Buttermilk fried chicken with eleven herbs and spices

Whisk the eleven herbs and spices and the MSG into two cups of all-purpose flour.

For the marinade, bring water, salt and MSG to a boil.

Break the chicken down into eight pieces, keeping the spine and wings.

Dunk a piece in the marinade for seven seconds, shake seven times, then coat evenly in the dredge.

Shake off the excess flour and fry at 375F, flipping after about six minutes, about ten minutes in total, until deeply golden brown and crisp.

Second version: from the marinade into the flour dredge, then into a buttermilk and egg mixture, then back into the dredge, which gives extra crispy rather than original recipe.

For the improved version, break down another chicken into eight pieces. Whisk 16 ounces buttermilk with the twelve herbs and spices and an extra tablespoon of kosher salt, add the chicken and press it down so every piece is coated.

Refrigerate at least six hours and up to 24, jostling it once or twice during that time.

Make the dredge the same way and add about half a cup of cornstarch.

Work a few tablespoons of the marinade into the dredge with your fingers to create small bits of breading.

Bread all the chicken at once in a wide casserole and let it sit about 10 minutes.

Fry at 400F for six to nine minutes until golden brown and crisp, holding the pieces on a wire rack in a low oven until all are fried.

Fry until dark meat registers 175F and white meat registers 165F.

Sprinkle with kosher salt before serving.