Method

Step 1 Prepare marinade. Put milk in a big ass bowl and add 4 tbsp of lemon. Let stand for 15 minutes. This will make the milk more acidic which will in turn make the chicken more tender. (It’s a substitue for buttermilk.) Add healthy pinches of salt to the milk, and a tablespoon of oregano.

Step 2 Marinate the chicken. Put the chicken in the milk and mix thoroughly. Let go and massage the bird with your fingers. Let the chicken rest in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight.

Step 3 Prepare the oil bath. Put the oil in a wide saucepan (the oil shouldn’t go over half the pan). Turn on a low heat (3-4/10) so that the oil warms slowly. We want to do that slowly because oil takes much longer to cool down than to heat up if we go overboard with the temp. Note: this process can take up to an hour.

Step 4 Create the breading station. Three containers for each of the flour, the eggs, the corn flakes (position in that order), and a line rack to put the breaded chicken on once it’s ready to cook. Prepare the flour container. Drop the flour, cornstarch, spices, and salt in one container and mix well with a fork. It will show a nice pale rose color. Prepare the egg container. Crack the eggs in a bowl and mix well. Prepare the corn flakes container. Crunch cornflakes with your hands as you drop them (it is very satisfying). You must have a good ratio of sand-thin flakes and healthy-looking, whole flakes.

Step 5. Bread that chicken. Take one chicken piece out of the milk and let the marinade drip away. Drop the chicken in the flour. Coat well. Elevate the chicken and tap on it to release excess spiced flour. Using one hand only, to limit messiness, drop the chicken in the egg mixture and elevate to let egg drip away. Then drop the chicken in the corn flakes, coating well, before putting it on the pre-fry plate (did I mention how a line rack comes handy here?). Repeat for all pieces. Let rest at least 15 minutes.

Let’s recap The oil is hot (at around 170c), the chicken is breaded, a post-fry rack is ready to welcome the golden fried bird, and spirits are high. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a bit of flour in the oil. If it sizzles furiously, you’re good.

Step 6. Fry that chicken. Place the chicken in its bath by resting pieces to lay away from you (from your belly towards the world). Do not overcrowd as it will greatly reduce the temperature of the oil and disturb the normal proceedings of cooking time. Cook pieces in batches if necessary, about 10 minutes or when the chicken shows a deep golden brown (more on the brown side than the golden side). Place on line rack so that it can drip its excess oil away. Salt generously and immediately. The hot oil will melt the salt more efficiently. Rest for 10 minutes and enjoy with pancakes, maple syrup, and a variety of hot sauces.

Note: Pair with a dry, sour cider.