Three Piece Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Food

CHEF JOHN'S NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toss chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Transfer chicken to a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Whisk buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg together in a mixing bowl. Pour marinade over chicken and stir to ensure each piece is thoroughly coated. Cover and let chicken marinate in refrigerator 2 to 4 hours.
• Mix flour and salt together in a shallow flat dish. Remove chicken from marinade and blot with paper towels. Reserve marinade. Toss chicken in flour until thoroughly coated. Return chicken to marinade, coating all sides; remove chicken from marinade allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Coat the chicken once again in flour mixture. Place on a rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Allow to sit out about 15 minutes to allow coating to dry out a bit.
• Place butter and lard in a large pot. Add cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Place over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until fats melt. Remove from heat; keep sauce warm.
• Fill cast iron skillet about 1/3 of the way with vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken into hot oil, skin side down. Maintain an oil temperature of 325 degrees F, adjusting heat as need. Fry until instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
• Transfer chicken to a rack to drain. Brush with the sauce on both sides.

NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the chicken: Pour enough buttermilk over the chicken pieces to cover them and place in refrigerator at least 24 hours.
• Preheat a Dutch oven filled three-quarters of the way with peanut oil to 275 degrees F.
• Drain chicken in a colander, then coat chicken in enough seasoned flour to coat.
• Gently drop chicken into oil and cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, roughly 18 minutes. Set aside.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, combine the canola oil, bacon fat, cayenne powders, sugar, pickle juice, paprika, garlic powder and chili powder together in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Gently pour 1 cup of the mixture over fried chicken and toss in a bowl, making sure to completely coat chicken (watch your eyes, this stuff is no joke!). (Save remaining sauce for another use.)
• Remove from bowl and enjoy!

NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the chicken: Pour the buttermilk and hot sauce over the chicken in a shallow dish. Let sit for 15 minutes.
• Preheat a deep-fryer or a large Dutch oven filled with 3 inches oil to 325 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack.
• For the chile oil: Add the oil, chiles, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne and crushed red pepper to a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Allow the oil to come to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the chiles steep in the oil for 5 minutes. Strain and let cool.
• For the shake: Add the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, smoked paprika, white pepper and salt to a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside until later.
• For the dredge: Add the flour, pepper, smoked paprika, celery salt, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme to a very large bowl or shallow dish. Add the marinated chicken pieces, one by one, and pat the dredge onto the chicken, creating little crackles in the chicken piece.
• Shake off any excess dredge and add the chicken to the fryer. Fry in batches, turning occasionally, until just slightly golden and it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and let rest on the wire rack until just cool to touch. Add back to the fryer and double-fry until super golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain again on the wire rack.
• Dip the fried chicken in the chile oil and add to a shallow dish. Dust each piece with the shake thoroughly until no oil is apparent on both sides.
• To serve: Split the Hawaiian rolls in half. Put a tender between each roll, then top with the sliced onion and a pickle chip or two.

NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let oil cool: When all the chicken is finished, let the oil cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. You will need some of it to make the spicy paste.

NASHVILLE HOT FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the chicken brine: Dissolve the salt in the water and pour over the chicken thighs in an airtight container or large zip top bag and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.
• For the Nashville hot sauce: Start to heat the oil in a small saucepot over medium-high heat until nice and hot, but not smoking. Pour into a heatproof container and stir in the cayenne, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder and paprika.
• Heat a medium saucepot half full of oil or an electric deep-fryer to 325 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the brine. Pat dry and sprinkle with the granulated garlic, salt and black pepper on both sides. Then dredge the chicken through the flour evenly, one piece at a time. After all the chicken is dredged, check the temperature of oil and let the chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Assuming the oil is ready, flour the chicken a second time, shake off any excess and fry until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove the chicken to a wire rack and brush generously with Nashville hot sauce.
• Build sandwiches starting with mayonnaise on each side of the bun, then lettuce, if desired, the spicy chicken, pickles, jalapenos and the top bun.

NASHVILLE-STYLE HOT FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prepare the brine: In a large bowl, whisk salt and spices in 2 cups boiling water until salt dissolves. Whisk in 6 cups ice water. The brine should be cold; if not, chill until it is. Add chicken pieces to the cold brine and chill for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.
• In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the very hot spice mixture. In another bowl, prepare the dredge: combine the flour, granulated garlic and onion, salt and pepper.
• Remove chicken pieces from brine, pat dry with paper towels and season with a light dusting of hot spice mixture. Dust pieces with dredge mixture. Reserve both the remaining hot spice mixture and the dredge. Let chicken rest in fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour for the coating to adhere.
• Pour 2 inches of oil into a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a cover. Heat oil to 325 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 cups ice water to make egg wash. Dip chicken in egg wash, then coat with more dredge. Shake pieces lightly so any excess dredge falls off.
• Carefully place chicken in hot oil, about 3 to 4 pieces per batch. Cover pot with lid and let fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden brown on one side. Remove lid and flip pieces. Fry another 5 to 6 minutes, uncovered. Using tongs, transfer cooked chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch the oil drips. Dust with very hot spice as it comes out of the fryer.