Extra-Crispy Fried Chicken

By Thom7747

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 whole cloves
• 6 sprigs parsley
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 (3 1/2–4-lb.) chicken, quartered
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cayenne
• 1 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• Canola oil, for frying

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Boil ¼ cup salt and 1 tbsp. pepper with the honey, sugar, cloves, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, zest, and juice, plus 6 cups of water in a 4-qt. saucepan until salt is dissolved, 5–7 minutes. Remove brine from heat and let cool completely. Add chicken and cover; refrigerate 3-5 hrs.

2. Drain chicken, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk 2 cups flour, half each of the granulated garlic, cayenne, onion powder, and paprika with salt and pepper in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk remaining flour, granulated garlic, cayenne, onion powder, and paprika with baking powder, salt, pepper, and 2 cups water into a smooth batter.

3. Pour enough oil into a 6-qt. Dutch oven to reach a depth of 2". Heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 300°. Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess, dip in batter, and dredge again in flour. Fry, flipping once, until golden and almost cooked through, 7–8 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 150°. Transfer chicken to paper towels.

No Place Like Home

If you're cooking at home, start with oil at 350F or 375F. The recipe writer doesn't understand that not everyone has a restaurant fryer with gallons of oil that won't be excessively cooled by the addition of the chicken. At cooler temps, the breading will simply slough off in the oil before it has a chance to set. And the chicken will be undercooked at the end of the process.