Ingredients

• 8 Chicken thighs (organic or natural with skin on)
• 3 Tbsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. coarsely-ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In the morning, combine the 2 Tbsp. salt with about a cup of warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt. Trim the chicken of excess skin and fat. Add the chicken to the bowl. Cover with very cold water and a tray of ice cubes. Chill in the refrigerator until dinner time.

2. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Remove the chicken from the fridge and pat dry completely with paper towels. Put the butter in a roasting pan large enough to fit the chicken in one layer. Place the pan in the oven.

3. In a freezer bag, pour in the flour, remaining 1 Tbsp. sea salt and pepper. Give it a good shake. Add the chicken pieces tow at a time and shake them of vigorously. This is vital. You do not want a gummy coating. Line them up on a plate and repeat with the rest.

4. Lay the chicken pieces in the roasting pan, skin side down, and oven-fry until a chestnut brown and crisp on the bottom, about 40 minutes (sometimes it takes a long as an hour). Don’t flip them until this happens. Use a thin spatula to scrape them up off the pan and turn them; cook the other side the same way. Remove the pieces from the oven as they finish cooking, and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.

5. Just before serving, grind fresh pepper over top and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

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