📖 Instructions

1. First things first, let's get those biscuits ready. Preheat your oven to a good hot 425°F (220°C). Grab a large mixing bowl and whisk together your all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Make sure it's all well combined. This is your dry base, the start of biscuit magic!
2. Now for the butter. Take that cold, cubed butter and add it to your dry ingredients. Using your fingers, a pastry blender, or even two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Seriously, keep those butter pieces visible; they're key to flaky biscuits!
3. Make a well in the center of your butter-flour mixture. Pour in the cold buttermilk. With a gentle hand or a wooden spoon, mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened. This is super important: DO NOT overmix! Overmixing will lead to tough biscuits, and nobody wants that. The dough will be shaggy, and that’s perfectly fine.
4. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Turn the biscuit dough out onto it. Gently pat the dough into a roughly 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Now, here's a trick for extra flakiness: fold the dough over itself in thirds, like a letter. Rotate it 90 degrees and gently pat it out again. Repeat this folding and patting process 2-3 times. This creates layers without overworking the dough.
5. Using a 2.5-inch round biscuit cutter (or a glass rim if you don't have one), cut out your biscuits. Try to press straight down, don't twist, as twisting can seal the edges and prevent rising. Place the biscuits about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. For really soft sides, you can place them touching.
6. Bake the biscuits for 12-15 minutes, or until they're golden brown on top and the edges are nice and crisp. Keep an eye on them, as oven temperatures can vary! While those beauties are baking, let's move on to the chicken.
7. For the chicken, take your boneless, skinless chicken thighs and pat them really dry with paper towels. You want that coating to stick! In a medium bowl, whisk an egg with a splash of buttermilk and a dash of hot sauce. In a separate shallow dish, combine your all-purpose flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix it all up.
8. Dredge each chicken thigh first in the buttermilk egg wash, letting any excess drip off. Then, really press it into the flour mixture, making sure it's fully coated. Don't be shy; get a good thick layer on there! Place the coated chicken on a wire rack while you heat your oil.
9. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or a deep skillet, pour about 2-3 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350-375°F (175-190°C). If you don't have a thermometer, a small pinch of flour should sizzle immediately when dropped in. Carefully lower 2-3 pieces of chicken into the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and leads to soggy chicken, a real bummer!
10. Fry the chicken for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until it's a beautiful golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Use tongs to carefully flip them. Once cooked, transfer the crispy chicken to a wire rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain any excess oil. Repeat with remaining chicken.
11. Now for that irresistible sweet heat drizzle! In a small saucepan, combine your honey, hot sauce (adjust to your heat preference!), apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is slightly thickened and well combined, about 3-5 minutes. Take it off the heat.
12. Finally, assemble your masterpiece! Slice a warm biscuit in half. Place a golden fried chicken thigh on the bottom half. Drizzle generously with that amazing hot honey sauce. Put the top biscuit half on, maybe even a little extra drizzle if you're feeling fancy, and serve immediately! Seriously, it's best enjoyed fresh out of the kitchen. Enjoy every single bite!