To make the brine/marinade, whisk together the oat milk, lemon juice, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Place the cut chicken in the marinade/brine, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour but no longer than 24 hours.

Using a large pot, bring five quarts of fry oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit over a medium high flame.

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, white pepper, and salt to make the dredge for the fry chicken. Remove the chicken from the brine and place in the dredge mixture. Completely coat the chicken with the dredge mixture. Shake off the excess flour from the chicken and carefully lower the chicken into the oil. Don’t over crowd the pot, it’s okay to cook in two batches. Fry the chicken for around 12 minutes or until the chicken registers and internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for the white meat and 175 degrees Fahrenheit for the dark meat. Remember to adjust the flame so that the fry oil stays around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the chicken is frying, place the honey, corn syrup, lemon zest, and thyme in a small pot. Place the pot over a low flame and steep the honey for 10 minutes making sure it does not boil. Remove from the flame and let cool.

Make the melon salad by tossing together the honeydew, cantaloupe, heirloom tomatoes, and cucumber with the rice wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Maldon salt and the torn basil.

Drizzle the fried chicken with the lemon honey and serve with the melon salad.