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The Fried Chicken 100 · make it at home

Nashville hot chicken on white bread with pickles

Overnight brine, 1 hr · 4

Fried chicken painted while it's hot with a paste of cayenne, brown sugar and spices loosened with the frying fat itself. Served on white bread that soaks up the red oil, with pickle chips to cool you down.

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The real one

You need

• 1.2 kg (2 1/2 lb) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks (or 8 boneless thighs)
• For the brine: 500 ml (2 cups) buttermilk, 2 tbsp hot sauce, 1 tbsp fine salt, 1 tsp cayenne
• For the dredge: 250 g (2 cups) plain flour, 2 tsp fine salt, 2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder
• About 2 liters (2 quarts) peanut oil or lard, for frying
• For the hot paste: 2 to 4 tbsp cayenne (2 for medium, 4 for hot), 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp fine salt
• To serve: 4 slices soft white bread, dill pickle chips

How to make it

1. Brine (8 to 24 hr): Mix the buttermilk, hot sauce, salt and cayenne, add the chicken and refrigerate overnight.
2. Dredge (10 min): Mix the dredge in a wide dish and work in 2 tbsp of the brine with your fingers for craggy bits. Coat each piece firmly, then rest on a rack 10 minutes.
3. Fry (12 to 15 min a batch): Heat 4 cm (1 1/2 in) oil in a heavy pot to 175°C (350°F). Fry 4 pieces at a time, holding the oil at 160°C (325°F), 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden and 80°C (175°F) at the bone (boneless thighs take 7 to 8 minutes). Drain on a rack.
4. Make the paste (2 min): Put the cayenne, sugar and spices in a heatproof bowl. Carefully ladle in 120 ml (1/2 cup) of the hot frying oil and stir: it should sizzle and turn into a glossy red paste. Taste for salt.
5. Paint and serve (2 min): Brush the paste generously over every side of the hot chicken. Lay each piece on a slice of white bread and top with pickle chips. Eat at once, with plenty of napkins.

Tips

• Start at 2 tablespoons of cayenne; you can always paint on more.
• Wear gloves if you're handling a lot of cayenne, and don't touch your eyes.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any restaurant's recipe.