Southern Style Fried Chicken and Rice Salad (by G)

I had some buttermilk left over from Friday's Biscuit Debacle (as I refer to it). I've always wanted to use buttermilk to make fried chicken so it seemed like my chance.

Rather than fry all different chicken parts I just got some thighs with the bone in. The recipe calls for the chicken to be brined in an elaborate mix of water, salt, lemon, thyme, parsley and bay leaves - in the interests of not fucking the recipe up I decided to just do what the recipe said. In hindsight I don't thing any of the ingredients except the salt added any discernible flavour.

Anyway, once the chicken was brined I coated it in flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, some regular black pepper and (my own little addition) - old bay spice. After one coating with the flour the chicken parts went into the butter milk, then got another coating of seasoned flour. After that it was just a matter of frying the chicken in some hot peanut oil until brown then finishing in the oven. Unfortunately Bigg's piece was still pink in the middle and had to go back into the oven for a bit.

I don't think rice salad is a traditional accompaniment to fried chicken but I though I should probably add a healthy salad yin to balance out the greasy chicken yang (or vice versa).

The salad consisted of cooked brown rice, blanched carrot and asparagus, frozen peas, mint, coriander and parsley - then a lot of mayonnaise (which probably reversed any of the health benefits of the vegetables and herbs).

I kind of wish the chicken hadn't turned out quite as salty as it did.