Nashville hot fried chicken is all the rage, deep-fried and ultra crispy, doused in an incendiary hot chile oil. Here the chicken is still golden and crispy, but without the dunking in hot oil. Baked on racks that allow air to circulate around the chicken, this version is no less crunchy. Feel free to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in the hot sauce and serve with the traditional sides of soft white bread and vinegary pickles.

Instructions

  1. Toss chicken pieces in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons salt and lots of ground pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

  2. Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow dish. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and hot pepper sauce in a second shallow dish. Place corn flake crumbs in a third dish.

  3. Heat oven to 425˚F. Arrange oven racks to accommodate two pans. Place cooling racks in two large parchment-lined rimmed baking pans. Lightly grease the racks. Pat chicken dry. Dredge in flour, dip in buttermilk mixture, and then coat with cornflake crumbs. Arrange coated chicken on racks in baking pans. Lightly spray with cooking spray.

  4. Bake chicken 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375˚F. Bake about 25 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink near bones (165˚F internal temperature.)

  5. Whisk all the Hot Sauce ingredients together. Brush over each piece of hot chicken.