Sweet Tea-Brined Fried Chicken on a "Biscone"

Recipe courtesy Cheryl Day

Show: Paula's Best DishesEpisode: Brown Baggin It

Rated 5 stars out of 5
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  • Read 24 Reviews
Total Time:
25 hr 5 min
Prep
25 min
Inactive
24 hr 0 min
Cook
40 min
Yield:
8 servings
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

Sweet Tea Brine:

  • 1 quart cold water
  • 2 gallon-size tea bags
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt
  • 6 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
  • Oil, for deep-fryer
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, optional
  • 1 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
  • Buttermilk, for dredging
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce

Egg Wash:

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • Pinch salt

Biscone:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons to toss onto dough before baking
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt *optional for savory scones
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cut in cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup grated sharp white Cheddar
  • Egg wash

Scallion Butter:

  • 2 sticks softened butter
  • 3 scallions, finely chopped

Directions

For the brine:

Bring the cold water to a hard boil and remove from the heat. Add the tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add the sugar; stir until dissolved. Add the lemons and kosher salt; stir to dissolve. Put in a nonreactive bowl and refrigerate to chill for 8 to 12 hours. Cook's Note: Make sure the brine is good and cold before adding the 6 chicken breasts.

Put the chicken in the brine, cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. Drain the chicken.

In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 350 degrees F.

Put the flour into a shallow bowl. Add the cornstarch, black pepper, if using, and House Seasoning to another dish, and the buttermilk and the hot sauce to a third dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the cornstarch and lastly the buttermilk. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden and fully cooked. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm until ready to serve.

In a small bowl add the egg and stir, then add the milk and salt and mix well to combine.

For the biscone:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is the size of peas and some larger pieces. Gradually add in the cold buttermilk until it is just combined. Stir in the cheese. Do not overwork the dough.

In the same bowl, pat down dough and dust the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Using an ice cream scooper, arrange scoops of the biscone mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake, turning halfway through, until the tops are golden brown about 18 to 20 minutes.

For the butter:

In a small bowl add the butter and scallions. Using a hand-held electric mixer, combine until well incorporated.

To assemble:

Split the biscones in half and smear with scallion butter. Serve as a sandwich with the chicken breasts.

A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

House Seasoning:

  • 1 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup black pepper
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 24 reviews

  • on January 20, 2012

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    I have made this chicken recipe several times, however, I am a bit of a calorie counter don't hate on me I still ate the original recipe before changing it. Instead of frying it I took it out of the brine after about 6 hours and sprinkled with some cajun seasoning and grilled it instead and OMG I thought I was going to heaven for about 25% of the calories and almost none of the fat. Also tried the biscones instead of biscuits for sausage gravy and with a bit more kick with country fried steak gravy and sausage instead of white, it rocked. Enjoy.

    people found this review Helpful.
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  • on December 15, 2011

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    This is a fantastic sandwich!! I fixed this for 3 college aged relatives (one of which was my son, and they raved and raved over it. My son has eaten a lot of great food in his life, and he exclaimed that he thought it was the best sandwich he'd ever eaten! Most definitely a KEEPER!
    THANKS SO MUCH!

    people found this review Helpful.
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  • on August 12, 2011

    Flag

    Confused! Just watched and then read the recipe. It appears in writing to put in buttermilk last, which doesn't make sense. On the show, I believe she dipped it in buttermilk first, then the flour mix. Also, she tried it once double dipping, then decided on dip was enough but I believe she did the order of wet then dry. So...confused with the written instructions....all the folks who tried and loved it..did you put it in buttermilk last??

    people found this review Helpful.
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