Honey Dipped Fried Chicken

  Let me begin my saying that I really meant to post this about a month ago...

You see, this peculiar sounding dish was requested a very long time ago by someone very special to me...

For those of you who don't know, for most of the year my boyfriend is over 2,000 miles away at animation school in California. (That's his art at the top, he wanted this dish so badly he even animated it!)

Click here to see even more of Seth's art.

At the moment he happens to be considerably closer but still nowhere near me while he's doing an internship with Blue Sky Studio (think Ice Age and Rio) in Connecticut.

But for a brief window of time at the beginning of summer, we were both in Fort Wayne and so I decided this dish would be the perfect way to celebrate his birthday. I meant to post this on his actual birthday (sorry Seth!) but I was house-sitting and couldn't figure out the Wi-Fi at the time and then life and all its craziness swallowed me up, so I decided to wait until this weekend because July 6th is National Fried Chicken day!
So here you go, enjoy this recipe in honor of the "holiday".

 I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants for this, because honey dipped fried chicken is actually just a line from a movie we watched together a while ago. I think it was The Road to Perdition. It's not even an important scene, but for some reason the villain's order at a tiny road side diner must have stuck in his mind.

So, I learned how to break down a whole chicken (whoop whoop to on-the-fly butcher skills) and learned how to fry said chicken all at once.

As for the honey dipping, well, we tried a few different methods. We thought actually dipping the chicken in a vat of honey might be a little much, so instead we drizzled.

 The results were incredible.

Far better than anyone could have imagined, this dish embodied summer to me. I used a spice rub on the chicken overnight to impart flavor all the way to the bone, then dunked the pieces in a buttermilk/egg wash and finally into seasoned flour. I fried them in my good ole cast iron skillet and they emerged shatteringly crisp with just enough batter.

When doused with warmed honey, the chicken was elevated even further. The earthy, almost grassy sweetness combined with the meaty spicy richness of the chicken took this beyond amazing.

Seth said it was the best he's ever eaten. :)

 So I'm sorry for the delay, but it's finally here and I hope you find it worth the wait. It is a bit time consuming, but believe me when I say that it is the best fried chicken you will ever make!

Take some time out for something a little indulgent and amaze yourself. Have a great week,

Enjoy!

~Maddy

Honey Dipped Fried Chicken

adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 3–4-lb. chicken (not kosher), cut into 10 pieces, backbone and wing tips removed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Peanut oil (for frying)
• Honey (for dipping)

• special equipment:

  A deep-fry thermometer

 

• Whisk 1 Tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Season chicken with spices. Place chicken in a medium bowl, cover, and chill overnight.
• Let chicken stand covered at room temperature for 1 hour. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl. Whisk flour, cornstarch, remaining 1 Tbsp. salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. pepper in a 9x13x2" baking dish.
• Pour oil into a 10"–12" cast-iron skillet or other heavy straight-sided skillet (not nonstick) to a depth of 3/4". Prop deep-fry thermometer in oil so bulb is submerged. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°. Meanwhile, set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet.
• Working with 1 piece at a time (use 1 hand for wet ingredients and the other for dry ingredients), dip chicken in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Dredge in flour mixture; tap against bowl to shake off excess. Place 5 pieces of chicken in skillet. Fry chicken, turning with tongs every 1–2 minutes and adjusting heat to maintain a steady temperature of 300°–325°, until skin is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165°, about 10 minutes for wings and 12 minutes for thighs, legs, and breasts.
• Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet, allowing excess oil to drip back into skillet; transfer chicken to prepared rack.
• Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
  Carefully warm the honey in the microwave or on the stove and serve alongside for dunking or drizzling

Click here for a great primer on perfect fried chicken!