Recipe

Make Buttermilk

1. Pour lemon juice into 2-cup measuring cup, then fill rest of measuring cup with milk. Give a stir and let sit for 15 minutes.

Marinate Chicken

1. In large bowl, combine buttermilk, white pepper and cayenne pepper, and stir well. Add chicken thighs and turn to completely coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate chicken in fridge for at least 6 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Make Glaze

1. Once chicken has marinated, combine maple syrup and bomba calabrese in large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce glaze by a little more than half, stirring often, until thick and sticky. You should have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of glaze, once reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.

Deep-fry Chicken

1. Line plate with paper towel and set aside. In large pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F on deep-frying thermometer.
2. In medium bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch and kosher salt. Take piece of marinated chicken and drop into flour mixture. Turn to coat chicken all over, pressing flour onto meat. Place chicken on plate. Repeat with remaining pieces.
3. Working in batches using metal tongs, carefully lower a few pieces of chicken into hot oil and fry until golden brown and crunchy on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat with remaining pieces.
4. Place fried chicken in large bowl, pour warm Hot Pepper Maple Glaze over top and toss chicken to coat. Season with flaky sea salt, to taste.