Think delicious fried chicken, made even more deliciouser because of the spicy oil sauce you paint over the top when it’s done - and yes I know ‘deliciouser’ is not a word.
Chicken Brine
4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup hot sauce (I used cholula but almost any will do)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
6-8 pieces of chicken - legs, breasts, thigh, up to you
Flour Dredge
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
Hot Oil Sauce
1/4 cup cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (regular is fine)
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (regular is fine)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Vegetable oil, for frying
Chicken – In a large bowl put the buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, pepper and paprika – whisk well to combine and add the chicken and make sure it’s well covered. Refrigerate up to 4 hours, even overnight is fine
Flour Dredge - In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined
To Cook - Remove the chicken pieces one by one from the buttermilk and let any excess drip off
Put the pieces, one by one into the flour making sure each is well coated, shake off excess then back into the buttermilk and then into the flour again and put on a plate or a rack on a baking sheet – repeat with al the chicken
Fill either a deep fryer with oil, or a large cast iron pan about 1/3 of the way up the sides and heat to 325 degrees
Slowly add 3 or 4 pieces of chicken at a time and cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides (turning pieces over about halfway through) and the chicken reaches 160 to165 degrees, approximately 12-14 minutes
When done, move the chicken pieces to a rack covered baking sheet and place in a 250 degree oven while you finish cooking the remaining pieces
Hot Oil Sauce – When all the frying is done, combine the oil ingredients in a medium bowl and add 1 cup of the hot frying oil – stir well to combine
To serve, brush the cooked chicken well with the sauce, or dunk the pieces - serve hot