Twice-Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Total: 8 hr 50 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Inactive: 8 hr
- Cook: 40 min
Ingredients
2 tablespoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and cracked
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt
One 4-to 5-pound chicken, cut into 12 pieces (2 breasts, halved, 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings and 1 backbone, halved)
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons Sriracha
Lard, for frying
1 1/2 cups instant flour, such as Wondra
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the seafood seasoning, coriander seeds, chipotle powder, paprika and a generous pinch of salt and mix well. Coat the chicken pieces with the spices, place in some large resealable plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.
- In a small bowl, combine the honey and Sriracha. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to fry the chicken.
- In a large Dutch oven, put in enough lard to come 4 inches up the side of the pot. Heat the lard to 325 degrees F.
- In a large, shallow baking dish, whisk together the flour and a generous pinch or two of salt. Remove the chicken pieces from the bags and dredge in the flour mixture.
- Beginning with the thighs, add the chicken to the pot, making sure not to crowd. (This may take several batches.) Place the lid on and cook until golden and cooked 80 percent through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a wire cooling rack and repeat with the remaining chicken, if necessary. (If you're entertaining, you can get ahead by doing all work up to this point, then continuing just before you plan to serve.)
- Once all the chicken is done, heat up the lard to 365 degrees F. Add the chicken in the same batches and cook until dark golden and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove onto paper towels and serve immediately with the Sriracha honey.
- Cook's Notes: Lard is available at better supermarkets at the meat counter, or at specialty butcher shops. If you can't find it, use vegetable or peanut oil.
- Wondra flour is available at most grocery stores, but you can also substitute with 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour combined with 2 tablespoons cornstarch.