4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or 1 1/2 cups milk with 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 cups oil (for frying)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees, this will be used later for keeping your chicken warm until serving.
In a bowl mix buttermilk (or milk and lemon juice) with salt and pepper, to taste. In a separate bowl mix the flour, pepper, salt, garlic powder, paprika, seasoning salt and thyme. Mix the flour mixture together until well blended and then separate into two bowls. Make sure each bowl is large enough to dip your chicken breasts into. Take each chicken breast and cut it in half, if you are using four breasts this will give you eight pieces. Take each piece one at a time and place it into a ziploc bag. Hit the chicken piece with a mallot or a heavy sauce pan until it is flattened to 1/2 inch thick.
Preheat oil in a skillet or pan to 360 degrees. While the oil is heating take each flattened piece of chicken and dip it into the flour mixture in the first bowl, then dredge through the buttermilk (or milk and lemon juice) mixture and lastly through the flour mixture in the second bowl. Once each piece is covered please allow 5 minutes before you begin cooking in the heated oil.
Place only two pieces of chicken in the skillet at once to avoid over-crowding and decreasing the temperature of your oil. Cook three minutes on each side of chicken for a total of six minutes. Once the chicken is cooked place on a wire rack above a cookie sheet in your preheated oven to keep warm until serving time.
Serve with mashed potatoes with your gravy and a veggie!