Makes 6 to 8 servings

A picnic in Louisiana wouldn't be a picnic without crispy fried chicken. This rendition will knock your socks off. The chicken is soaked in a hot sauce and buttermilk mixture overnight before it's fried. Don't be uneasy about the amount of hot sauce. I promise a lot of the heat is cooked off during frying and the flavor is great.

Ingredients
1 fryer (about 4 1/2 pounds), cut into 10 pieces
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning

Preparation

Put the chicken in a large mixing bowl, add the hot sauce, buttermilk, salt, and pepper, and stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, turning the chicken pieces several times.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. In a deep cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil to 360 F.

Combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of the Creole seasoning in a large mixing bowl. Dredge several pieces of chicken at a time in the flour, coating evenly and shaking off any excess. Fry the chicken, 4 to 5 pieces at a time, in the hot oil until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature.

From Every Day's a Party by Emeril Lagasse. HarperCollins Publishers. Used by permission.