Cider Brined Fried Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Mix 2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons pepper, 4 cups water, vinegar, and apple juice in a 2 gallon container. Add the chicken and allow to marinate for 30 minutes up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon pepper to the flour, mix well, and hold until ready to fry.
• In a cast iron skillet, add the oil and bring to 350 degrees F over high heat. Remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry with a paper towel, and dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, coating well and tapping off any excess. Once all the chicken is floured, add to the oil, in batches, and cook until golden brown on both sides, 8 to 9 minutes per side. The internal temperature must be 165 degrees to be cooked thoroughly.

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, vinegar, pickling spices, bay leaf, 1/4 cup salt and 2 cups cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring, until the salt and sugar dissolve. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Remove the brine from the heat and pour it over the ice to cool to room temperature. Add the chicken skin-side down, being sure to keep the chicken submerged. If the chicken is not completely covered in brine, add more cold water. Cover the pot and let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate up to overnight.
• When you're ready to fry the chicken, pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven to reach about a third of the way up the side and deep enough to submerge the chicken. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with wire racks.
• Remove the chicken from the brine and place in a large bowl with the buttermilk. Put the flour in a large paper bag. Season the flour with the dill, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and remaining tablespoon salt. A few pieces at a time, transfer the chicken to the bag with the flour and shake well to coat. Place the coated chicken on the wire rack-lined cookie sheet.
• Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and the internal temperature measures 165 degrees F, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove to another wire rack-lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven while you cook the rest of the chicken. Let cool slightly before serving with the Hot Honey Sauce.
• Stir together the honey, butter, hot sauce, paprika and cayenne in a small saucepot over medium heat. Heat and stir until smooth and all ingredients are combined.

Steps:

