Cut chicken into pieces.

Place chicken pieces in brine and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. Doing this in the morning is fine for supper. If you are cooking a noon dinner, brine the night before.

Drain chicken and brine in a colander.

Line a sheet pan with wax paper to put chicken on.

With buttermilk brine still clinging, coat chicken pieces in flour coating. I put mine in a quart rubbermaid plastic container with a lid and shake.

Then take the piece and dip it in the mixture of beaten egg and water.

Then shake in the coating again.

Place on the wax paper lined baking sheet and continue with remaining chicken.

Let the chicken rest one hour.

Come back, shake the chicken in coating again as you start to heat your shortening or lard.

Heat shortening/lard in a deep large skillet to 2 inches deep (halfway up the sides of chicken) and heat to 350F.

Fry chicken pieces without crowding and definitely not touching at a temp between 300-325F, tinkering with the dial as the oil temp will shift.

Cook chicken to an internal temp of 370F. and keep pieces drained and warmed in a low oven about 110F. as you finish cooking the rest of the chicken.

Chicken should take between 15-25 minutes, depending on how huge the pieces are.