
• 2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4cups vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Whisk 1 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon salt, hot sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, and pinch of cayenne together in large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 teaspoons black pepper, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon paprika, and remaining cayenne together in large bowl. Add remaining ¼ cup buttermilk to flour mixture and mix with fingers until combined and small clumps form. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, pressing mixture onto pieces to form thick, even coating. Place dredged chicken on large plate, skin side up.
3. Heat oil in 11-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Carefully place chicken pieces in pan, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and continue to cook until golden brown on second side, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 for legs and thighs, 15 to 20 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Remove pieces from oven as they reach -correct temperature.) Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.