De-package the chicken. Dissolve 2 tablespoons Baking Soda in water with a tablespoon of Kosher or Sea Salt. Move the pieces around so the meat is lightly washed in this brine. Submerge all the meat under the brine water. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

After that, drain and rinse chicken, set aside. This 1st baking soda brining kills bacteria and other microbes on the meat, and rids the it of the bad odors that packaged chicken sometimes has.

Make a fresh bowl of water, dissolve 3 tablespoons Kosher or Sea Salt and 1 tsp Cane Sugar in this bowl of water. To this brine add seasonings if you'd prefer. The brine will push any seasonings to the bone.

I use a tablespoon or more of (the grey powder) Poultry Seasoning. This has thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg already in it. If you'd like a spicy marinade, then add 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp or more cayenne powder. Stir these seasonings until they aren't floating on top.

Now submerge all the chicken pieces in this seasoned brine, cover and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Not more, as the meat texture begins to break down the longer it marinates in saltwater. I've consistently had superior results brining for 2 hours.

I brined a batch of chicken overnight one time, the meat texture was mealy, dry and flavorless once it was cooked. I've had the best results with a 2-3 hour brining time.

Split thighs lengthwise along the thigh bone, this makes them approximately the same size as the other pieces. Cut the breasts into pieces about the same size as the split thighs. Making all the pieces generally the same size helps prevent undercooked, pink or bloody fried chicken. Eeww.

Once chicken has marinated in salt brine, drain off and discard the used salt brine. Don't rinse the chicken pieces off. Begin making the next marinade.

This next egg marinade is absolutely essential used with the brine marinade, don't omit it. The beaten raw eggs tenderizes and moisturizes the chicken, adding a depth of flavor that the chicken alone lacks.

Crack 6 eggs in a tall container, lightly beat them. Then begin adding chicken pieces to the beaten raw eggs. Once all the chicken is in the container, add enough extra beaten eggs to fully submerge all the meat. Briefly massage each piece of chicken in the eggs making certain each piece has contact with eggs, as the meat needs to absorb the eggs.

To stretch my eggs, I use a tall container to do the egg marinade in instead of a wider bowl. Somehow that will use fewer eggs.

You can use a bit of dairy milk mixed in the egg marinade if necessary, but the chicken won't have the same rich flavors that eggs will give it.

I don't use chicken tenders at all. Tenders won't work well brined because the meat fibers will break down far too quickly, becoming bland, mushy or pasty once fried up.

This recipe works best with bone-in, skin on chicken. Bones and skin contain the collagen, nutrients, flavors, moisture and texture your body needs, and what your taste buds want. Removing those will end in drier, flavor and nutrient deprived meat.

Once chicken is submerged in eggs, cover with a lid and marinate overnight up to 24 hours (no more). Minimum time marinating is 2 hours, less than that and eggs are being wasted. The eggs do their best overnight. Do Not Rinse Off The Egg Marinade Before Frying.

For crispy fried chicken do this next step:

The flour (whether seasoned or not) must be packed on by hand. With your hands squeeze the flour onto each piece until well coated, it must be packed into every nook and cranny of the raw chicken, leaving no visible meat. Once coated, give it a light shake, then right into the fryer.

For extra crispy fried chicken: lay the coated chicken pieces to air dry on a platter or wire rack before frying; let it dry about 15 to 20 minutes. Then into the hot lard or hot shortening. Make sure the hot oil is between 350°f to 360°f.

Lard will not absorb into the coating the way cooking oils will. Lard produces that crispy crunchy coating and rich fried chicken flavor you crave.

To make the fried chicken a lot less greasy: fry each piece for only 6 to 8 minutes, then remove to a wire rack placed in a bakeware pan, then bake the partially fried chicken on a wire rack over a baking pan at 350°f for 20 to 30 minutes.

After this, allow the chicken to rest at least 20 minutes on a wire rack after frying. This allows the meat to finish cooking, to reabsorb the juices, and to cool off. As this is a finger food, allow it cool off a bit before serving.

The Flour Coating:

To about 2 cups all purpose flour, add at least 3 tablespoons ground or freshly cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt and about 1/4 cup cornstarch, though the cornstarch isn't critical. Cornstarch adds extra crispiness to the coating. Yes, that much or more black pepper. No, that won't make the fried chicken hot. The pepper is in the coating and not strong that way. It adds amazing flavors to the fried chicken.

A Cordon Bleu graduated chef friend in the 1980's shared his tip for an extra flavor pop to his fried chicken: As soon as the fried chicken is taken up from frying, shake on some salt and pepper while the pieces are still wet from being taken from the hot oil. This glues the salt and pepper to the outsides, then that is the first thing the sense of taste registers when biting into the fried chicken. In other words, it pumps up the flavor even more.

Last tip: don't use self rising flour. All purpose flour tends to stay stuck to the chicken better. Some of the coating always falls off while frying, but not as much falls off as would be if using self rising flour.

I find that the baking powder and other ingredients in self rising flour adds a weird flavor to the breading of fried meats.

To summarize: short-fry the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack placed in a bakeware pan. Then bake on the rack/pan at 350°f (or even 325°f) for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

If the short-fried chicken is baked on a flat pan instead, the draining oils will make the chicken soggy where it touches the flat pan, and will usually stick to the pan, pulling off that crispy coating.

This goes extra well with a pan of hot, buttered biscuits, and sides like mashed potatoes or potato salad, green beans, chicken gravy or other favorite sides. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family always have!