Ingredients
- For the Seasoned Flour:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups corn starch
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the Brine:
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Pinch of black peppercorns
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- For the Chicken:
- 2 whole chickens (about 3-4 pounds)
- 1 pint buttermilk
- 2 cups peanut oil
- Sea salt
- For the Sea Island Red Peas:
- 1 pound dried red peas, soaked overnight and drained
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups veal stock
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 Vidalia onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- Leaves from 2 sprigs thyme
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups kale, chopped
Preparation
Step 1
To Make Seasoned Flour:
In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Set aside.
To Brine Chicken:
In a large bowl, combine all brine ingredients and stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Add chickens to chilled brine, cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
To Make Sea Island Red Peas:
In a heavy pot over medium heat, simmer all ingredients except butter and kale until peas are tender, 1¼ hours. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in kale and cook until tender, 5 minutes more. Keep warm.
To Make Fried Chicken:
Remove brined chickens from refrigerator and cut each into 8 pieces. Pour buttermilk into a large bowl. Add chicken pieces to buttermilk, turning to coat. Next, place chicken in seasoned flour mixture, turning to coat. Fill a skillet with 1 inch peanut oil. Heat oil to 330 degrees, using a thermometer to monitor temperature. Cook dark meat first, patting off any excess flour and carefully laying into skillet. Cook 4 minutes, then add remaining chicken pieces. Cook until chicken is golden brown and has an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 8 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside on brown paper bags to drain off excess oil. Season with sea salt. Stir butter into warm peas and serve with chicken.