J.C. and Jo Bell revolutionized peanut butter a few years back when they were charged with creating something amazing from America’s massive peanut surplus. PB2, a powdered peanut butter, is a culinary dream ingredient. Cut 5 0/50 with Wondra flour, it makes for an unparalleled dredge for chicken. This dish retains the gentle sweetness of peanut, and has most of the crunch of true-to-form fried chicken.

Ingredients

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
• 1/2 cup PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup Wondra flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Preparation

1. Place a wire rack over a sheet pan and set it aside. You’ll transfer your just-fried chicken here. None of this paper-towel stuff, please.
2. Rinse the chicken thighs and pat them dry. Set aside on a plate.
3. Combine the PB2, the Wondra, the salt, and the ground red pepper in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix all ingredients very evenly.
4. In a small sauté pan, add the grapeseed oil. Raise heat to medium, and allow the oil to develop a look similar to the haze on a highway on a hot, steamy day. You know that look. It’s a bendy swirl.
5. Now, lower the flame to medium-low. That should hold the heat steady (though you may have to teeter between low and medium-low, depending on the reliability of your stove and the thickness of your pan’s bottom).
6. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of the flour mixture into the oil. If it sizzles, start cooking.
7. Dredge the thighs in the PB2 mixture, one by one, before adding to the pan. Be sure to cook only one or two thighs at a time, otherwise you’ll crowd the pan, cool down the oil too quickly, and end up with soggy chicken. No one wants that.
8. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Then, using spring-loaded tongs, transfer the fully cooked chicken thighs to the elevated wire rack.
9. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing, and then serve with Pan-Charred Green Beans with Tarragon.