Oven-Fried Buttermilk Chicken

Combine the buttermilk, garlic, hot sauce, measured salt and pepper, paprika, and cayenne in a large bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and transfer it to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate 12 hours, turning once.

Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Fit a wire rack inside a baking sheet and set it aside.

Place the Corn Flake Crumbs in a shallow dish and season generously with salt and pepper.

Remove a piece of chicken from the buttermilk marinade, letting the excess drip off, and place it in the Corn Flake Crumbs, turning to coat completely and pressing the crumbs onto the chicken to adhere. Set the chicken aside on a cutting board and repeat with the remaining pieces.

Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the chicken pieces and transfer them to the rack on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until golden and crispy and a thermometer inserted into the chicken (but not touching the bone) registers 165°F, about 35 minutes.Beverage pairing: Agrapart & Fils Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, France. Champagne is a great match for fried chicken, oven or otherwise, for three reasons. One, the bubbles just seem to go wonderfully with the texture of the batter. Two, the lemony flavor complements the chicken. And three, there’s the pleasure of the high-low: Champagne for chicken, not caviar.