Nashville Hot Fried Chicken
Chargrilled over glowing charcoal embers with an authentic smoky char, served with handcrafted accompaniments and savoury reductions.
Ingredients
- • 1.5kg bone-in chicken thighs, drumsticks and breasts
- • 2 cups buttermilk
- • 2 tbsp hot pickle juice
- • 2 large eggs
- • 2 cups plain flour
- • 1/2 cup cornflour
- • 1 tbsp sea salt
- • Vegetable oil or lard, for frying
- • FOR THE NASHVILLE HOT SPICED OIL:
- • 1/2 cup hot frying lard/oil
- • 3 tbsp cayenne pepper
- • 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- • 1 tsp smoked paprika
- • 1 tsp garlic powder
- • 1/2 tsp sea salt
- • Thick white bread slices and dill pickle chips, to serve
Preparation Steps
Whisk buttermilk, pickle juice, eggs, and 1 tbsp salt; submerge chicken pieces and marinate refrigerated for at least 4 hours.
Whisk plain flour, cornflour, salt, and 1 tsp paprika in a wide bowl; dredge marinated chicken pieces, dip back in buttermilk, and dredge a second time for extra craggy crust.
Heat lard or vegetable oil to 165°C in a deep cast iron skillet; fry chicken pieces in batches for 12-14 minutes until deep golden, crispy, and internal temperature reaches 74°C.
Ladle 1/2 cup of the bubbling hot frying fat into a heatproof bowl; whisk with cayenne pepper, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt until fragrant and emulsified.
Immediately brush the spicy shimmering red oil generously all over the crispy fried chicken pieces.
Serve hot resting on thick white sandwich bread slices topped with crunchy dill pickle chips.