Fried Chicken

Recipe courtesy Bryan Voltaggio

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Picture of Fried Chicken Recipe Photo: Fried Chicken Recipe
Rated 4 stars out of 5
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  • Read 6 Reviews
Total Time:
15 hr 50 min
Prep
1 hr 30 min
Inactive
13 hr 10 min
Cook
1 hr 10 min
Yield:
8 to 10 servings
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

Chicken Brine:

  • 9 cups brown chicken stock
  • 1 cup pickle brine (can be store-bought pickles and use that brine)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 orange, quartered
  • 1/2 head garlic, split
  • 1/2 bunch fresh thyme
  • 2 whole chickens, cut into 10 even pieces

Chicken Dredge:

  • 1 quart all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons chicken spice, recipe follows
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • Hot Sauce, for serving, recipe follows
  • Buttermilk Biscuits, for serving, recipe follows
  • Bread and Butter Pickles, for serving, recipe follows

Directions

For the brine: Combine the stock, brine, salt, seeds, bay leaf, oranges, garlic and thyme in a large pot and bring up to a high simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and cool the liquid to 40 degrees F and reserve until time to brine the chicken.

Add the chicken to the brine, place in the fridge and brine for 12 hours.

For the dredge: Combine the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch and Chicken Spice evenly in a large mixing bowl.

Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture and allow a minimum of 30 minutes for the flour to adhere. Re-dredge just before frying.

Heat 3 inches canola oil in a deep pot or a deep-fryer over high heat to 350 degrees F. A rule of thumb: If you drop a pinch of flour into the oil and it fries up immediately, you're good to go. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and get ready a baking sheet with a rack.

Take the chicken out of the dredge, shake off excess flour and fry in batches until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the rack and sprinkle some of the chicken spice over the fried chicken pieces. Hold in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve the fried chicken on a platter with Hot Sauce, Buttermilk Biscuits and Bread and Butter Pickles on the side.

Chicken Spice:

  • 2 tablespoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
  • 4 teaspoons paprika
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground celery seeds
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Grind the seafood seasoning, paprika, salt, celery seeds, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. Mix together.

Hot Sauce:

  • 4 pounds red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1 pound jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 5 fish peppers, stemmed and seeded
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 4 ounces fresh thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 grams xanthan gum
  • 2 teaspoons ground white pepper
  • 4 limes, zested and juiced
  • Salt

Juice half of the red bell peppers. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and reserve.

In a large pot, sweat out the remaining red bell peppers, the jalapenos, fish peppers, garlic and thyme. Add the vinegar, sugar, xanthan gum, white pepper, lime zest and juice. Simmer for 15 minutes. Puree with the juice from the bell peppers and pass through a fine mesh strainer. Season with salt.

Cook's Note: If you can't find fish peppers, can use any red mild pepper (scale of 4, so like a mild jalapeno).

Buttermilk Biscuits:

  • 10 ounces cold butter, diced
  • 3 pounds all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 ounces sugar
  • 3 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 4 tablespoons salt
  • 34 fluid ounces buttermilk, cold
  • 1 cup fresh chopped chives
  • 6 egg yolks
  • Egg wash, for brushing

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the cold butter into the flour and combine with the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the buttermilk, chives and yolks separately. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, fold in gently and chill.

Roll out the dough to a 1/2-inch-thick sheet. Fold into thirds, turn a quarter of the way around and fold into thirds again. Rest for 10 minutes. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness again and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares.

Brush with egg wash and bake for 8 minutes. Yield: 40 biscuits.

Bread and Butter Pickles:

  • 2 1/2 pounds Kirby cucumbers, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds (about 4 cups)
  • 1/2 quart thinly sliced Spanish onions
  • 2 1/2 cloves garlic
  • 1 jalapeno, stems removed and split in half
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1/2 quart apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 quart white distilled vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tablespoon allspice
  • 1/2 tablespoon celery seeds
  • 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tablespoon turmeric
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf

Toss the cucumbers, onions, garlic and jalapenos with the salt and macerate overnight in the fridge.

Combine the vinegars, sugar, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, allspice, celery seeds, red pepper flakes, turmeric, cloves and bay leaf in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Strain over the cucumbers. Cover and allow to cool to room temperature.

Notes

This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and may have been scaled down from a bulk recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 6 reviews

  • on May 05, 2013

    Flag

    So disappointing! I was expecting great savory flavors with a little heat...but this fell really short. The expense of buying the extra seasonings that I don't normally have on hand, using chicken stock & pickle juice (instead of water and salt, using oranges, and all the extra time to cook the brine, let it cool, etc., just isn't worth the mediocre flavor and texture. We made this for four adults, and none of us thought it lived up to the hype...at all. After watching the brothers on Top Chef, I thought this would turn out awesome...but it didn't happen. The flavor I tasted above everything, was the coriander...it didn't go well with the chicken. All the other things the recipe calls for didn't help the flavor profile. All the chicken stock, spices/herbs, orange, and pickle juice...not distinguishable. FYI....8 minutes is not long enough @ 350...perfect time for completely cooked and golden is 17 minutes.

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  • on February 07, 2013

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    First attempt at making fried chicken and it was a hit. I used chicken thighs and legs instead of two butchered chickens. The brine was well worth the effort. I did notice the chicken did not cook all the way through in the oil, so I wound up cooking the chicken in the oven at temperature of 400 degrees to ensure the chicken internal temperature got up to 165 degrees. Chicken had great flavor and was super juicy. No more trips to Popeyes or KFC to get my chicken fix. Thanks Bryan.

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  • on January 12, 2013

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    This was the first time I’ve made Fried Chicken and my wife and neighbor said it was the best Fried Chicken they ever had, and I have to agree. I didn’t have chicken stock so I substituted 2 cans of chicken broth. I also had only one chicken cut up by the butcher, so I halved this recipe. I used pickle juice from a jar of pickles. I’m nervous about brining as I’ve overdone it in the past. But I brined this chicken 18 hours and it was fine. I’d also go easy on sprinkling the spices at the end as it can easily make this too salty if you’re not careful. But it was juicy and delicious. Thanks Bryan!

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