Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken

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Since I'm a fan of Tyler Florence and his culinary vision, I watched the episode dedicated to fried chicken one Saturday morning and absolutely had to try it. The brine was very easy to prepare, and the frying itself was no problem at all. The masa seems to leave a much thicker residue in my deep fryer which made cleaning up a bit more involved. However, the deep flavor and the pleasure it gave to all who tried the new recipe far outweighed the extra work! This is an excellent recipe and very simple. I recommend it to all fried chicken, and southern style cuisine connoisseurs.

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Sorry, but missed the mark on this one. I only make fried chicken about once a year (for health reasons so I thought I would try this recipe...no thank you. I had friends over and was so excited to share this new recipe, but it was a flop-- nobody went back for seconds.

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Has anyone tried this recipe with unsweetened tea?

I haven't tried this recipe, but had to rate it before posting my question. I based my review on the fact that every Tyler Florence recipe I've tried has been successful.

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My husband and I made this fried chicken for Valentine's Day and absolutely loved it!!! I only soaked the chicken in the sweet tea for 24 hours and it still had good flavor. Next time I will try to remember to get it soaking 48 hours for even better flavor. We also cut back to 1 cup of the Masa Corn Flour per an earlier comment and found that it was perfect. The skin was crispy, the chicken moist, and the flavor delicious!

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I love this recipe and have made it multiple times but I've learned a few things along the way. First, it's not for everyone. If you don't like the combo of sweet and salty/savory, you probably won't like this dish. Second, I've actually found that the recipe works better if you roast the chicken without a coating rather than fry it. I've made it both ways and find that roasting enhances the flavor of the sweet tea while the frying muddles the flavors and actually takes away from the dish. After the request brining, I just gently rinse off the brine and then pop the chicken into a roasting dish. Wow. It's the best roasted chicken I've ever had. Third, I've discovered that the best way to create "strong tea" is to brew the quart of tea with about 12 bags of tea. That's about 12 bags for 8 cups of water or about 1.5x strength. I like to decrease the sugar by about 1/8 cup but that's because I like it just a little less sweet.

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I made this for Sunday Dinner. It was not what we expected at all. I was so excited to try this recipe. Did it to the letter. The brine gave the Chicken a good flavor. Different but good. The breading was disgusting. Way to much like corn bread gone wrong. I am not opposed to the masa harina. Just waaaaay to much of it. I would probably use only a 1/2 c. next time. I would also use alot more seasoning and add some cayenne pepper and garlic. After tweaking the batter I would recommend the following. 2c. flour , 11/2 tsp. cayenne, 2 Tbsp. baking soda, 1tbsp black pepper, 1tbsp garlic powder, and 2 Tbsp. Old bay seasoning. This creates a less cakey, more crunchy and lighter coating when fried. Hope this helps the brine is really good as is. If you don't like your chicken spicy omit the cayenne, or adjust to your taste. Enjoy!

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FYI- when I watched the episode, they added old bay to the the brine also.

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It takes some effort to make, but it is worth it! I made this for my cousins birthday dinner and he and his friends LOVED it. You will never eat KFC again!

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Wow - that's all I can say, and not in a good way. When I read "very strong tea," I followed it. Fried Chicken is my favorite food, and I am on a quest in life to find the best. Alton Brown made a briner out of me years ago with his ultimate turkey, so I figured this fried chicken would be a slam dunk. Who wouldn't love the taste of sweet tea and fried chicken? Uh - no one did. I have never had to throw something out before. Too much tea/lemon flavor, it was inedible. Never again, not even close - but I will not hesitate to try another Tyler recipie - he is awesome. I'll trust it was in the translation. Word to those who still want to try - do NOT make the tea to strong, and try the shortest brine soak time. Do not over soak this.

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The sweet tea flavor gives it a hint of exotic flavor...and leaves you wanting more!