North Carolina Dipped Fried Chicken
By Diane UngerPublished on March 2, 2017
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour brining and 30 minutes chilling
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Chicken
½ cup table salt for brining¼ cup sugar for brining3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks, thighs, and/or wings), trimmed1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup cornstarch 2 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon table salt 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil for fryingSauce
1 ¼ cups Texas Pete Original Hot Sauce 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 5 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil 2 tablespoons molasses 1 tablespoon cider vinegarBefore You Begin
The chicken needs to brine for at least 1 hour before being coated in step 3. Do not brine the chicken longer than 4 hours or it will be too salty. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. You’ll need one 12-ounce bottle of Texas Pete Original Hot Sauce for this recipe.
Instructions
- Dissolve 1/2 cup salt and sugar in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Whisk flour, cornstarch, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, granulated garlic, and baking powder together in large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water to flour mixture; using your fingers, rub flour mixture and water together until water is evenly incorporated and shaggy pieces of dough form.
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Working with 1 piece at a time, remove chicken from brine, letting excess drip off; dredge chicken in flour mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer to prepared rack. Refrigerate chicken, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Set second wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures 2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add half of chicken to pot and fry until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs/wings register 175 degrees, 13 to 16 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees.
- Transfer chicken to paper towel–lined side of prepared rack. Let chicken drain on each side for 30 seconds, then move to unlined side of rack. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Let chicken cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Microwave, covered, until hot, about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving.
- Dip chicken in sauce, then transfer to shallow platter. Spoon any remaining sauce over top. Serve.
for the chicken
for the sauce
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour brining and 30 minutes chillingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Chicken
Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Chicken
Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Chicken
Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We tried dipped chicken at Frankie's Chicken Shack; read about our visit here. For our version of this unusual sauced, or “dipped,” fried chicken, we started by brining chicken parts in a solution of salt, sugar, and water. We coated the chicken pieces in a seasoned flour mixture and let them sit in the refrigerator to ensure that the coating adhered. We then deep-fried them in 350-degree peanut oil until the coating was crispy. For the sauce, we combined Texas Pete Original Hot Sauce (a North Carolina specialty) with Worcestershire sauce, oil, molasses (to balance out the heat), and cider vinegar. We let the chicken cool for 10 minutes (to let steam escape) and then spooned the tangy-spicy sauce over top, which proved to be easier and less messy than dipping. The coating absorbed the lip-tingling sauce and still retained its crispy, craggy texture.
Before You Begin
The chicken needs to brine for at least 1 hour before being coated in step 3. Do not brine the chicken longer than 4 hours or it will be too salty. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. You’ll need one 12-ounce bottle of Texas Pete Original Hot Sauce for this recipe.
Instructions
- Dissolve 1/2 cup salt and sugar in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Whisk flour, cornstarch, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, granulated garlic, and baking powder together in large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water to flour mixture; using your fingers, rub flour mixture and water together until water is evenly incorporated and shaggy pieces of dough form.
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Working with 1 piece at a time, remove chicken from brine, letting excess drip off; dredge chicken in flour mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer to prepared rack. Refrigerate chicken, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Set second wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures 2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add half of chicken to pot and fry until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs/wings register 175 degrees, 13 to 16 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees.
- Transfer chicken to paper towel–lined side of prepared rack. Let chicken drain on each side for 30 seconds, then move to unlined side of rack. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Let chicken cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Microwave, covered, until hot, about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving.
- Dip chicken in sauce, then transfer to shallow platter. Spoon any remaining sauce over top. Serve.
for the chicken
for the sauce
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