Dry brine your chicken the night before. This step is key to chicken that's seasoned all the way to the bone. Sprinkle the thighs with salt, then leave them uncovered in your fridge overnight, on a tray with a wire rack so air can circulate.

Make a dry dredge by combining the flour, cayenne, a couple of pinches of salt and several grinds of black pepper in a large mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, make a wet dredge by combining the mayo, milk, garlic powder, paprika, and more freshly cracked black pepper.

Add the chicken to the wet dredge. Use your hands to make sure each piece is fully coated. Transfer the chicken to the dry dredge and do the same. Really press it into the flour. Remove the chicken to a tray and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Add enough veg oil to a large pan to cover it by about 2 cm, and put it on medium-high heat. If you have an oil thermometer, you want to bring it up to about 350 F. If, like me, you don't, just eyeball it. You want the oil to bubble vigorously but not too vigorously when you put the chicken in.

Fry the chicken in batches. Lay the first batch into the oil skin-side down. Fry for 18 to 20 minutes total, flipping over every few minutes, until the chicken is golden, crunchy, and has an internal temperature of at least 165 F (don't worry too much if you go over; dark meat chicken is very forgiving). Remove the chicken to a cooling rack and do the second batch.

If you want to keep your first batch of chicken warm, or you're doing multiple batches, you can put the tray into your oven, preheated to 225 F. The chicken may end up becoming a little lest crunchy this way, but they'll still be delicious.