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Brined and Fried Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "Mad Hungry Cravings" by Lucinda Quinn


Recipe Introduction

"While I prefer thighs fried, it's hard to resist the moist and crispy breasts in this killer recipe. Brining meat, especially poultry, keeps the flesh moist and flavorful. Nowhere does this apply more than with white-meat fried chicken. The cornmeal in the 'double dip' batter adds interesting texture and crunch and the hot pepper flakes give just enough kick to keep you on your toes."

List of Ingredients

Brine:
â—¦ 2 quarts cold water
â—¦ â…” cup coarse salt
â—¦ â…“ cup sugar
â—¦ â…“ cup molasses
â—¦ 8 thyme sprigs
â—¦ 2 bay leaves

â—¦ One 3 ½-pound chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces
â—¦ â…” cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ â…” cup fine cornmeal
â—¦ ½ teaspoon coarse salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
â—¦ 4 large eggs
â—¦ 3 quarts vegetable oil for deep-frying


Recipe

For the brine:
Combine 1 cup of the water, the salt, sugar, molasses, thyme, and bay leaves in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine the brine mixture with the remaining 7 cups cold water in a large bowl or deep baking dish. Add the chicken, making sure it is covered with the brining liquid. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Set a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the chicken from the brining liquid (discard the liquid) and pat dry. Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and red pepper flakes in a shallow dish. Whisk the eggs in another shallow dish. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture, then in the eggs, and again in the flour mixture; transfer to the baking dish.

Heat the oil to 350° F in a large deep pot. If you intend to serve the chicken hot, preheat the oven to warm. Working in two batches, fry the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, turning once; the legs and thighs will take an additional 5 minutes. When done, the chicken pieces should be a deep golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. If desired, keep the first batch in the warm oven while you fry the rest.

Serve hot or cold.

Serves 4



• Note:
The oil will drop to 300° F when the chicken is added. That is the correct temperature for frying the chicken. Bring the oil back up to 350° F before adding the second batch.