Hot Honey Chicken

For the marinade

In a large bowl, whisk together:

Add:

Toss gently to thoroughly coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

For the dredge

When nearly ready to fry, set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Add to a medium bowl:

Whisk to thoroughly combine. In another medium bowl, beat together with 2 teaspoons water:

Working one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture. Dredge in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres. A little buttermilk in the flour is fine; it forms crunchy clumps. Transfer to the egg mixture, turning to coat. Dredge once more in the flour. Transfer to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Stand at room temperature 15 minutes. preheat the oven to 325°F.

For the hot honey

In a small saucepan, combine:

Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the honey is warm and infused with cayenne, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Set aside to cool and thicken slightly.

To fry the chicken

In a large deep skillet (cast-iron works well), heat about ½ inch over medium-high heat:

Place a wire rack over another rimmed baking sheet. Working in batches, fry the chicken, flipping once, until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the wire rack to drain. Season with a sprinkle of:

Keep warm in the oven while frying the rest.

Once all the chicken is fried, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Drizzle generously with 1 cup of the hot honey. Gently turn and drizzle with another 1 cup. Transfer the remaining hot honey to a small bowl and serve on the side.