Morgan's Hot Fried Chicken

Name: Morgan's Hot Fried Chicken
Prep time: 3 h 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 3 h 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 150g fine salt; 1.5L water; 1 kg (2.2 lbs) chicken wings; peanut oil, for deep frying; chicken salt seasoning, sweet and spicy pickles, thick sliced white bread, to serve; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground dried bay leaf; ½ tsp ground sage; ½ tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp sweet paprika; ½ tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp ground cloves; ½ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp ground cardamom; 150g (1 cup) plain flour; 75g (½ cup) potato starch; 100g (½ cup) rice flour; 100g each pork lard, bacon fat, ghee, unsalted butter; 100ml peanut oil; 1½ tbsp cayenne pepper; 2 tbsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp onion powder; ½ tsp garlic powder; 1 tbsp fine MSG; 1 tbsp fine salt; freshly ground white pepper; 1 tbsp sweet paprika; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp fine sea salt

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Morgan's Hot Fried Chicken

Ingredient Notes

The Flour Daddy blend:

The combination of plain flour, potato starch, and rice flour gives you a lighter, crispier crust than using plain flour on its own. Potato starch contributes to a fine, delicate texture; rice flour adds crunch and stays crisp longer after frying. The spices are mixed directly into the flour blend so the seasoning is carried through the entire coating rather than just applied on top.

Masala dip fats:

The masala dip uses a combination of pork lard, bacon fat, ghee, unsalted butter, and peanut oil. Each fat contributes something different: the lard and bacon fat add a savoury, pork-forward depth; the ghee and butter add richness. Sourcing all four from a butcher or specialty food store is worth it. If you can’t find them, you can slowly render your own pork and bacon fat from scratch, or use a combination of ghee and butter as a simpler substitute.

Gochugaru:

Korean dried chilli flakes with a fruity, moderately hot flavour and a deep red colour. They’re coarser than most ground chilli powders and add a different kind of heat to the Nashville spice mix than cayenne alone. Available at Asian grocery stores and increasingly in major supermarkets. If you can’t find them, substitute with an equal amount of mild chilli flakes, though the flavour won’t be quite the same.

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Ingredients

150g fine salt
1.5L water
1 kg (2.2 lbs) chicken wings
peanut oil, for deep frying
chicken salt seasoning, sweet and spicy pickles, thick sliced white bread, to serve

FLOUR DADDY

1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground dried bay leaf
½ tsp ground sage
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cardamom
150g (1 cup) plain flour
75g (½ cup) potato starch
100g (½ cup) rice flour

MASALA DIP

100g each pork lard, bacon fat, ghee, unsalted butter
100ml peanut oil
1½ tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp smoked paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp fine MSG
1 tbsp fine salt
freshly ground white pepper

NASHVILLE SPICE MIX (SPICY)

1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp Gochugaru
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli powder
freshly cracked white pepper

Equipment

Large bowl (for brine)
Large zip-lock bag (for coating)
Wire rack and tray
Medium saucepan (for masala dip)
Small bowl (for Nashville spice mix)
Shaker jar
Deep frying pan or wide saucepan
Thermometer

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Directions

BRINE THE CHICKEN

Combine fine salt and water in a large bowl and mix until salt dissolves. Add chicken wings and stir to coat and submerge in liquid, then refrigerate for 2½ hours to brine.

PREP THE FLOUR DADDY

Mix all the spices and flours in a large bowl until well combined. Transfer half the mixture to a large bag.
Drain the chicken from the brine and add to the bag in batches, tossing and moving around to coat the chicken completely.
Transfer chicken to a rack over a tray and leave to rest for 1-2 hours at room temperature, to allow the glutens to absorb the moisture in the chicken.

MAKE THE MASALA DIP

Combine the peanut oil, pork lard, bacon fat and ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat until 180°C (356°F).
Combine the cayenne, paprika, onion and garlic powders, MSG, salt and white pepper. Mix until well combined.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the spices, then the butter, taking care to not let it bubble over the top of the saucepan.

PREP THE NASHVILLE SPICE MIX

Combine all the spices in a medium bowl and mix well.
Transfer to a shaker jar and set aside.

COOK AND ENJOY!

Return chicken back to the bag with the remaining Flour Daddy mixture and toss to coat again.
Heat peanut oil to 180°C in a deep frying pan.
Cook chicken, in batches for 7 ½ minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a large bowl and season with some salt.
Drizzle with some of the masala dip and a sprinkle of the spice mix and toss well to coat. Add more spice mix and some chicken salt seasoning.
Serve chicken with fresh white bread and pickles.

Notes

Recipe origins

This is Morgan's recipe that he has developed with Sean Brock while living in the USA and we are very grateful for him sharing it with us.

Cook support

If you're cooking chicken and you know that your domestic stove isn't particularly hot, then it might be worth taking your oil up to 190°C or 200°C. That way, when you put the chicken in and the temperature drops, it won't drop too much below 180°C. But once it's in there, make sure you keep it at 180°C and it doesn't climb too much above that again.

Brining times

Brining the chicken is an essential step to ensure even seasoning throughout the chicken and not just in the coating. Here is a guide to brining times for each cut; chicken tenders - 1.5 hrs, wings - 2.5 hrs, dark meat - 4 hrs.

Sourcing

The lards and fats listed in the Masala dip can be sourced from your butcher or speciality food store. Or you could slowly render down both pork and bacon fat to make your own.

Substitutions

You could use chicken legs and wings with this recipe if you like. If you can’t find all the spices in your supermarket, they can be sourced from Asian Grocers or specialty food stores.

Storage

This is best eaten straight after cooking, but if you need to reheat to serve, it is best to place the chicken on a wire rack over a tray and heat in a hot oven. The Masala dip can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Make sure you reheat this slowly though to avoid burning the spices.

Serving ideas

You could serve this with a salad or lightly dressed coleslaw and some mashed potato instead of bread if you like.

Spice level

I would give this spice level a medium. If you want it less or more spicy, just adjust the levels of cayenne pepper and chilli powder in the Nashville spice mix. Or, put less/more of the spice mix on the chicken.