The crunchiest and most flavourful fried chicken with juicy meat served with a sweet and spicy hot sauce for dipping. IT’S A GOOD ONE. One of my favourite things I’ve made recently.
Notes
I always say this but please spice to your own tastebuds. Believe it or not 1 scotch bonnet for the hot sauce results in a very mild sauce. The flavour mellows out massively whilst cooking. I used 3 for my hot sauce which was nice and spicy but not super-hot.
Take the time to marinade the chicken. It’s in the recipe for a reason! If you want juicy fried chicken this step is a must.
I do recommend you get yourself a meat thermometer. They’re inexpensive and will make sure your chicken is cooked to perfection.
Ingredients:
Marinade:
12 pieces chicken drumstick and chicken thigh
750ml buttermilk OR 700ml whole milk with 50ml lemon juice left to stand for 10 minutes
125ml hot sauce, I used Franks
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
Breading:
400g plain flour
75g cornflour
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp all-purpose seasoning
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
Hot sauce:
1-5 (I used 3!) scotch bonnets, halved and deseeded
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled
1 small pineapple, peeled and chopped into chunks
100ml cider vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
100ml water
1.5 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
Directions:
FOR THE MARINADE
Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Cover and leave in the fridge for 4-24hrs.
FOR THE HOT SAUCE
Griddle the pineapple chunks in batches in a griddle pan for 1-2 minutes on each side. This is going to give our sauce a nice smoky flavour.
Blend all the ingredients for the hot sauce in your blender of choice until smooth.
Transfer to a saucepan and cook for 15-20 minutes. Until thickened and reduced.
Pour into jars and set aside for the main event. This keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks and is good on everything!
FOR THE BREADING
Whisk together all the ingredients for the breading in a large shallow bowl.
FOR THE FRIED CHICKEN
Preheat a deep fat fryer or a large pot of neutral oil to 180c.
Pour some of the marinade into the breading mix and stir with a fork to create scraggly bits of batter.
Dip the pieces of chicken individually into the breading until coated.
Set aside on a baking tray until all the chicken pieces are coated.
Fry the chicken in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. 3-4 pieces at a time is a good rule.
Fry the chicken until the outside is golden and crunchy and the internal temperature reads 75c. This should take around 6-8 minutes for the drumsticks and 8-10 minutes for the thighs.
If you’re using a deep fat fryer, make sure you shake the basket around when you first lower the chicken in, so it doesn’t stick to the basket.
Transfer the cooked chicken to kitchen roll to drain off the initial oil and then onto a wire rack. Sprinkle with flakey salt.
Serve piping hot with the hot sauce and enjoy.