Grandmother’s Fried Chicken
Yield: 10 pieces of chicken
Ingredients:
Brine:
4 cups cold water
3 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup Turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 drumsticks, 2 wings, 2 thighs, 1 chicken breast, deboned and cut in quarters
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thickly sliced
Dredge:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Garnish:
Flat Italian parsley
Process:
Brine:
Combine the brine ingredients in a large bowl and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
Add the chicken, cover and chill for 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from icebox.
Drain the chicken and pat the skin dry.
Discard the brine.
Place the chicken pieces on a rack over a cookie sheet, skin side up.
Place the chicken in the icebox, uncovered overnight. This will dry out the skin to improve its crispiness during baking.
One hour before baking, remove the chicken from the icebox and allow it to sit on the counter to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Place oil, butter and oil in a casserole dish large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer.
Sir to distribute the garlic throughout.
Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven.
Whisk together the flour, paprika, and pepper to make a dredge.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the dredging mix to coat all sides.
Place each piece on a clean baking sheet after dredging.
When the butter has melted, remove the hot casserole dish from the oven. Add garlic. Stir to mix with the oil and butter.
Place each dredged piece of chicken, skin side down, in the hot buttered oil in the casserole dish.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven.
Turn the chicken pieces over carefully with tongs so as not to disturb the crust.
Return the casserole dish to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is baked through (165°F) and the juices run clear.
Plate, garnish, and serve.