Coke-Brined Fried Chicken

Name: Coke-Brined Fried Chicken
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: southern
Ingredients: 5 cups Coca-Cola; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 10 sprigs fresh thyme; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced; 4 teaspoons mild hot sauce like Crystal, Texas Pete or Cholula; 8 to 12 chicken thighs, preferably free-range, organic; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 2 teaspoons ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika; 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder; 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 3 cups peanut oil; 1 cup lard, optional, or replace with peanut oil; Hot sauce

By Sam Sifton

Total Time: 1 hour, plus 3 to 5 hours’ brining
Rating: 4(516)
Comments: Read comments

John Currence, of City Grocery in Oxford, Miss., spent a long time in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit, and was justly celebrated for his hard work there helping to rebuild a cathedral of Southern fried chicken, Willie Mae’s Scotch House. In his 2013 cookbook, “Pickles, Pigs and Whiskey,” Currence paid tribute to the wet batter used on Willie Mae’s legendary dish. But for the purpose of weekend chicken warriors we have omitted it in our adaptation of his homage, concentrating instead on Currence’s use of a Coke-based poultry brine that not only adds some sweetness to the chicken thighs he uses but mildly tenderizes them along the way. Let the meat sit in the brine for a few hours before using, but not so long as overnight, where it really begins to break down. Then dry the thighs, dredge them in seasoned flour, and fry in peanut oil, ideally enhanced by lard. The result is mahogany-brown chicken with a crisp crust and a luscious interior.

Featured in: All This and a Bag of Chips

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

For the Brine

5cups Coca-Cola
1tablespoon kosher salt
10sprigs fresh thyme
4cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
4teaspoons mild hot sauce like Crystal, Texas Pete or Cholula
8 to 12chicken thighs, preferably free-range, organic

For the Seasoned Flour

3cups all-purpose flour
1tablespoon kosher salt
2teaspoons ground black pepper
2teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1½teaspoons garlic powder
1½teaspoons onion powder
1teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Frying

3cups peanut oil
1cup lard, optional, or replace with peanut oil

For Serving

Hot sauce

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the brine: Combine cola, salt, thyme, garlic and hot sauce in a large metal bowl and stir until the salt has dissolved. Add the chicken thighs, cover and refrigerate 3 to 5 hours.
Step 2
Make the seasoned flour: In a wide, shallow bowl or pan, combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.
Step 3
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the peanut oil in a large heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until it reaches 375 degrees on a candy thermometer. While the oil heats, remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Dredge the thighs in the flour and shake to remove excess.
Step 4
Working in batches of 2 or 3 at a time, carefully lower thighs into the hot oil. The oil temperature will plummet when the cold chicken goes into the pan; turn up the heat and carefully monitor the temperature. Cook for a little more than 3 minutes on one side, a little more than 3 minutes on the other, and then a final 3 minutes on the first side. Remove to a wire rack or paper towel to drain.
Step 5
The juices should run clear when the chicken is poked with a knife. If necessary, transfer the browned chicken to a baking sheet and bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a instant-read thermometer. Serve hot or at room temperature with hot sauce.

Ratings

4 out of 5

516 user ratings

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Comments

Susin7 years ago

Can we use this recipe with chicken breasts? How long would we marinate them for?

Glen7 years ago

I dated a food writer. She said the proper method is to hand a recipe to two people without additional comment. They should be able to recreate the recipe perfectly.

"Is that what you do?"

"Naw... we don't have time. So if I cook a cake for 30 minutes and it burns, I'll just knock five minutes off the printed time. No one really cooks those recipes; they just like to read them."

"What? I follow the recipe like the Bible! When it states 30 minutes..."

GG7 years ago

Why are you heating the oven to 350 degrees?

Cole K.5 months ago

Definitely need to dredge a second time, ideally after dipping in an egg wash. If you pat the chicken dry and dredge it through the flour once, you'll barely have any crust.

Gabe L.2 years ago

Family will never go back to chick-fil-a. Have now made this 5 times. Important to make sure your oil gets up to heat which does take a while. I now fry outside using my propane powered paella burner. My substitutions were garlic powder and dry thyme from my spice rack for the marinade as I am usually pressed for time. TASTES JUST AS GOOD as fresh garlic and thyme. Dress the sandwiches up just like the fast food outlet. Other than the oil disposal afterwards this is REALLY easy.

Diana3 years ago

I am glad I read all comments before starting my mise. Some commenters asked why use the oven, but no one responded. The reason is in case the chicken is not quite done (at 165F on an instant read thermometer) when chicken is removed to a wire rack to cool, in which case it should be put in a baking sheet in the oven. I have 2 oven thermometers, my oven is old & one side is slightly warmer. I would check chicken again after 5 to 10 mins in oven. I will cook next week and report back.

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