• Delicious fried chicken starts with the bird. You can cut a whole chicken into parts for frying, but if you want all dark meat, or vice versa, or just to save time, you can buy the parts. Maybe you're feeding a bunch of children who prefer drumsticks, or someone who will only eat white meat. Buying parts lets you tailor the meal to their tastes. For dark meat aficionados, go for a mixture of drumsticks and bone-in thighs. For those who prefer white meat, a pack of bone-in breasts will do just fine. Figure on two or three pieces per person, plus leftovers because cold fried chicken eaten the next day is fantastic. A whole chicken of 3 or 4 pounds can be cut into 10 parts for frying: two drumsticks, two thighs, two wings and the two breasts each cut in two, with the backbone discarded. This will feed four people nicely. (Here's a video demonstrating how to do that.)Buy the freshest chicken you can at the store, organic if possible.
• To brine a chicken means to submerge it in a solution of salt and water, sometimes flavored with other ingredients, in order to add moisture and flavor to the meat. You can certainly fry chicken without brining the parts, but we recommend against that. It's very little work, and adds tremendously to the finished flavor.For a basic chicken brine, simply dissolve 4 tablespoons kosher salt in 4 cups lukewarm water. Add the chicken to the solution, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight. (You might add a few tablespoons of sugar to the mixture, along with some fresh herbs or chopped garlic.)For many fried chicken aficionados, the only acceptable brine is made with buttermilk. To make one, dissolve 2 tablespoons kosher salt in 4 cups fresh buttermilk, along with a healthy grind of black pepper. Add the chicken to it, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight.Put 2 cups pickle juice into a large bowl and add the chicken to it. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight, turning a few times along the way. The result is shockingly flavorful, juicy meat.Combine 2 cups cola in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 4 cloves chopped garlic, 8 sprigs fresh thyme, and a tablespoon or more of hot sauce. Add the chicken, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours, turning a few times along the way. The cola adds a caramel hue and distinctive sweetness to the meat, but after more than a few hours it begins to degrade it, too. Proceed with caution!Cider brine: For a sweet, almost autumnal fried chicken, dissolve 4 tablespoons kosher salt in 2 cups apple cider. Add the chicken to the solution, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight.
• A shatteringly crisp crust is a hallmark of great fried chicken. You achieve that by covering the exterior of the meat and skin with starch before cooking.The easiest method for dredging chicken is simply to place the parts in a big paper bag filled with flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper and occasionally paprika or hot pepper; close the bag; shake it a few times, and then carefully remove each piece and shake off the excess flour before frying. You can of course use a large bowl in place of the bag. Just dredge the chicken pieces through the seasoned flour and proceed as directed. You'll want to dredge the chicken right before frying; leaving the chicken to rest in its coating will gum up the flour, reducing its chances of crisping up in the cooking oil. Not all cooks use all-purpose flour to coat their chicken. Alternative starches include gluten-free flours, bread crumbs, the larger Japanese bread crumbs known as panko, cracker crumbs and potato starch. (Other coatings include - really! - crumbled Cheetos and Doritos.)Whatever starch you use, the precepts remain the same: dredge the chicken in it, then shake off the excess, then fry.
• Once your chicken pieces are coated, you'll gently place them in hot oil and fry them until golden brown and gloriously crunchy. A few tips: Use tongs to turn the chicken a few times while it cooks. And, crucially, do not crowd the pan. You want plenty of oil surrounding each piece of chicken, but not so much that it spatters everywhere. (In warmer months, if you don't want to mess up your kitchen, cook outside, using a gas grill and a pan set on the grate above the burner.)Time was, people fried chicken in shortening. Some fry in lard, others in oil, or in a combination of the two. What you want is an oil that has a high smoke point, which means that it can be heated to a high temperature without burning. Olive oil and butter have low smoke points. Do not use them for fried chicken. Instead, try peanut, canola or vegetable oil. You can deep fry the chicken in a lot of oil, or you can shallow fry it in a little less, but if you go the less-oil route, the fat should rise to at least halfway up the pieces to ensure even frying. As the oil heats on the stove, you might slide a single slice of bacon into it to perfume the fat, but this is hardly a requirement. If you do that, remove the bacon before frying the chicken.The ideal temperature at which to fry chicken is a steady 350 degrees. Monitor that temperature by using a candy thermometer. And, especially if you're new to the chicken-frying game, use a meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the chicken. It's done when it reaches 165 degrees. Make sure that you've brought the oil back up to 350 degrees before you add the next batch of chicken.After you remove your chicken from the skillet, you should let it rest before serving. Some people do so by placing the hot chicken on a paper bag, or on paper towel. This method, however, can lead to soggy skin, particularly on the side that's in contact with the paper. A better technique is to rest the chicken on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet, sprinkling a little salt on it when it's hot for extra flavor.
• Once you've mastered our basic recipe, explore these fried chicken styles. Adobo fried chicken will take you to the Philippines, while Nashville-style hot chicken will simply set your mouth on fire. (Worth it.) This adobo fried chicken takes its vinegary cue from the braised national dish of the Philippines. It starts with a cooked broth of 2 1/2 cups white vinegar, 3 minced garlic cloves, 4 bay leaves, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, in which you'll simmer the chicken pieces for 15 minutes. Dredge the chicken pieces in a mix of 2 cups buttermilk, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon paprika and some black pepper, then fry. Serve with a dipping sauce of 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 sliced Thai bird chilies.Korean fried chicken, or yangnyeom dak, takes its deep flavor and rich heat from an oniony marinade and a coating made with gochujang, the Korean chile paste, and other spices. It's dredged in a mixture of flour and cornstarch coating, which gives the crust an extra dose of crunch. To make Korean fried chicken, smear the pieces with a mixture of 1 grated onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and let sit for about an hour. Dredge the pieces in a flour-cornstarch mix, then fry. Mix together 3 tablespoons gochujang, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and the juice of half a lemon. Brush the chile sauce liberally on the fried pieces while the chicken is still hot, and serve.Nashville-style fried chicken is hot - so hot that watery eyes and a burning mouth are commonly accepted side effects of eating it. The searing heat comes ghost-chile powder and a generous amount of cayenne pepper. To make it, add 2 tablespoons hot sauce to your buttermilk brine. Then, before you dredge the chicken pieces in flour, dust them in a coating of 3 tablespoons cayenne, 1 tablespoon ghost-chile powder and 1 tablespoon sugar. After frying, dust the pieces once more with cayenne. Serve with sliced white bread and a cold beer.This Persian fried chicken is redolent of saffron and paprika, and is best made with boneless chicken thighs, which speeds up the cooking time. First, make a marinade by combining 1/2 teaspoon saffron with 1 tablespoon water and let soak 10 minutes; purée in a food processor with 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt and 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. Marinate the chicken pieces in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. When it's time to fry, dredge the chicken in a mixture of 2 1/4 cups flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1 1/2 tablespoons dried mint and 1 tablespoon salt. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped walnuts.

