Twice Cooked Barbecued Chicken Recipes

BONNIE'S TWICE BAKED BARBECUED CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. BRINE THE CHICKEN Cut your chicken into serving pieces, remove skin. Leave bone in. Cut a couple of slashes at an angle across the top of each piece about 1 1/2 inches apart almost to the bone. Here is how to brine the chicken. It is very easy to do. All you need is the kosher salt and enough water to cover the chicken pieces. (not table salt) I use a large plastic container big enough to hold all the pieces and one that will fit in my refrigerator. Place 1/2 cup KOSHER salt in the container and add the water, stir well, and then add the chicken pieces. Let it brine ONLY a couple of hours, then rinse the chicken, discard the brine, and return the chicken to the refrigerator.
• 2. FIRST BAKING Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take a plastic bag, put in the one cup of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, shake to coat. Then lightly brown the chicken pieces and place them slash side up in a deep dish sprayed with Pam. At least 13x9. (I use a deep lasagna dish as in the photo) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
• 3. MAKE THE SAUCE Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the ingredients for the sauce and keep it hot until the chicken has baked.
• 4. SECOND BAKING When the chicken has finished baking, remove the chicken to the stove, and pour the pan of simmering sauce directly over the chicken, taking care to cover evenly. Return the dish to the oven, and bake for 30 minutes more until it is bubbling and starting to brown. I cover with a tent of foil until ready to serve.
• 5. Cook's Tip: I encourage you to not skip the brining step as it makes the meat fork tender and juicy. Enjoy!

TWICE-FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cure chicken: In a large bowl, add salt and mustard and onion powders, and combine until well blended. Add the chicken pieces and get in there with your hands to coat each piece well. Put the coated pieces of chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, keeping the skin intact; lightly cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Bring the cured chicken to room temperature. (You don't want to fry ice-cold chicken, because it won't cook all the way through, plus it will chill the frying oil.) Meanwhile, make the batter: In a large bowl, add the cornstarch, flour, and salt. Slowly pour in the cold water, whisking continuously, until the mixture is smooth and the consistency of thin pancake batter. Add more water as needed to thin the batter.
• Heat oil: Clip a candy or deep fry thermometer onto a large, heavy pot. Add enough canola oil to fully submerge the chicken pieces-about halfway up the side of the pot. (Oil expands as it heats, so don't overfill the pot.) Heat the oil over low heat until it reaches 300 degrees F. (It's fine if the oil temperature goes up to 350 degrees F, because it will drop once the chicken goes in.) Coat chicken: When the oil is hot, add all the chicken into the batter and fully coat each piece.
• First fry: Starting with the dark meat, use tongs to pick up each piece and allow the excess batter to drip off. Gently swirl the tip of the chicken in the oil to set the crust; this will prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Then ease the rest of the piece into the oil. Repeat with all the chicken pieces. Fry for 10 minutes.Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to make sure the chicken pieces don't stick together or to the bottom of the pot. If they do stick, gently separate them with the spoon; try not to tear the delicate crust!
• After 10 minutes, use the slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to drain on a wire rack or paper towels on a baking sheet. The chicken will not be fully cooked-there's a second fry. Let the chicken rest, 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the oil to 350 degrees F. (Note: The chicken can be made to this point up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated; bring it back to room temperature before the second fry.) Second fry: When the oil is hot, fry the chicken pieces again, this time for 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
• Use the slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to a clean wire rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve. (Note: Frying oil can be reused several times for frying chicken. Cool the oil completely, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean jar. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.)

BONNIE'S TWICE COOKED OVEN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Soak chicken in cold salted water for an hour.
• Remove and pat dry.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl or bag.
• Toss in chicken and coat well.
• Put about an inch of oil in heavy pan .
• fry chicken for about 10 minutes on each side to brown.
• Place on a foil lined baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 F approximatly 25 minutes or until juices run clear.

TWICE COOKED BARBECUED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade by combining all ingredients for marinade and whisking to combine. Taste for seasoning. Arrange the chicken pieces in a large shallow, non-aluminum pan and pour the marinade evenly over, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, turning occasionally. Make sure the marinade covers all the chicken.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F/160°C Remove the chicken from the marinade and pour all the marinade into a small saucepan. Place the chicken in a roasting pan large enough to hold it all in a single layer. Cover the pan tightly with foil wrap and bake about 35 minutes, until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced.
• Remove from the oven and add the juices to the marinade. Place marinade over medium high heat and bring to a boil, boiling for 7 to 10 minutes, or until reduced to a glaze.
• Prepare charcoal grill or gas grill for medium high heat grilling about 3 inches from fire.
• Place the chicken on the grill rack and grill, basting with the glaze, turning once, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the skin is very crisp and brown.
• You can prepare this recipe right up to the grilling time, up to 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate. Take out of fridge about half an hour before you want to grill it and then proceed as in recipe. The sauce may be refrigerated and then re-heated just before grilling.