I’m from the South, and if there’s one thing we know how to do, it’s make fried chicken that’ll make you weak in the knees. Golden, crispy, juicy—it’s a point of pride, passed down like family heirlooms and guarded like state secrets.

I’ve been frying chicken the same way for years, convinced nothing could top it, but then I stumbled across Chef Gabe Bertaccini’s take on fried chicken on Food Network’s TikTok page, and now I’m rethinking everything.