I have to say, I am really enjoying Food Network’s The Kitchen. I was skeptical at first. I wasn’t sure how the format and casting was really going to work out. But they’re 10 seasons in and it seems there’s no stopping! I enjoy watching the interactions between the different chef personalities and The Kitchen joined my DVR queue. Earlier this year they did a Southern Comforts show.

On that show, we watched Katie Lee make fried chicken. Fried chicken is one of those dishes I thought I’d never end up being brave enough to do at home. But after listening to Katie’s tips and watching her do it I couldn’t stop dreaming about it. It’s her use of hot sauce that had me.

I decided to give it a shot. So of course I had to share it on Instagram and Twitter. And could you believe my amazement when Katie Lee herself (or maybe one of her people, I don’t know) replied to me!? If I didn’t love The Kitchen cast already, I just loved them even more. We’ve had Twitter interactions with Jeff Mauro, too! Cue the star-struck squeals of excitement. My husband and I are huge fans of Jeff because he’s a Cross-Fitter, from Chicago, and we love his sense of humor. To be friends with The Kitchen family could probably go on my bucket list, but it’s an item that would never get a check mark, so I’ll leave it there in dream land.

Back to the chicken.

This chicken was perfect! Incredibly crispy and still juicy. Part of the draw was the dual cook method of fryer and oven. Doing so prevents the crust from burning before the chicken is fully cooked. If you’re a newbie to frying chicken like I am, don’t be scared. Give this recipe a try.

Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (I used just drumsticks)
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C hot sauce
• 1/2 C buttermilk
• oil for frying (I used canola oil)
• 2 1/2 C flour

Steps:

1. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Season chicken on both sides.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, hot sauce, and buttermilk. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours.
3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack.
5. Remove chicken from the marinade. Dredge in flour.
6. Working in batches, fry the chicken in the hot oil, covered, for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook, uncovered, another 5 minutes. Place chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken is fried.
7. Bake fried chicken 10 minutes, until fully cooked.

*This recipe is adapted from Katie Lee at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/fried-chicken.html*