Steps:

• Make the brine: Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or similar pan over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery and carrots, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are all tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and cool to room temperature in freezer.
• While the vegetables cool, cut the bread into 3/4-inch cubes and spread into a single layer on a baking sheet. Allow to dry out overnight.
• Combine the stock and cider in a large measuring cup and pour 1 1/2 cups of the mixture into a plastic gallon-size zipper bag. Add vegetables, remaining salt, prunes, vinegar and chicken thighs. Seal bag, and massage everything around to dissolve salt and combine. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining stock-cider mixture.
• To cook the chicken: Allow chicken to come to room temperature. Heat oven to 400. Scraping off brine and vegetables, remove chicken from bag, and set aside. Place brine with vegetables and remaining stock-cider mixture in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or similar pan, and bring to a boil.
• In a large bowl, combine cubed bread, vegetables and liquid, sage, parsley, thyme and greens, if using. Return pan to low heat, and add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to melt. Pack stuffing mixture into pan, and lay chicken thighs on top. Place pan onto a rimmed baking sheet to catch any overflow, and bake on lower rack for 50 to 55 minutes until chicken and stuffing are golden brown.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together cider and salt until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and enough water to completely submerge and cover the chicken. Let soak 1 hour in the refrigerator. Chicken should be completely submerged in brine.
• In a large pot, heat vegetable shortening until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 325 degrees. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cayenne and black pepper. In a paper bag, shake together flour and cornstarch. Drain chicken from brine and dip in batches first in egg mixture then in flour mixture to coat. Set on wire rack to let coating sit for 10 minutes. In 2 batches, fry chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. Remove from oil to drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Steps:

• Drain the juice from the jars of pickles into a baking dish or bowl. Add the chicken and flip to coat. Let brine, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Fill a Dutch oven halfway with oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 320 degrees F.
• In 3 bowls or baking dishes, set up a breading station. In the first dish, mix the flour with the salt, paprika and pepper. In the second dish, mix the hot sauce, mustard and eggs. Put the cracker crumbs in the third dish.
• Dredge each chicken piece first in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, then in the crackers. Place the breaded chicken pieces in the oil a few at a time. Don't overcrowd the pan; the pieces should not be touching in the oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until the chicken is a deep golden brown and fully cooked to 165 degrees F when checked with a thermometer, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Place the cut-up chicken in the Chile Apple Brine and refrigerate overnight.
• To make the chicken fry mix, add the cornmeal, flour and Rib Rub to a large bowl.
• Drain the brined chicken well and add to the bowl with the chicken fry mix. Mix the chicken well with the breading to get a good coat. Let set in the mix for 20 minutes.
• In a large heavy pot, add the canola oil and heat over medium heat to 275 degrees F.
• Give the chicken a final mix and, using tongs, carefully place each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Fry until cooked through, about 14 minutes. Remove to a platter lined with paper towel and let drain before serving.
• Soak the chiles in hot water until softened. Transfer them to a food processor and process to a paste. Strain the paste, then transfer to a large container with a lid.
• Put the apples in a food processor, skin and core included, and pulse to chop. Transfer to the container with the chile paste and add the apple cider, molasses, salt, sugar, garlic and 8 cups (1/2 gallon water).
• Combine the salt, sugar, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, anise seed and mustard in a bowl.