Kevin's Buttermilk Chicken Fried Chicken with Silky Gravy

Kevin the Bacon went on quite the comfort food quest with this one — buttermilk-soaked, perfectly pounded chicken fried to a crackling crust and drowned in a silky, béchamel-close gravy.

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Ingredients

• •2 boneless chicken breasts, halved and pounded thin
• •2 cups buttermilk, for soaking
• •1 ½ cups flour
• •1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• •Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne
• •oil, for frying
• •3 tbsp butter, for the gravy
• •3 tbsp flour, for the gravy
• •about 2 cups milk, added until silky and smooth, for the gravy
• •1 tbsp better than bouillon (chicken), for the gravy
• •salt, to taste
• •black pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Pound the chicken: Using the dimple side of the mallet, pound the chicken with solid, even swings until evenly thin for a perfect cook.
2. Soak in buttermilk: Soak the chicken in buttermilk while you get everything else together — not overnight.
3. Make the breading: Mix the flour, panko, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne together into one breading.
4. Coat the chicken: Take the chicken straight from the buttermilk and press it into the breading. Pack and flip multiple times until the chicken is fully coated with no wet spots.
5. Fry: Pour about ½ to ¾ inch of oil into a pan — the chicken won't be fully submerged, so it fries on one side at a time. Fry at 350°F until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.
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6. Make the roux: Melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a "wet" roux, then whisk in a spoonful of better than bouillon right before you start adding the milk — the key to that silky, béchamel-close gravy.
7. Build the gravy: Whisk in the milk gradually until smooth and velvety, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Plate: Pour the gravy generously over the fried chicken and serve.