Don't be a chicken!

This is a recipe for deep fried patience that I found in the Food & Wine magazine. A whole chicken massaged in herbs and then roasted low and slow for 2.5 hours. And that's just the beginning. Then cooled and carved. There's more. A buttermilk bath and abandoned in the darkness of your refrigerator for an hour. Then dusted in a medley of flours and spices and fried in herb-infused oil. It's worth the journey...as this is the best fried chicken you'll ever sink your teeth in to. So don't be a chicken, just try it brah!

NOTE: This recipe is for (2) 3 pound whole chickens. For one chicken, cut the recipe in half.

.    1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt

.    1/4 cup freshly ground pepper

.    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

.    1 1/2 tablespoons minced rosemary, plus 4 medium sprigs

.    1 1/2 tablespoons minced thyme, plus 4 sprigs

.    1 1/2 tablespoons minced sage, plus 4 sprigs

.    5 minced bay leaves, preferably fresh, plus 5 whole leaves

.    3 garlic cloves, minced, plus 1 head, broken into cloves

.    Two 3-pound whole chickens

.    1 quart buttermilk

.    1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

.    1 teaspoon sugar

.    Grape seed or vegetable oil, for frying

.    2 cups all-purpose flour

.    1/2 cup rice flour

.    1/4 cup garlic powder

.    1/4 cup onion powder

.    Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

.    Lemon wedges, for serving

1.            Preheat the oven to 200°. In a bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons of the kosher salt with 2 tablespoons of the pepper, the olive oil and the minced rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaves and garlic. Rub the mixture all over the chickens and set them in a roasting pan. Roast for about 2 hours and 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thighs registers 150°. Let the chickens cool, then cut each into 10 pieces. (You should have 4 drumsticks, 4 thighs, 4 wings and 8 breast quarters.) If you don't know how to cut a whole chicken into 10 pieces, be sure to watch this video. Click here

2.           In a very large bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the hot sauce and sugar. Add the chicken pieces and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3.           In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of grape seed oil to 375° with the rosemary, thyme and sage sprigs, the 5 whole bay leaves and the head of garlic. When the herbs are crispy and the garlic is golden, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.

4.           Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose and rice flours with the garlic and onion powders. Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of kosher salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of pepper.

5.           Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk, dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and fry the chicken over high heat, turning occasionally, until golden. Transfer the fried chicken to a platter and garnish with the fried garlic and herbs and serve right away.