Dear Kitchen Goddess... Please don't let me catch my kitchen on fire or poison my friends!: Labor (of love) Day...

I Looooooove drumsticks...love them, from buffalo wings to those monstrosities found at renaissance fairs. I've gotten many a margarita stink eye from across the table of some of my favorite local Mexican restaurants...by my friends not the staff (they get it!). I can eat Mexican food a few times a week just like any Californian so trust me when I say that this is an addiction, and a bad one at that! "Why can't you long for celery sticks or tofu?!" my waistline whines. Oh, on a side note: my friend Tony just taught me the trick to speed wing eating! Just what I need a skill at eating fried foods at the speed of lightening! Although that would make a really cool superhero power "If I beat you to the bottom of this plate of wings you must stop this war!"
...I said cool, not practical!

Now that you have the back story you'll be able to picture this.

As ridiculous as it sounds I woke myself up from a dream about fried chicken. Not just any fried chicken but spicy, crunchy fried chicken. Since it was still dark out I didn't go immediately to the market (I'm not crazy) but I did lay there tossing and turning until I hid under the covers preventing my Mac from lighting up the entire bedroom and found this! Good thing I had my earphones on because I swear I heard a choir of angels sing "Hallelujah"!

Fast forward two mornings later...9:30a.m. in my nightgown sipping a chai tea and frying chicken. That's right, fried chicken for breakfast! It's probably a good thing that I don't have a waffle maker.

Epicurious presents Double Dipped Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Double Dipped...DOUBLE WHIPPED!

Ingredients

4 cups buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce (siracha)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons kosher salt (add MORE)
2 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (smoked pepper...lots of it!)
2 frying chickens (about 3 pounds each), cut up (Drumsticks)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (add MORE)
Olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation

Combine the buttermilk, thyme, Tabasco, Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon of the salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pepper in a nonreactive bowl large enough to contain all of the chicken pieces with at least 1 inch to spare. Add the chicken and turn to coat fully in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. [It got me again! I cannot believe I didn't read ahead or if I did, I completely ignored this. It was Memorial Day weekend so I had nothing but time. These sticks soaked for 20 hours!!!] Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before frying.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large, shallow bowl, combine the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, Cajun seasoning, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk marinade and roll it around in the seasoned flour until completely covered. Set it on the prepared baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken. Dip the coated chicken pieces once more in the marinade, then again in flour. Return the pieces to the baking sheet (a few minutes’ rest makes for a sturdier, crisper coating).

Have a wire cooling rack set over paper towels ready. In a large, heavy Dutch oven, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Using kitchen tongs, add a few chicken pieces at a time to the hot oil (crowding will lower the temperature, making for greasy chicken). Fry the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 180°F, about 10 minutes per side (watch carefully, it can easily burn). Transfer the cooked chicken to the wire rack. Serve immediately or at room temperature (don’t let the chicken sit more than 2 hours).

20 hours later...

Buttermilk Bath #2

I lost my drumstick...and my finger tips!

Each one felt like a pound!

Tip

If the chicken looks pretty dark before it is cooked through, transfer to wire racks set on baking sheets and bake in a 375°F oven until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 180°F on an instant-read thermometer. Keep fried chicken warm in a 200°F oven. Using a digital thermometer eliminates the need to stand over the chicken. When the alarm sounds, the meat is done. [Plan B - definitely necessary! Scroll up to the first pic if you don't think I'm serious. I hid the burnt ones in the back. That was like 20 seconds on each side and the oil wasn't even at 300 degrees yet!]