Fried Chicken with Buttermilk Marinade, Buttermilk Batter and Ancho Honey Dip

The sweet and spicy honey adds a special twist to traditional Southern Fried Chicken. This is a great "game day" feast that can easily be doubled.

Chicken and Marinade:
2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. sea salt
1 tsp. arbol chili powder or 1 Tbsp. hot sauce
1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken, cut into 8 or 10 pieces

Batter:
1½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. ground sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
2 cups buttermilk
peanut oil, for deep-frying

Ancho Honey:
½ cup pure honey
1 Tbsp. ancho chili powder
sea salt

For the Marinade:
In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, salt, and chili powder until combined. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it dry. Place the chicken on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before frying.

For the Batter:
Place the buttermilk in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika and cayenne. Divide among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper.

Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess. Put the chicken pieces on a baking rack set over a baking sheet while the oil heats.

Pour about 3" of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. 

For the Ancho Honey:
Whisk the honey and chili powder together in a spouted cup or gravy boat, add salt to taste.

Serve chicken hot, drizzled with the ancho honey.