Sunny Andersons Fried Sweet Tea Chicken Recipes

SUNNY ANDERSON'S FRIED SWEET TEA CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the brine
• In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups water, the tea and salt until the salt dissolves
• Squeeze the lemon halves into the pot then add them and the chicken pieces to the pot, submerge and soak for 2 hours at room temperature
• Make the syrup
• In a medium pan over medium heat, combine the tea, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice
• Simmer until reduced and thickened like syrup
• Taste and add a pinch of salt
• Stir in the thyme
• Prepare to fry
• In a large pot, heat 6 inches of oil until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 325° F
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cayenne, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper
• Drain the chicken from the brine and pat dry
• Dust the chicken in the flour and shake off excess
• Dip each piece in the egg, then back in the flour to coat
• Set on a wire rack to let the coating sink in for 15 minutes
• Fry the chicken
• In batches, fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece
• Remove from the oil and set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain
• Drizzle with the sweet tea syrup

SUNNY'S GRILLED SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN THIGHS AND RICE

Steps:

• For the marinade: Place a chicken thigh on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and gently pound to even out the thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides and place in a bowl or resealable bag. Repeat with remaining thighs. Add the Jamaican jerk sauce and mix to coat the chicken evenly. Let marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.
• For the rice: Add the rice, chicken stock, Jamaican jerk sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a rice cooker. Cook rice according to rice cooker instructions.
• For the skewers: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Thread 2 skewers on either edge of a chicken thigh, then add an onion followed by another thigh (so the chicken and onions lay flat, not stacked). Repeat with remaining chicken and onions. Place skewers on grill pan and cook 5 minutes, then flip, brush with Jamaican jerk sauce and dome with a large metal bowl. Cook on second side until chicken is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool slightly before removing skewers.
• To serve: Chop the onions. Fluff rice and stir in onions and chopped parsley. Serve with chicken.

SUNNY'S SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH REMAKE

Steps:

• For the marinade/batter: Use kitchen scissors to cut 6 to 7 small horizontal slivers, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep, into each chicken breast, to give them potential for crispies when fried. Set aside.
• Whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce, paprika, a nice pinch of salt and plenty of grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Add to a resealable bag or large bowl along with the chicken and soak for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Bring the chicken to room temperature before frying.
• Heat several inches of oil in a pot or deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry (reserving the marinade), then set aside. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder in a large bowl. Slowly add the marinade liquid while whisking to form a pancake batter consistency. (If you go too far, just add more flour or about 2 tablespoons of water, depending on the texture.) Dust the chicken with some flour, then dunk in the batter to coat. Dust the chicken again with flour, then shake gently and slowly drop into the hot oil. Fry in batches until cooked through and golden on the outside, about 8 minutes. Remove and season with a pinch of salt and rest briefly on a few scrunched paper towels on a plate.
• For the sandwich: Butter both sides of each bun. Toast lightly in a grill pan or in the oven until lightly golden brown and warm, about 2 minutes.
• Stir together the mayonnaise and chipotle in a small bowl. Smear on the cut sides of the bun bottoms, then add the chicken, pickles and the bun tops. Wrap in aluminum foil pouches and let rest for less than 1 minute, then serve.

SUNNY'S CLASSIC BBQ CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the brine and chicken: In a medium pot on high heat, add the tea, 1/4 cup salt and 1 cup water. Cook, stirring, until the salt dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Pour the cooled brine into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken thighs and breasts and refrigerate overnight.
• About 2 hours before grilling, remove the chicken from the bag and pat dry. Let rest on a plate in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours, then at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• For the sauce. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the ketchup, beer, brown sugar, paprika, chile flakes, garlic powder and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat a grill to high heat.
• Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken pieces. Over the direct heat, put the chicken on the grill on what would be the skin side. Grill until the chicken easily releases and there are grill marks, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and move the chicken to the indirect heat area of the grill and brush with the sauce. Cover and grill until cooked through, brushing with the sauce again once or twice, another 6 to 8 minutes.

CIDER-BRINED FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together cider and salt until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and enough water to coat and soak 1 hour in the refrigerator. Chicken should be completely submerged in brine.
• In a large pot, heat vegetable shortening until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 325 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cayenne and black pepper. In a paper bag, shake together flour and cornstarch. Drain chicken from brine and dip in batches first in egg mixture then in flour mixture to coat. Set on wire rack to let coating sit for 10 minutes. In 2 batches, fry chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. Remove from oil to drain on paper towel-lined plate.

SUNNY'S SPICY BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

Steps:

• For the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, gochujang and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour into a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal and massage the bag to coat the chicken; refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Remove the marinated chicken from the bag and shake off the excess marinade. Drop all of the chicken into the flour mixture and toss to coat. Let rest, refrigerated, for 1 hour. Toss again, then rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, followed by 30 minutes at room temperature.
• In a cast-iron pan or deep fryer, add about 2 inches peanut oil and heat to 375 degrees F. Toss the chicken one last time, then shake off the excess flour. In batches, add the chicken gently to the oil and fry until cooked through and the juices run clear, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
• For the waffles: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth, then add the milk, vegetable oil and almond extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients and gently stir the batter with a wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the batter.
• Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Lightly coat the top and bottom of the iron with cooking spray.
• Pour about 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup batter into the waffle iron. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes depending on the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the waffles warm with the fried chicken and maple syrup.

AIRMAN ANDERSON'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, pour in enough oil to fill the pot about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted into the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
• Line a sheet tray with a wire cooling rack. Slice chicken into 2-inch pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cayenne, salt and black pepper to taste. In a paper bag, shake together salt, pepper, flour and cornstarch. Dip the chicken in batches, first in egg mixture, then in the flour mixture and shake to coat. Set on a wire rack and let sit 10 minutes. While chicken is resting, prepare sauce. In a large straight sided saute pan combine orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, butter, hot pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Carefully place chicken in hot oil and fry until golden and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the saute pan with the sauce and toss until evenly coated. Remove to a serving platter and serve on Stormy Rice.
• In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and rice and saute 4 minutes, stirring, so that the rice toasts and the garlic cooks. Add the chicken broth to the rice mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered another 5 minutes. Stir in the peanuts, scallions, and salt and pepper, to taste. Rice can be made 1 day ahead, then warmed and combined with other ingredients before serving.