Pickled-Jalapeno Fried Chicken
Recipe creator Kate Ramos uses the pickled jalapeno brine on this fried chicken recipe as insurance for moist chicken. "I like to brine overnight to guarantee the result is juicy and flavor-packed," she says.
Ingredients
Directions
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For marinade: Place pickled jalapenos, carrots, onions, and their juices into a food processor. Process until nearly smooth. Using a large chef's knife, cut chicken breast pieces in half crosswise. In a large bowl combine all chicken and marinade, turning chicken to coat evenly. Chill, covered, at least 2 hours or overnight.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, the cumin, smoked paprika, and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Remove chicken from marinade one piece at a time, letting excess drip back into bowl. Dip chicken into flour mixture, turning to coat. Place on a wire rack over a 15x10-inch pan.
For batter: Whisk egg into marinade until combined. Stir in remaining flour mixture until combined. (Mixture will be very thick.)
Coat chicken pieces, one at a time, with batter using a spoon to evenly cover chicken. Return batter-coated chicken to rack. Chill at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Discard any remaining batter.
In a 5- to 6-quart heavy-bottom pan heat oil to 325°F. Cover a baking sheet with paper towels; set a wire rack on top. Add chicken, three to four pieces at a time, to hot oil. Fry 15 to 18 minutes or until deep golden brown and cooked through (170°F for breast pieces, 175°F for thighs and drumsticks). Transfer to wire rack; let drain 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet in a 300°F oven while frying remaining chicken. Makes 6 servings.
