Three Piece Nashville Hot Fried Chicken
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 4 servings plus 20 biscuits
- Total: 2 days 2 hr 50 min (includes brining, dredging and freezing time)
- Active: 1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
Nashville Hot Sauce:
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground Carolina reaper chile, optional, as these are extremely spicy-hot
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
3 fresh or dried Scotch bonnet chiles, stems removed
2 ancho chiles, stems removed
2 guajillo chiles, stems removed
2 whole Trinidad scorpion chiles, stems removed, optional, as these are extremely spicy-hot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup melted chicken or bacon fat
Brine:
1 cup salt
1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces (breasts halved)
Buttermilk, for covering chicken
Fried Chicken:
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups masa harina (corn flour)
1 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons celery salt
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Canola oil, for frying
Biscuits:
2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, frozen
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt, plus additional for sprinkling
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces vegetable shortening or lard
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
Directions
Special equipment:
a deep-fryer- For the Nashville hot sauce: Combine chicken stock, brown sugar, cayenne, Carolina reaper powder, if using, chili powder, paprika, salt, Scotch bonnets, anchos, guajillos and scorpion chiles, if using, in a saucepan. Boil and reduce by half, then let cool. Puree in blender, then add mustard and combine. Slowly add melted fat.
- For the brine: Mix 1 gallon water with 1 cup salt in a large container. Submerge the chicken pieces in the brine and let sit overnight, refrigerated.
- Drain the chicken and cover in buttermilk, then let sit overnight.
- For the fried chicken: Combine the flour, masa, cornstarch, celery salt, coriander, seafood seasoning, salt and pepper in a big bowl. Toss in chicken parts and coat well, then let rest, refrigerated, for 30 minutes.
- Bring oil to 300 degrees F in a deep-fryer.
- Fry chicken in batches until it reaches internal temperture of 160 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Toss in bowl with Nashville Hot Sauce.
- For the biscuits: Meanwhile, grate butter with a cheese grater, then freeze again.
- Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda and shortening in a bowl, then freeze, 3 hours.
- Mix frozen butter, dry mixture and buttermilk together in a large bowl until dough comes together, then lay out on a floured surface and roll out to about 2 inches thick. Fold into thirds, then repeat the rolling and folding 3 more times. Cut into 20 biscuits and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 3 hours or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take biscuits out of freezer and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 15 minutes.