The chicken thighs are cooked in two separate stages in this recipe, that was intended to be executed on a propane burner outdoors. The chicken is first fried to beautifully brown it, as well as render the fat from the skin. Next, it’s placed in a low oven to cook all the way through. The resulting chicken will be more tender, and the cooking process is a far more relaxed, and low-key affair.

Ingredients

• 8 pounds (roughly 21) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• About 1 quart buttermilk
• ¾ cup rubbed sage leaves (loosely packed)
• ¼ cup Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ⅓ cup freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 cups flour (all-purpose)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 strips thick-cut bacon

Preparation

1. Place thighs in a large roasting pan (or other flat pan that will contain thighs in a single layer). Cover with buttermilk, tight cover pan in plastic wrap, then let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 24, but up to 24 hours – turn once or twice.
2. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Combine the Old bay, sage, salt & pepper – mix well. Take the thighs out of the buttermilk, drain, then sprinkle the spice mix on both sides – rub slightly to make sure the mix has stuck. In a big paper bake, place the flour & baking powder, then shake to mix. Add about a third of the thighs into the bag, shake to coat, then remove from bag and repeat with the remaining 2 batches.
3. In a 20 inch skillet, place your bacon and vegetable oil – set over a high flame. Keep your eyes on the thermometer as we’re ready to fry once the oil reaches roughly 370 degrees.
4. When the oil is up to required temperature, take out the bacon, drain, and set aside to eat later. Shaking the excess flour off a thigh, add it to the oil, and expect intense bubbling. Take half the remaining thighs, shake off any excess flour, and add to the pan skin side down – the oil should be halfway up their sides. Cook for 7-9 minutes, until the side facing down is golden brown. Flip over and cook for another 5-7, until the second side is golden brown. Remove, and let drain on a paper towel.
5. Wait for the oil to heat back to 370 degrees, and repeat with the remaining thighs. These should take 1-2 minutes less per side to brown.
6. Place the browned thighs on a large sheet pan, or roasting pan, and cook in the oven until they’re cooked through – roughly 30 minutes until no traces of pink. Take out of oven and serve warm, or serve at room temperature (up to 2 hours to cool down).