Pickle Brined Fried Chicken With Hot Honey Sauce

  4.9 – 29 reviews  • Poultry
Level: Intermediate
Total: 2 hr 5 min
Active: 55 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  1. 1/4 cup sugar
  2. 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  3. 2 tablespoons pickling spices
  4. 1 bay leaf
  5. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus a pinch for seasoning
  6. 2 pounds chicken drumsticks
  7. 2 pounds chicken thighs
  8. Canola oil, for frying
  9. 2 cups buttermilk
  10. 3 cups all-purpose flour
  11. 1 tablespoon dried dill
  12. 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
  13. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  14. 1 teaspoon onion powder
  15. 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
  16. Hot Honey Sauce, recipe follows
  17. 1/4 cup honey
  18. 3 tablespoons salted butter
  19. 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  20. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  21. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine the sugar, vinegar, pickling spices, bay leaf, 1/4 cup salt and 2 cups cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring, until the salt and sugar dissolve. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Remove the brine from the heat and pour it over the ice to cool to room temperature. Add the chicken skin-side down, being sure to keep the chicken submerged. If the chicken is not completely covered in brine, add more cold water. Cover the pot and let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate up to overnight.
  2. When you’re ready to fry the chicken, pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven to reach about a third of the way up the side and deep enough to submerge the chicken. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with wire racks.
  3. Remove the chicken from the brine and place in a large bowl with the buttermilk. Put the flour in a large paper bag. Season the flour with the dill, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and remaining tablespoon salt. A few pieces at a time, transfer the chicken to the bag with the flour and shake well to coat. Place the coated chicken on the wire rack-lined cookie sheet.
  4. Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and the internal temperature measures 165 degrees F, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove to another wire rack-lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven while you cook the rest of the chicken. Let cool slightly before serving with the Hot Honey Sauce.
  5. Stir together the honey, butter, hot sauce, paprika and cayenne in a small saucepot over medium heat. Heat and stir until smooth and all ingredients are combined.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 6 servings
Calories 1635
Total Fat 121 g
Saturated Fat 20 g
Carbohydrates 74 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugar 24 g
Protein 62 g
Cholesterol 306 mg
Sodium 1317 mg

Reviews

Darren Galvan
Delicious!!
Hailey Johnson
WONDER IF I CAN AIR FRY IT??
Jonathan Glenn
So I made this recipe yesterday and I brined my chicken for 4 hours instead of 2, and I soak it in milk rather than buttermilk since I couldn’t find any at the grocery store. I had to season it much more than what the recipe calls for, including cajon seasoning, otherwise it would not have had any flavor.
Overall, the chicken came out very moist and juicy!
Darlene Bass
Yes! Delicious. I make the sauce for a dipping sauce if we go out for chicken. Better than most restaurant sauces. I’m curious as to how long it last in the refrigerator. Any ideas?
Monica Mcdonald
I have not made this recipe yet, because what the recipe calls for and what she actually prepared on tv do NOT match.
ORIGINAL: SHOWN ON TV:
Hot Honey Sauce: Hot Honey Sauce:
1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons salted butter 2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons hot sauce About half bottle of hot sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

It frustrates me when the show instructions and the recipe instructions aren’t the same. I’ve been cooking all of my life, so this is a no brainer, but for new cooks, it could be challenging.

Alexandra Moore
She doesn’t say how long to finish in the oven.
Jennifer Murray
The Best Fried Chicken Recipe! Oh my!!!!
So flavorful and worth the work to make homemade fried chicken! My guests couldn’t get enough.
Tabitha Mendoza
Finally a great fried chicken recipe
Barbara Castillo
This woman right here knows what she’s doing. So juicy and good my Jamaican foster parents cooked it the same exact way and it brought me back home when I tried this again ❤️❤️❤️
Michael Soto
What do the pickling spices consist of?

 

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