Fried Chicken with Piedmont Dip Sauce

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Chicken marinade:
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup pickle juice
8-10 chicken pieces, skin on and bone-in

Breading:
(Mix the following 4 ingredients together, then divide mixture in two)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

4 eggs
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups bread crumbs
Peanut oil for frying

Sauce:
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup tomato paste

In a large bowl, mix together all of the marinade ingredients. Add chicken to bowl, stir until all chicken is coated with the marinade, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 1 hour.

On a counter accessible to your stove top, line up three bowls:

• Bowl 1: Combine half of the flour and half of the spices.
• Bowl 2: Whisk together eggs and apple cider vinegar.
• Bowl 3: Combine remaining flour, spices, and breadcrumbs.

Pat chicken dry and dredge first in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat one inch of peanut oil to 375°F in a large, heavy bottom skillet.

Add chicken to the hot oil and fry. White meat pieces should be fried 4-5 minutes per side, and dark meat pieces should be fried 5-7 minutes per side.

Remove chicken from the skillet, dip immediately in sauce, then place on a rack to cool — or transfer the fried chicken to a plate and drizzle with the sauce before serving.