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1
Wash the chicken and pat dry.
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2
Put the pieces into a large nonreactive glass or stainless steel bowl and pour the lime juice over them.
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3
Sprinkle with the minced garlic, a large pinch of salt, and several liberal grindings of black pepper.
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4
Toss until the seasoning is uniformly distributed and set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour, refrigerated.
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5
(Or cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator; remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to cook the chicken.)
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6
Place the corn flour in a paper or large plastic ziplock bag.
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7
Shake to coat the inside.
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8
Fit a wire cooling rack over a cookie sheet and place it in the center of the oven.
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9
Preheat the oven to 150F (or Warm setting).
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10
Fill a deep cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven, or deep-fat fryer with enough lard or oil to come halfway up the sides, at least 2 inches deep.
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11
Over medium-high heat, bring the fat to 375F (hot but not smoking).
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12
When the fat is hot, lift the chicken pieces a few at a time from their marinade, allowing the excess to flow back into the bowl.
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13
Drop them into the bag of corn flour, close the top, and shake until the chicken is well coated.
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14
Lift them out of the corn flour, shake off the excess, and slip them into the fat.
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15
Repeat until the pan is full without crowding.
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16
Fry, maintaining a temperature of 365F, turning once, until the chicken is a rich golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
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17
Lift the chicken from the fat, drain well, and transfer to the wire rack in the oven while you fry the remaining chicken.
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18
Serve hot, with hot sauce and lime wedges passed separately.
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19
Note: If you like, you can spice up the marinade with a few hot red pepper flakes or with a few shots of hot sauce.
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20
Other common additions to the marinade are minced fresh ginger (about 2 quarter-sized slices, minced fine), rum, sugar, and chopped cilantro.
