Popeyes Bonafide Spicy Chicken Copycat Recipes

Steps:

• Place cut-up chicken in a large bowl, and cover with buttermilk. If you have the time, cover and chill for two hours, or overnight. This is optional, but will give the chicken more flavor and moisture. In a large bowl, add eggs, water, and red pepper sauce. Whisk until combined. In a large gallon freezer bag, mix flour, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. If you marinated the chicken, remove it from the buttermilk now. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place all chicken pieces in freezer bag with flour mixture. Shake until all pieces are evenly coated. Remove chicken pieces one at a time, shaking excess flour. Dip each piece in the egg mixture, and return to bag of flour. After all pieces of been dipped in the egg mixture and put back in the bag, give it a second shake to coat chicken pieces again. Heat oil in deep fryer or deep pan to 350°F. Working in batches, drop each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Fry for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown, turning occasionally if oil does not completely cover chicken. Keep in mind that dark meat chicken takes longer to cook than white meat. Watch your wing segments, as well; these will finish cooking first.

Steps:

• RINSE chicken pieces and blot; PLACE chicken into a 9 x 13 baking dish; COAT chicken well with 2 tablespoons original Louisiana Hot Sauce, rubbing sauce well into skin of chicken.
• MEASURE the all of the SEASONING ingredients into a resealable plastic container; SEAL container and shake well to blend; FUNNEL mixture into an empty, clean salt shaker; SPRINKLE the SEASONING evenly and generously on every side of marinated chicken; RUB mixture well into chicken; ALLOW chicken to marinate in seasoning for at least 2 hours, refrigerated and sealed.
• BEAT 6 large eggs in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon fine salt, 1 teaspoon fine sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon Accent seasoning; WHISK mixture in bowl vigorously until smooth.
• ADD 3 cups all-purpose flour into a medium bowl for the DREDGING.
• PLACE a cooling rack over a baking sheet and set aside.
• REMOVE chicken from the marinating dish using tongs; (1) DIP chicken into the BATTER until evenly coated; (2) COAT the chicken well in the DREDGING flour; PLACE chicken onto the rack over baking sheet.
• REPEAT steps with remaining chicken pieces until all are battered and breaded (NOTE: IF THE FLOUR DREDGING BECOMES CLUMPY, SIFT IT THROUGH A SIEVE TO REMOVE CLUMPS BEFORE CONTINUING); ALLOW breaded chicken to rest at least 15 minutes to absorb the breading.
• ADD the manufacturer's recommended amount of deep-frying fat for deep-frying (100% beef tallow shortening or 70% Crisco Shortening with 30% Crisco Butter-Flavor Shortening); PLACE deep-fryer basket into place in deep-fryer; PREHEAT fryer to 315°F (or preheat enough fat to immerse chicken completely in deep heavy stovetop pot between 315°F, using a standard deep-fryer thermometer to gauge).
• CAREFULLY lower each piece breaded chicken one at a time, into the deep-fryer basket without crowding (if a standard size home fryer is used, add no more than 2-3 pieces at a time); (if stovetop frying, gently place breaded chicken pieces into hot oil using tongs, turning once halfway through frying duration); FRY for 10 minutes; RAISE frying temperature to 375°F ; CONTINUE frying at the higher temperature for 5 minutes (return frying oil temperature to 315°F for each new batch).
• BLOT chicken lightly to drain; TRANSFER rack over a baking sheet and keep chicken warmed in a preheated 170°F oven until serving; SERVE and enjoy!