Pan Fried Chicken with Berbere Hot Honey
PREP DETAILS
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Berbere Hot Honey
½ cup honey
1 heaping tbsp berbere
Chicken Brine
4 chicken leg quarters
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp thyme leaves
2 tsp whole black peppercorn
Chicken Dredge & Fry
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 cup powdered panko
½ cup cornstarch
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp berbere
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 ½ quarts vegetable oil
1 large stalk of rosemary
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Berbere Hot Honey, to serve
DIRECTIONS
Berbere Hot Honey
In a small bowl, combine honey and berbere. Set aside.
Chicken Brine
In a large container, combine all ingredients, except the chicken, until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Add chicken legs and transfer the container to the refrigerator. Brine overnight, or up to 12 hours.
Chicken Dredge & Fry
Remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry, and transfer to a large bowl. Pour over buttermilk and let marinade for an hour at room temperature.
In the meantime, make the dredge. To do so, mix all the ingredients, except the oil, in a bowl large enough to comfortably fit the chicken quarters.
Pour the oil into a large cast iron pan. Toss in the rosemary and garlic cloves and slowly heat the oil to 350 degrees, removing the rosemary once it’s crispy and garlic once golden. Once cooled, press the softened garlic out of the skins and set aside with the crispy rosemary leaves.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and let drip dry for a few seconds. Transfer to the dredge and evenly coat, shaking off any excess. Once coated, carefully transfer to the oil and fry for 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the chicken and let rest for about 5 minutes. After resting, transfer the chicken back to the oil and let cook for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is a deep golden brown and fully cooked through.
When the chicken is fully cooked, transfer to a bowl along with the crispy rosemary leaves and fried garlic cloves. Drizzle everything with the hot honey and 2 tablespoons of reserved frying oil over the chicken. Toss to evenly coat.