1. Marinate the chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, eggs, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. Mix well until every piece is coated.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Prepare the coating
In another large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and cayenne.
3. Coat the chicken
Remove one piece of chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off.
Place it into the flour mixture and press the flour firmly onto the chicken.
For an extra-crispy crust, dip it back briefly into the marinade and then coat it in the flour mixture a second time.
4. Heat the oil
Heat about 5–7 cm of oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to 170–175°C (340–350°F).
Don’t overcrowd the pot because the oil temperature will drop.
5. Fry
Carefully place the chicken into the hot oil. Fry in batches until deeply golden and cooked through.
Depending on the size of the pieces, this usually takes about 10–16 minutes.
6. Check the chicken
The thickest part should reach 74°C (165°F) internally.
7. Drain and rest
Transfer the chicken to a wire rack rather than directly onto paper towels. Let it rest for 5–10 minutes so the crust stays crisp.
🔥 Extra-Crispy Secret
Add cornstarch to the flour and press the coating firmly onto the chicken. For those crunchy, craggy pieces shown in the photo, drizzle 1–2 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade into the seasoned flour and rub it together with your fingers before coating the chicken. Those little flour clumps fry into delicious crispy bits.
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