You asked for a chef. I'm amateur, not professional, though my son is--cordon-bleu trained. This fried chicken is the first thing he wants to eat when he comes home to visit.
I've tinkered with my East Tennessee great-grandmother's fried chicken recipe for the past 40 years, and have found many ways to make it worse and few ways to make it better. Basically, it's dry-salted for 24 hours, dried, for 8 or 9, coated in seasoned flour, then milk, then seasoned flour again, then fried slowly (325F), covered, for 20 minutes (turning once) and then fried slowly, uncovered, for 20 minutes (also turning once).
Fried slowly this way, the subcutaneous fat in the skin renders out completely, like cracklings; fat and moisture retained in the skin is what makes it rubbery--even with a shattery-crisp coating. The modifications I've made over the years (i.e., the search for a heart-healthier fat than lard, and a slightly more sophisticated array of seasonings available than what East Tennessee offered in the 1880s) that have worked are incorporated in the more detailed recipe below:
One chicken, cut into serving pieces (we eat it all, and fight over the backs and necks, hearts and gizzards; livers and get separate, less invasive treatment).
Mix together one teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of chicken, along with seasonings, in proportion, that you like. Great-grandma and my grandmother and mother used a fierce amount of black pepper and an equal portion of paprika. I use, per 2 teaspoons of salt, about 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon herbes de provence (or thyme, or sage, or savory, or whatever you like), and trace amounts of good, fresh garlic powder and onion powder.
Mix this thoroughly, then rub it evenly into the chicken, place in a plastic bag (or a nonmetallic bowl covered with plastic) and refrigerate for 24 hours.
In the morning (assuming an evening frying), place the chicken on a rack in the fridge and allow it to dry.
In a black cast-iron pan, heat 1/2-inch of peanut oil (I've tried them all; peanut oil works best on many different levels) to 325F.
Add two cups all-purpose flour to a paper bag, dump in a big pinch of kosher salt, a bigger pinch of black pepper, and two big pinches of paprika (not smoked).
Shake up chicken, a few pieces at a time, in the flour, then dip into milk (buttermilk makes a thicker crust, but it doesn't adhere as tenaciously), and shake back up in the flour. Lay the pieces carefully in the pan, spacing everything at least 1/2-inch apart, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. (I use a 14-inch iron skillet and cover it with the lid from my wok. A high, domed lid helps keep the crust from going soggy from condensation. If you have only a flat lid, leave a small gap to vent moisture). Now turn the chicken and cook for 10 minutes more, still covered.
Now uncover, turn, cook for 10 minutes, then turn again and cook for 10 more minutes. You're looking for a medium mahogany brown. Remove to a rack and let rest for 20 minutes minimum before eating.
Of course, tastes vary, and what is best to one palate may not be best to others. But I've been eating fried chicken for 62 years, and grew up at its epicenter, and have never had any I liked better than this.
