Mission Bowling Club's Fried Chicken Recipe

Mission Bowling Club's fried chicken is as novel as it is tasty—skewered on a stick and hovering over a dollop of ranch dip, it makes one hell of a hangover snack. Chef Frank Mitchell swears by a serious thigh dip in buttermilk: "It's key to a good crust," he says.

Fried Chicken

(serves 6)

Marinade:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1½ tablespoons garlic, peeled

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1½ tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sweet pimentón

1 tablespoon spicy pimentón

1 teaspoon cayenne

Dredge:

3 cups all purpose flour

3 cups corn starch

1½ cups potato starch

1½ cups rice flour

1 tablespoon salt

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of cayenne

Buttermilk (enough to cover chicken)

Rice bran oil for frying (enough to cover chicken)

For the marinade:

1. Remove excess fat and cut chicken thighs into three equal pieces.
2. Blend garlic, lemon, and lime juice. You can also microplane or grate garlic into juice.
3. Combine pimentons and cayenne together. Keep salt separate.
4. Working in batches to ensure an even mix, salt the chicken, then season with the pimenton and cayenne mix.
5. Mix in the lemon-lime-garlic puree.
6. Refrigerate at least overnight.

For the chicken:

1. Mix all dredge ingredients together.
2. An hour before cooking, cover chicken with enough buttermilk to ensure an even coating.
3. Heat a deep fryer to 325 degrees. If you don't have a deep fryer, use a stockpot or heavy sauté pan and add enough oil to submerge chicken completely.
4. When oil is hot, toss chicken in dredge and coat completely.
5. Place in hot oil and fry until golden brown and the chicken reaches 145 degrees internal temperature, about 8 minutes. If using a shallow fry, be careful not to overload the pan and turn gently, as crust is very brittle.

Disclaimer: The USDA says chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees, but Mitchell says, "it is simply too tough at that high temperature."