Tea Brined Buttermilk Fried Chicken And Gravy Recipes

TEA-BRINED BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN AND GRAVY

Steps:

• For the brine:
• 1. Put the water in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the stove, add the tea bags, and let them steep for 8 minutes.
• 2. Remove the tea bags, or strain the liquid if you used loose tea. Add the salt and sugar to the hot water and stir to dissolve them. Pour the brine into a heatproof container and cool it to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely cold.
• 3. Rinse the chicken with cold water. Place in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 12 hours. After the chicken has spent 12 hours in the brine, make an ice bath in a large bowl with equal amounts of ice and water. Place the chicken in the ice bath for 5 minutes. (The ice will rinse away any impurities.) Remove the chicken and pat it dry.
• 4. Combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, and 1 tablespoon of the black pepper in a large container. Add the chicken pieces to the buttermilk mixture, cover, and let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
• 5. While the chicken is marinating, put the chicken skins in a small saucepan over very low heat, adding a small amount of water to prevent the skins from sticking and burning. Cook the skins, stirring frequently so that they don't burn, until their fat is rendered. Strain the fat; you need 1 cup.
• 6. Drain the chicken, quickly rinse under cold water, and pat dry.
• 7. Combine the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and toss to coat thoroughly. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes, then shake off any excess, transfer the chicken to a wire rack, and let sit for 15 minutes.
• 8. Meanwhile, put the chicken fat, lard, and canola oil in a large, deep cast-iron skillet. Add the bacon and ham and heat the fats over medium-high heat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the fat reads 275°F. Turn the heat off and allow the bacon and ham to infuse the fats and oil for 10 minutes.
• 9. With a skimmer or slotted spoon, remove the bacon and ham from the skillet (discard them or eat as a snack). Set up a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels, or place a wire rack over the sheet and place alongside the stove. Heat the oil to 300°F. Add the breasts and thighs and cook for 3 minutes. Add the legs and wings and cook for 5 minutes more. (Remove the fat needed for the gravy at this point and start the gravy.)
• 10. Turn the chicken over, cover the skillet, and cook until the pieces of chicken are the color of hay, about another 5 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the pieces again, cover, and cook the chicken until golden brown, another 3 minutes. Add the butter and continue cooking, turning the pieces once, for another 2 minutes or so on each side. The chicken should be crispy and golden brown. Let the chicken rest and drain on wire racks or on a plate covered with paper towels for about 8 minutes, but no longer.
• 11. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with the gravy.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour buttermilk over; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Drain chicken pieces; add to flour mixture, one at a time, and shake to coat. Shake off excess; let stand on waxed paper for 15 minutes before frying. , Heat 1/8 to 1/4 in. of oil in a large skillet; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, for 40-45 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is tender. Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove chicken; drain on paper towels and keep warm. , Drain all but 1/4 cup drippings from skillet; stir in flour until blended. Gradually add milk, then 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add remaining water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken.

SWEET TEA BRINED FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• To make the brine: Zest, then quarter the lemon. Put the lemon zest and quarters in a saucepan. Add the tea, sugar, and salt. Simmer the mixture over medium-high heat until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 1 quart of ice water and the chicken. Brine the chicken in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Drain the chicken and blot dry.
• Combine 2 cups flour, the masa harina, crab boil seasoning, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the 8 eggs with the buttermilk. Put the remaining 2 cups of flour in a third bowl.
• Prepare a breading station by lining up the bowl of flour, then the bowl containing the egg and buttermilk mixture, and finally the bowl of seasoned crust mixture. Roll the chicken in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the crust then put the legs and thighs in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Fill a large deep pan with enough oil to completely submerge the chicken. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 300 degrees F. Add the chicken and cook until it is golden and the juices run clear, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain the chicken on a rack then serve.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large flat dish.
• Pour buttermilk over chicken and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a double-strength paper bag.
• Drain chicken and toss pieces one at a time in the flour mixture.
• Shake off excess and place on waxed paper for 15 minutes.
• Heat 1/8 to 1/4 inch of oil in a skillet.
• Fry chicken until browned on all sides.
• Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes, or until juices run clear.
• Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer.
• Remove chicken and keep warm.
• Drain all about 1/4 cup drippings and stir in flour until bubbly.
• Add milk and 1 1/2 cups water.
• Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
• Cook 1 minute more.
• Add remaining water if needed.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve with chicken.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Use kitchen shears to cut off any excess skin from the chicken thighs. Finely chop the skin and refrigerate. Use a sharp paring knife to cut around the bone in each of the thighs and remove.
• Whisk together the buttermilk, a pinch salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the boneless chicken thighs and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
• Once the chicken has marinated, make the gravy. Combine the chicken broth, whole milk and thyme in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid.
• Meanwhile, put the olive oil and chicken skin in a large high-sided skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the fat from the skin has rendered and the is skin is browned in spots, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt and a couple grinds of pepper and cook until tender, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk mixture and bring the liquid up to a strong simmer, increasing the heat if needed. Cook until thickened to the consistency of gravy, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Remove and discard the thyme. Cover with a lid to keep warm while you fry the chicken.
• Fill a large Dutch oven a little less than halfway with vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Fit a baking sheet with a wire cooling rack.
• Whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, the cornstarch and Cajun seasoning in a medium bowl. One by one, remove the chicken thighs from the buttermilk marinade, allowing any excess to drip away, then dredge in the seasoned flour until completely coated.
• When the oil is hot, fry the chicken in batches of 2 to 3 pieces until golden brown and the internal temperature is 165 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes total, carefully turning the chicken once halfway through the cooking time. Transfer the fried chicken to the cooling rack. Allow the oil to return to 350 degrees F in between each batch.
• Serve immediately with the gravy. If the gravy thickens too much as it sits, whisk in additional chicken broth to thin the gravy out to your liking.