hot + tangy, crispy AF fried chicken.

it isn't very often that I roll up my sleeves, make a complete mess of the kitchen, potentially get popped by oil and fry up some chicken; but when I do it's certainly a flipping out of body experience. considering that it's an occasional affair I pull out all of the stops whenever i'm making this recipe, meaning there will be breaking down an entire chicken, over night brining, double dredging and resting before I ever drop these bad boys off in the hot tub.

I like to think that I've really fine tuned this recipe, combining my own and making use of lots of little bits that I love from some of my favorite tried and true recipes across the World Wide Web.

this will become your new go-to chicken dish for "entertaining" or when you just want to spoil yourself, I guarantee it and I promise I will never tell you 'I told you so!" 😁 let's crack on...

[[ a few notes ]]

*its not pictured here, but I highly recommend you drizzle the pieces of chicken with a good honey to boost the umami element or dip both sides in a pool of your favorite hot sauce to up the heat ante. or do both because what is self restraint anyways? 👀

*also I recommend buttermilk for your brine but when I made this I forgot to pick some up, so I just used heavy cream and maybe a TB of cream of tar tar and got just the same if not better results. you can use milk and lemon or vinegar to give a similar effect as well.

*I adopted Alison Roman's brilliant idea of adding left over pickle juice to the brine (which I too always have readily available, because you know, pickles are life 🤷🏼‍♀️). but if you don't happen to have any just lying around, she suggests using all buttermilk and increasing the salt by 1TB.

{other subs can be kimchi or sauerkraut liquid.}

hot + tangy, crispy AF fried chicken.

(serves 2-3)

grocery list

whole chicken - broken down into 2 of each wings, thighs, legs & breasts

butter milk (1c)

vegetable oil (48oz)

zesty pickles (1 jar) for pickle juice & pickles for serving

hot sauce (1/4c ) I like Red Devil or Louisiana, heavy on the Red Devil tho

tems I assume you have on hand (but if not, then be sure to pick them up.)

garlic (4 cloves)

all purpose flour (2c)

cornstarch (3TB)

cayenne pepper (2TB)

smoked paprika (1TB) regular works well too

light brown sugar (1TB)

salt

fresh cracked black pepper

method.

🌀 let's get the brine started - in a humungous sized bowl, combine the pickle juice, buttermilk, hot sauce, garlic and season with salt to taste.

🌀 just before adding the broken down chicken pieces to the bowl be sure to season them well with salt & pepper. drop them into the brine and place a reasonably sized piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the chicken, covering as tightly as possible. preferably you want to brine at least overnight but give it a minimum 2-3hours.

🌀 on to the dredge - combine all of the spices (including salt & pepper) and dry ingredients into another large bowl.

🌀 preheat oven to 400 degrees, then heat oil in a sizable cast iron skillet (a dutch oven can get the job done too).

[[ pro tip: Oil should reach 350 before you begin, I usually test the oil's readiness by flicking dredge into it and seeing if it fries up quickly but if you love perfection feel free to use a thermometer. ]]

🌀 set a wire rack on top of sheet pan to rest your chicken on before and after frying.

🌀 remove each piece one by one from brine dripping off any excess and dip into the flour mix. be sure to press the dredgey bits into the nooks and crannies of each piece then shake off excess and rest on a rack while you prep to fry (create dredgey bits by sprinkling some of the brine into the flour mix, this is how you boost the crispiness up by a billion).

🌀 oil should be ready to roll, now to drop off the kids ( 🤣 ). add chicken pieces to the oil minding not to over crowd, I suggest no more than three pieces at a time.

[[ pro tip: short on time and thin on patience? cut those chicken breasts in half to cook up quicker and more evenly. ]]

🌀 let chicken cook for up to 8 minutes before flipping and giving them another 7 or so minutes on the other side. either way cook until they are the desired shade of deep golden brown.

🌀 transfer chicken back to a now clean rack, hopefully, over a sheet pan. once all your pieces are fried and on the rack let them continue to cook in the preheated oven. give them about 10-15minutes and they're all done! serve with some of those zesty pickles, wonder bread or your choice of fixins.

I already know you'll enjoy, but just in case you need a little more encouragement, PLEASE ENJOY! 😊

[fun times & food babies, all 2022!]

use the hash #fullayum or tag us @fullayum on IG, if the spirit moves you to make this or any other dish on the site!

xx.