Almond-Sesame Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2. 1/4 cup light brown sugar
3. 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
5. 2 garlic cloves, minced
6. 1 tablespoon mashed chipotle chile in adobo sauce
7. 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. One 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
10. 1 1/2 cups blanched almonds (about 5 ounces)
11. 1 1 /2 cups all-purpose flour
12. 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
13. 1/3 cup sesame seeds
14. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
15. 4 large eggs
16. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
17. 1 cup vegetable oil

1. In a glass or ceramic baking dish, combine the lime juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, chipotle and dry mustard and season with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground. Transfer to a large paper bag and add 1 cup of the flour, the bread crumbs, sesame seeds and cayenne pepper; shake well. Put the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a separate paper bag. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Drain the chicken and pat dry. Working in batches, put the chicken pieces in the bag with the flour and shake. Dip the floured chicken in the beaten eggs and add to the bag with the almond crumb coating; shake to coat.
4. In each of 2 medium cast-iron skillets, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in 1/2 cup of the oil. Add the chicken and cook over moderately low heat, turning once or twice, until golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve hot.