Step 1 / 6

refrigerated, 38–40°F

chicken + buttermilk + salt + grated garlic + hot sauce, submerged. The salt is the whole point: it diffuses in and partly unwinds the muscle proteins so they hold their own water through the fryer, which is why brined chicken stays juicy at 165°F and unbrined chicken does not. The buttermilk's acid softens the surface and its lactose browns faster than plain flour would. Four hours is the floor; twelve is the ceiling, past which the exterior meat turns mealy