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Hot-Sauced Fried Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "Every Day's a Party" by Emeril Lagasse


Recipe Introduction

"A picnic in Louisiana wouldn't be a picnic without crispy fried chicken. This rendition will knock your socks off. The chicken is soaked in a hot sauce and buttermilk mixture overnight before it's fried. Don't be uneasy about the amount of hot sauce. I promise a lot of the heat is cooked off during frying and the flavor is great."

List of Ingredients

• 1 fryer (about 4½ pounds), cut into 10 pieces
• ½ cup hot sauce
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning (recipe follows)


Recipe

Put the chicken in a large mixing bowl, add the hot sauce, buttermilk, salt, and pepper, and stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, turning the chicken pieces several times.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. In a deep cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil to 360°F.

Combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of the Creole seasoning in a large mixing bowl. Dredge several pieces of chicken at a time in the flour, coating evenly and shaking off any excess. Fry the chicken, 4 to 5 pieces at a time, in the hot oil until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 6 to 8 servings


Creole Seasoning:

• 2½ Tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp cayenne
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme

Mix all of the ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Can be stored this way for up to 3 months.

Makes about ¾ cup