or oil in a frying pan?

chicken was submerged completely. I used a cast iron skillet - only 80% submerged

that you pretty much need to butcher down your whole chicken and cut the breasts into 5 pieces so they'll get done in a reasonable amount of time. Things are so damned big that the chickens can barely stand by the time they're slaughtered.

I used to make a non sweetened fritter batter for deep fried chicken that came out as light as a feather. The seasoned flour made sure it stuck to the chicken. You might try that if you're deep frying.

If you're pan frying, you can brown all the pieces, then finish them in the oven. The coating in direct contact with the bottom of the pan will be firm but it will soften a bit on standing. I have to do rice flour on my chicken these days and it's quite rocklike at first, but the steam softens it up in a few minutes. Maybe resting your chicken under a foil tent will speed the process.

All I ever did with herb stems in the oil was check the approximate temperature, never did it after I got a thermometer.

fact that they were too thick.

good idea about finishing in oven.

didn't tent after because I thought it would make soggy

The fresh herb deal was actually very cool and flavored the oil. He actually had a big pot of oil and threw the bunches of herbs and unpeeled garlic in while the oil was warming. It all crisped up and you pull it out and drain and it did look very pretty as a garnish (on top of my rock hard crusted chicken LOL). Crisped up basil leaves are delicious.

And whatever else you like in the dry coating finish. I use plenty of oil and don't crowd the meat. 3-4 pieces or 4-5 depending on the skillet size. Fry once on each side, turning when you get a good brown. In my experience, if the skin was blackened or rock hard and the meat undone - the oil is too hot. Or the skillet is too crowded to get a good even cook before the skin burns.

my crust pulled away from the meat because of it.

you are probably right about the oil being too hot. didn't use a thermometer - don't even know what it's supposed to be.

I love to cook - but typically more forgiving things like sauces and soups - where timing and science are not involved.

Whenever I try something like brisket on charcoal or baking or this chicken I fail. Too many rules !

What is critical is your oil temperature and how much heat retention you have.

Bone-in chicken pieces should cook between 10-15 minutes, ideally 12-13 minutes. If not, the reason is your oil wasn't hot enough or was too hot. This can be because it wasn't hot enough initially (should be somewhere around 350F), or the temperature dropped too much when you put the pieces in because you didn't have enough heat retention and/or recovery. I usually always fry in cast iron and make sure I don't put too many pieces in at once. Using a generous amount of oil also helps because you get more heat retention.

Most likely the reason why your coating was so hard was because it overcooked before the interior was done. A good thermometer designed for oil really helps.

temp too high. Will buy a thermometer and try again. I know I will also make sure I get a bird that's not too thick and fat.

You can also get a pressure cooker designed for deep frying for faster cooking. That's actually how KFC got its start after Colonel Sanders figured out you could fry chicken in a pressure cooker.

Bread the chicken anyway you like. I have tried the buttermilk soak, doesn't add much to the flavor. I soak the chicken in some salted water. Have flour mixture ready - I use season salt, sage and black pepper. Add anything else you like. Take a piece out of the water, give it a quick shake, and place in the flour to coat well. I have used a bag to shake the chicken to coat and just turned it over in the flour, either way works. I place the breaded chicken on waxed paper while I get the skillet and oil ready. Note about breading, if you let the chicken stand after breading, the crust will be hard. You should not let the chicken pieces stand for over 5 minutes. If you are still having the problem, add an egg wash to the process. Beat an egg with a little milk. Dip chicken in egg wash, then in flour coating, this makes a softer crust.

Pour oil in heavy skillet to depth of about 1/4 inch. Make sure the skillet is large enough to hold all the chicken. Heat oil until very hot and place chicken in and fry on one side until browned, turn and fry on other side. You can shake on a little more seasoning now. As pieces brown take out of skillet until all are browned (the chicken will not be cooked at this point, just the outer part browned). Then put chicken back in skillet and lower heat on skillet and put cover on skillet. Let chicken cook on medium-low (the steam is cooking the meat. Don't be nervous and turn chicken much, this makes the breading come off. Let the meat cook and start to light brown. Turn chicken and cook other side, this won't take long. The whole cooking process up to this point should be 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how large your chicken parts are and how many pieces are in the skillet.

Then take the lid off the skillet and turn up heat, let chicken get browned on bottom side, turn, brown other side. When crisp, place on platter covered in paper towels to drain. As each piece is ready, remove from skillet and put on paper towels. Removing pieces as they cook will raise the temperature of the oil and that is usually a good thing, but if you think it is too high, turn temp down a little.

Several things I like about skillet fried chicken. Less fat used. It tastes better cold than deep fried chicken. You know it is cooked through. Make cream gravy. You have lots of little brown crispy pieces left in skillet. If you want to make some cream gravy, drain off most of the oil out of the skillet, keeping the little crispies and stir in some flour, 3 or 4 tablespoons should do. Cook a few minutes, on medium heat, stirring all the time. Add milk, 3 or 4 cups and keep heat on medium and stir or whisk constantly to keep from lumping or burning. Cook until it thickens. Should take about 4 or 5 minutes. Season more, be sure and use plenty of black pepper, that's what make cream gravy good. I like a few shakes of Tabasco in mine too.

About fryers. Long ago, a fryer was a chicken that weighed 2 lbs are less. Now the fryers are 4 or 5 pounds or more. Large chickens do not make good fried chicken. Try to keep the size under 3 pounds if you can, the smaller, the better. I usually buy whole chickens and cut them up, this is a lost art. My mother taught me to cut up a chicken years ago when I was a teen. If the grandkids come over, I usually get a package of drumsticks and cook them, too.

Electric skillets are perfect for frying chicken. I used to have a large Cusinart electric skillet and it was the best thing for frying chicken, even better than a cast iron skillet. I used it until it "bit the dust". I would like another, but they are very pricey. There is another one in my future.

Alton Brown did a show on pan fried chicken a while back. He also said, it was healthier, less fat used. I learned to make pan fried chicken from my late mother-in-law. She made the best fried chicken ever!