IDEAS IN FOOD: Fried Chicken Project

Chicken Thigh Nuggets

As we get closer to opening the new shop in Virginia, we have begun revisiting our fried chicken. It dawned on us that we really like chicken nuggets so perhaps we should entertain the idea. Our first run was using buttermilk brined chicken thighs, cut into nuggets, dredged in a blend of cornstarch and rice crumbs, and fried in sunflower seed oil. The first run proved to be an idea avalanche, the result of many first drafts. Besides a want to improve the breading it reminded us of our many staple condiments from cherry pepper caramel sauce to ginger-ketchup as necessary additions to fried chicken.

Years Past

October 5, 2015

October 5, 2012

October 5, 2005

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Posted on October 05, 2019 at 05:00 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Fried Chicken Project | Permalink | Comments (0)

Smoke and Buttermilk Brine

For our fried chicken project we score chicken thighs and bath them in a smoked buttermilk brine. They sit in the brine for 24ish hours. We remove them from the brine and dredge them in our new dredge: masa and potato starch. We lay the dredged thighs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and wrap them in plastic wrap. We refrigerate the thighs overnight, allowing the starches to hydrate and adhere to the chicken. We fry our thighs for 3 minutes at 375°F.

Smoke-Buttermilk-Pickle Brine

1000 grams buttermilk

500 grams pickle brine

120 grams Crystal Hot Sauce

40 grams liquid smoke

35 grams salt

Put the buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, liquid smoke and salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to combine and dissolve the salt. Submerge scored chicken thighs in the brine and refrigerate the chicken in brine for 24 hours.

Years Past

March 12, 2015

March 12, 2014

March 12, 2013

March 12, 2012

March 12, 2011

March 12, 2010

March 12, 2009

March 12, 2008

March 12, 2008 (2)

March 12,2007

March 12, 2007 (2)

March 12, 2006

March 12, 2005

March 12, 2005 (2)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 12, 2016 at 06:54 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Fried Chicken Project | Permalink | Comments (0)

Potato Starch and Masa: our new dredge

For our fried chicken project at Curiosity Doughnuts we updated our chicken breading, really a dredge. We coat the pickle and smoke infused buttermilk brined chicken thighs in a blend of equal parts instant masa and potato starch that is seasoned with 1% salt. The result, after frying, is an extremely crispy corn flavored crust. The chicken remains moist and succulent. Even after applying our black lime honey caramel to the chicken it keeps its crackling crunch.