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fried hot chicken on white bread with pickle
André Prince Jeffries gave me strict orders: no sugar in the hot chicken. But I also believe part of the fun in cooking your own hot chicken comes from figuring out the spice blend you like best. And following the lead of the folks at Hattie B’s, I do like a touch of brown sugar to balance out the heat.
I use red pepper flakes for texture and an added layer of spice, and I like a touch of cumin for woodsy depth. Applying the spicy paste after chicken has been fried keeps the cayenne from scorching, and it allows the cook to customize the degree of heat per piece of chicken. go ahead and experiment to make your own blend. And apologies to Ms. Jeffries. I’ll always visit prince’s to taste the original.
Makes 4 servings
For the brine:
1⁄2 cup (70 g) dark brown sugar
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) hot cayenne pepper sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
1⁄4 cup (70 g) fine kosher salt
1 chicken (about 3 pounds/1.4 kg), cut into 8 pieces
For the hot coating:
3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
11⁄2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄2 teaspoon fine kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
For frying:
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon fine kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper vegetable oil for frying
For serving:
8 slices plain white sandwich bread (such as wonder brand)
Dill pickle rounds
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