Honey Lemon Pepper Fried Chicken

For the chicken

* 2½–3 lbs chicken wings, drumsticks, or thighs
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (I omitted this)
* 2 t GPS
* 1 teaspoon Everything Onion
* 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

For the crispy coating

* 1 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 1 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
* 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon GPS

Honey Lemon Pepper glaze

* ½ cup honey
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon lemon zest
* 1½ teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
* ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
* Optional: pinch of cayenne for a little kick

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken:
Mix buttermilk, hot sauce, GPS, Everything Onion and paprika. Add chicken and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Make the coating:
Combine flour, cornstarch, lemon pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and GPS
3. Coat the chicken:
Remove chicken from the buttermilk, letting excess drip off. Dredge thoroughly in the flour mixture. For an extra-crispy crust, dip it back into the buttermilk and flour mixture a second time. ( I recommend doing the 2nd dip)
4. Fry:
Heat oil to 350°F. Fry chicken in batches without overcrowding the pan. Cook until deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Depending on the pieces, this can take roughly 8–15 minutes.
5. Make the glaze:
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon pepper seasoning and garlic powder. Stir for 1–2 minutes. Don’t boil it hard.
6. Finish:
Place fried chicken on a rack to drain. Drizzle or brush generously with the warm honey-lemon-pepper glaze.

For that restaurant-style crispy coating, the cornstarch is the secret. And don’t pour the glaze on until right before serving—otherwise that beautiful crust can get soggy.

I served this up with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Stir Fried veggies with Garlic Crush and GPS