Twice Fried Chicken With Sriracha Honey Recipes

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.)

CRISPY CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SPICY HONEY

Steps:

• For the chicken: Place a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add your frying oil and heat to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl or a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag, mix together the cornstarch, baking powder, salt and your favorite seasonings. Add your chicken pieces to the flour mixture. Coat the chicken well, but be sure to shake off any excess flour. At this point the chicken can be battered immediately, or it can sit, refrigerated, for 2 hours or overnight, coated in the dry dredge.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together all of the dry batter ingredients, then add all of the wet ingredients, stirring to smooth out any lumps.
• Dredge the cornstarch-coated cutlets in the batter, letting any excess drip off and lay them in the oil. Add a few pieces at a time so the temperature of the oil doesn't drop, and fry until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined tray.
• For the spicy honey: Whisk together the honey and Sriracha or chiles in a bowl. If using chiles, allow the heat to infuse for at least 30 minutes.
• To serve, drizzle the chicken with your Spicy Honey and serve with any extra Spicy Honey on the side.

TWICE-FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

Steps:

• Cure chicken: In a bowl, add onion powder, salt, and mustard powder, and combine until well blended. Add the chicken wings to a large bowl, sprinkle with about half the curing mixture, and get in there with your hands to coat each piece well. (Note: This is enough cure for 8 whole wings or 1 whole chicken, so you won't need to use all of it. Save it in an airtight container for next time!) Place the coated wings in a single layer 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, and 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 wings-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 at least 300 degrees F. (It's fine if the oil temperature goes up as high as 350 degrees F, because it will drop once the chicken is added.) Coat chicken: Separate each wing into two pieces by slicing through the joint between the drumette and the wing. When the oil is hot, add all the chicken into the batter and fully coat each piece.
• First fry: Use tongs to pick up a wing and allow some of the excess batter to drip off. Gently swirl the tip of the wing in the hot oil to set the crust; this will prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Then ease the rest of the wing into the oil. Repeat with all the wings. Fry for 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to make sure the wings 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 wings 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 just above 350 degrees F (temperature will drop slightly when the chicken is added). Use the slotted spoon to remove and discard stray bits of batter from the oil. (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, use the slotted spoon to gently ease the wings back in. Fry 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.)

SRIRACHA HONEY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Whisk Sriracha sauce, honey, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl.
• Place chicken in a baking dish. Pour Sriracha mixture over the chicken and turn to coat chicken completely.
• Cook in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).