For a vinegary tang with just the right amount of heat, we reached for Crystal Hot Sauce for this fried chicken.
Louisiana-Nashville Hot Honey Chicken
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
CHICKEN
- ¾ cup whole buttermilk
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce*
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- Vegetable oil, for frying
SAUCE
- ⅓ cup honey ¼ cup hot sauce* 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- For chicken: In a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pickle juice, and hot sauce. Add chicken; cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. Let chicken stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- In a shallow dish, stir together flour, salt, onion powder, and Cajun seasoning. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, gently pressing to adhere coating. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, pour oil to a depth of ½ inch, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°.
- Fry chicken in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°, about 6 minutes. (Let oil return to 350° between batches.) Remove from oil, and let drain on paper towels. Season to taste with salt. Reserve 1 tablespoon cooking oil from skillet for sauce.
- For sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, hot sauce, vinegar, paprika, and salt. Whisk in reserved 1 tablespoon oil in a slow, steady stream. Drizzle onto chicken.
