Fried Chicken for Saturday dinner

I was at Harris Teeter and the whole chickens were on sale for $0.77 per pound.  I got three more since I just can't pass up the good deal.  I put two in the freezer and one in the fridge even though I didn't know what I was going to do with it.  When my husband and I reviewed the menu, with nothing planned for the weekend.  He suggested fried chicken like we just saw on America's Test Kitchen.  Sounds like a plan so it was written into the plan.  The hard part about it is that you have to cut up the whole chicken and brine it for one hour before you make it.  Perfect for a weekend right?  Not great when the maker of the chicken falls asleep on the couch and is left napping until 5 pm!!!!  UGH!  I was still sticking with the plan so dinner was little later then normal.  I put together the brine and put the chicken in and left it in the fridge.  I put together the flour mixture and went on the hunt for where I put my new spider picker upper thingy and deep fryer thermometer that I got for my birthday.  I couldn't find them so I decided to wash the dishes in the sink and clean up a little before I made the bigger mess.  I found them both when I was putting away my cookie cutters :)  YEAH!!!  I got out my new pan and new cooling rack from Christmas.  I was ready to fry!!!

Then took the chicken out of the brine mixture and put it in the flour mixture to coat.  Then I let it sit so that I could do a second coat on the wetter parts of the chicken.  Isn't raw chicken ugly??

Then I did the second coat of breading and put it straight in the frying pan (so to speak).  The challange was to keep the oil at 350 degrees like the instructions said.  I did my best after the first time it went to high and then too low which I figure balances out :)  Then I fried them for 25 minutes which I don't usually do.  Normally I flash fry and cook in the oven the rest of the way through because the chicken is always raw.  This was easier then I thought it was going to be.  I did swimp on the oil so that I didn't waste as much as it called for which meant that I did have to flip the chicken a few times to be on the safe side.

Then I put them on the tray and put them in the oven but we were eating right away since it was so late already and here is what the chicken looked like.  It was super yummy.  I swear that I could taste the difference that the hot sauce made in the brine but I probably couldn't :)

It had a nice thick coating and tasted like the kind you get at the fast food restaurants but less greasy.  I didn't put the seasoning on the outside that the recipe called for but it was a yummy recipe with the parts that I followed.  Below is the original recipe so that you can try all or parts of the recipe that you like :)  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did!!


Original Recipe:

Nashville Hot Fried Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

Chicken quarters take longer to cook than smaller pieces. To ensure that the exterior doesn't burn before the inside cooks through, keep the oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees while the chicken is frying. For an extra-hot version, see related recipe.

Ingredients BRINE

• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) whole chicken, quartered (see note)

COATING

• 3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• 1. BRINE CHICKEN Whisk water, hot sauce, salt, and sugar in large bowl until salt and sugar dissolve. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• 2. BLOOM SPICES Heat 3 tablespoons oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add cayenne, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to small bowl.
• 3. DREDGE Remove chicken from refrigerator and pour off brine. Combine flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl. Dredge chicken pieces 2 at a time in flour mixture. Shake excess flour from chicken and transfer to wire rack. (Do not discard seasoned flour.)
• 4. FRY AND BRUSH Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat remaining oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Return chicken pieces to flour mixture and turn to coat. Fry half of chicken, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees, until deep golden brown and white meat registers 160 degrees (175 degrees for dark meat), 20 to 25 minutes. Drain chicken on clean wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Bring oil back to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Stir spicy oil mixture to recombine and brush over both sides of chicken. Serve on white bread with pickles.