Judy Hesser's Oven-Fried Chicken

In the morning, combine 2 tablespoons salt and the warm water in a large bowl or container. Stir until the salt dissolves. Trim the chicken of any excess skin and fat. Add the pieces to the brine, add enough cold water to completely cover the chicken, and then add a tray of ice cubes and swish around with your hand to disperse them. Refrigerate until dinner time.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and pat it completely dry with paper towels. In a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, toss the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Seal the bag and give it a good shake. Add the chicken pieces, 2 at a time, and shake them until thoroughly coated. As you lift them out of the bag, shake them off vigorously to remove any excess flour. This is vital. You don’t want a gummy coating. Line them up on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken thighs and flour.

Place the chicken pieces in the roasting pan, skin side down, and oven-fry until chestnut brown in color and crisp on the bottom, about 40 minutes (sometimes it takes as long as an hour). Don’t flip them until this happens. Use a thin metal spatula to scrape them from the pan and turn them. Then bake until the other side is the same way, 20 to 40 minutes more.

Remove the pieces from the oven as they finish cooking, and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Just before serving, grind fresh pepper over top and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Serve hot, room temperature, or even cold straight outta the fridge.