What's a fork-in-the-road dish? This is the idea that you can separate out some of whatever you are making and make a simpler version for picky eaters, then continue on your merry way and gussy up the rest of the dish with gutsier ingredients, herbs, seasonings, etc. to give it more oomph for the grownups and adventurous eaters.

Many would argue that marinating chicken in buttermilk overnight is the way to go for tender, juicy fried chicken, and I am not arguing that point here. (In fact, arguing about fried foods in general seems a waste of time, when you could in fact be making and/or eating fried foods.) However, the other night the craving for fried chicken struck, and the notion of waiting 24 hours for said craving to be satisfied wasn't being greeted with a lot of enthusiasm. And the dinner hour was pulling into the station.

The answer: boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Juiciness from the dark meat meets fast cooking time from the absence of the bone, and immediate gratification is within sight. The Fork-In-The-Road part comes in with the level of spicy heat you choose to add to the coating. If your kids, or anyone else you're feeding, are not into the spicy thing, then you'll fry up a few pieces with a simple paprika-salt-pepper-flour coating. After that, you can slap in as much additional heat and flavor as you want to the rest of the flour mixture. You can pick your level, from medium-hot (which is where this recipe stands) to masochistic (add more of the hot things). Just make sure to fry the less-seasoned pieces first, because the spices will flavor the cooking oil a bit, and may add unwanted heat to the plainer chicken.

This chicken is getting not one but two dips in the flour coating -- one after a dunk in milk, and then another after a dunk in beaten eggs. This creates a serious batter coating. If this feels like more fry than you are interested in, you may be a communist. No, no ... kidding. If this feels like too much "fried" for you, then you can choose either the milk or the eggs, and dunk once, and then give the chicken one roll in the flour mixture. You will still get a really delicious, really crisp piece of fried chicken. Victory is yours.

Fork-in-the-Road Pan-Fried Chicken
Serves 6 to 10

2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 10 large-ish pieces)
Canola oil for frying
1 cup milk or buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sweet paprika, or 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried ground mustard

1. Trim the fat from the chicken thighs and set them aside. Pour enough oil into a large (12- to 13-inch) skillet to come up about half an inch up the sides.

2. Pour the milk or buttermilk into a medium-sized bowl. In another medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs. In yet another medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper and paprika with a fork, until blended.

3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until is it hot and slightly shimmering.

4. Meanwhile, start coating half of the chicken thighs in the plainer mixture. Dip each piece into the milk first, then dredge it with the flour, coating both sides. Then, dip the floured pieces into the beaten eggs, making sure they are evenly coated. Allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Dip the pieces into the flour mixture again, coating them well, and giving them a little shake so the excess flour falls back into the bowl.

5. Place the first batch of plainly seasoned thighs into the hot oil and cook for about 12 minutes in total, turning them as they brown on the bottom, and making sure the oil is at a nice crackling simmer, but not too hot. You will want to turn the breasts a few times to get an evenly browned, crisp coating on all sides. When they are cooked through, remove the chicken from the pan and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the pan with the oil over medium-high heat.

6. While the first batch is cooking, stir the cayenne, chili powder and dried mustard into the rest of the flour mixture. Repeat the process above: milk, flour, egg, flour. Add these coated pieces to the oil, and cook as above, turning the pieces until they are evenly browned and crispy, watching the temperature of the oil. Then, remove these to drain on another paper towel-lined plate. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Katie Workman is the author of the upcoming The Mom 100 Cookbook (May 2012), and the founding editor in chief of Cookstr.com.

More Fork-In-The-Road Recipes
Marinated Chicken Kebabs
Burgers With a Kick
Creole Shrimp
Deviled Eggs
Farmers' Market Frittata