-
1
Preheat the oven to 300u00b0F.
-
2
With the back of a knife, scrape away all the visible fat from the chicken skin. The cleaner you get the skin at this point, the crisper it will be when it is fried. (You may want to refrigerate the fat and save it to use for flavor when cooking fried chicken or for rubbing on a chicken before you roast it.)
-
3
Combine the buttermilk, cayenne, and salt in a baking dish, add the skin, and gently toss. Bake the chicken skin in the buttermilk for 1 hour, or until tender. Remove the baking dish from the oven and leave the skin in the buttermilk until cool enough to handle.
-
4
Remove the skin from the buttermilk, shake off any excess, and lay it out on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain and cool completely, about 5 minutes.
-
5
Meanwhile, heat the canola oil to 350u00b0F in a deep fryer or a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Combine the flour, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika in a baking dish.
-
6
Toss the skin in the flour mixture, coating it liberally. Working in batches, fry the skin for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Drain the skin for a minute or two on wire racks covered with paper towels.
-
7
Serve the chicken skin family-style on a platter with a drizzle of honey, a splash of hot sauce, and a sprinkle of lemon thyme.
