Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Sweet Tea-Brined Fried Chicken

A marriage of Southern favorites: The salty-sweet brine of brown sugar and freshly brewed tea infuses this picnic-perfect chicken with juicy flavor before frying. Bonus: The tannins in tea act as a natural tenderizer.

2                  family-size tea bags
1/2               cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4               cup kosher salt
1                  small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1                  lemon, thinly sliced
4                  garlic cloves, halved
1                  tablespoon cracked black pepper
2                  cups ice cubes
1                  (3-1/2 pound) cut-up whole chicken
2                 cups self-rising flour
1                 cup self-rising white cornmeal mix
2                 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2                 teaspoons table salt
1                 teaspoon ground red pepper
                           Vegetable oil
1.        Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a 3-qt. heavy saucepan; add tea bags. Remove from heat; cover and steep 10 minutes.
2.        Discard tea bags. Stir in brown sugar and next 5 ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool completely (about 45 minutes); stir in ice. (Mixture should be cold before adding to chicken.)
3.       Cut chicken breasts in half crosswise. Place tea mixture and all chicken pieces in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal. Place bag in a shallow baking dish, and chill 24 hours.
4.       Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Drain chicken well.
5.     Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Spoon 1 cup flour mixture into a brown paper bag or large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Place one piece of chicken in bag; seal and shake to coat. Remove chicken, and transfer to a wire rack. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, adding more flour mixture to bag as needed. Let chicken stand 30 minutes to form a crust.
6.      Pour oil to depth of 1 1/2 inches into a cast-iron Dutch oven; heat over medium heat to 325°. Fry chicken, in batches, 15 to 22 minutes or until browned and done, turning occasionally. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels.
TIP:
If using a 12-inch-wide (2 1/4-inch-deep) cast-iron skillet, pour oil to depth of 1 inch.


18 comments:

  1. Good morning Nee!
    I was just reading an article about the food trends for 2014 and it said that cooking with tea is brewing. I think your chicken is a perfect example of what tea has to offer. It looks terrific! I'm a little jealous because as you know, the Picnic Game is around the corner and we'll be needing Fried Chicken!!!

    Thank you so much for sharing, Nee...

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    1. Hi Louise , I like to use rubs and brines on meats , so I said why not try chicken ;-D . I have a lot of chicken recipes so bring the game on . Fried Chicken is what you will get , thanks for stopping by :)

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  2. Southern-fried chicken! Yum! A favorite of mine, though this is the first I've heard about the soaking in sweet tea. Usually I have soaked mine in buttermilk. Thanks for sharing, Nee, and thank you for your comments on my blog. xo

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    1. Hi Nellie , I always soaked my chicken in buttermilk until a couple of years a go . I was having vegetables and need the last buttermilk to make cornbread ( to lazy to go to the market ;-D ) I had a recipe where you brine pork , the other white meat and this is what I got , thanks for stopping by :)

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  3. I've never made fried chicken with tea before! Love the idea -- I'll bet the flavor is just wonderful. Definitely something I need to try -- thanks so much.

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  4. Hi John , I was amaze the first time I tried it , you will like it , thanks s much for stopping by :)

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  5. Dear Nee, That sounds like a wonderful, wonderful chicken dish. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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    1. Hi Catherine , thanks and it's delicious , thanks for stopping by .:)

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  6. Dear Nee, this sounds really like a wonderful post. I love fried chicken, and your recipe is really good. There seems to be a trend on using tea within recipes lately. I have read so many articles and many recipes that call for the tea. As a tea lover I really like this. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. Blessings Dottie :)

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    1. Hi Dottie , everyone in my family loves chicken , I can cook it everyday in a different way and they enjoys it , it's fun to keep my kids interested and their food don't hum-dum to them . Thanks for stopping by :)

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  7. Another great way to prepare chicken. I fins chicken wings just irresistible and very addictive :) Thanks for sharing it, will have to save it for the future.

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  8. Hi Medeja , as they say down south , love me some chicken wings ;-D thanks for stopping by .

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  9. Hi Nee,

    This recipe is interesting! Using the acidic tea to tenderize and marinating chicken is such a great idea!

    Zoe

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    1. Hi Zoe , it gives it very tender taste , thanks for dropping by :)

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  10. Huh. I never thought of using tea with my chicken. This sounds fantastic, I LOVE fried chicken :)

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    1. I Cathleen , fast and easy for a teacher on the go . Thanks for stopping by :)

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  11. sounds interesting..looks finger licking good...

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    1. Hi Gloria , as we say here in the south ... the chicken is so good it want to make you slap someone , thanks for stopping by :)

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