Fry dark and white pieces separately.
The dark meat pieces will take a few minutes longer to cook than the white meat pieces. To avoid tracking multiple timers at once, batter, dredge, and fry the dark pieces and white pieces in separate batches.
Double-fry the chicken.
After the first trip to the fryer in 300° oil, the chicken will come out piping hot and fully cooked, but the water inside the meat will continue to evaporate for a few minutes, causing that once crispy exterior to sweat and get soggy. Soggy crust is heartbreaking, but it’s nothing a double fry can’t fix. Cranking the heat up to 350° will give the crust the deep golden brown color that fried chicken is known for, and it will return the crisp crust to its former glory.
Serving ideas.
Fried chicken is an anytime food. Sure, you can make it for dinner, but please don’t stop there. Fry a batch for a spring picnic, a 4th of July BBQ, or to serve alongside cornbread waffles at brunch. Whatever you do, don’t forget to save a leg to eat cold while standing in front of the open refrigerator!
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Ingredients
Buttermilk Brine
2 cups whole-fat buttermilk
2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
2 Tbsp. dill pickle juice
2 Tbsp. hot sauce
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 (3- to 4-lb.) whole chicken, broken down into 8 pieces
Batter
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup vodka
Flour Dredge
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
4 tsp. kosher salt
Frying
Peanut oil, for frying (8 to 10 c.)
See All Nutritional Information
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