WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Creole fried chicken recipes should turn out meat that is deeply seasoned with the complex, lively heat of black, white, and cayenne pepper. Soaking the chicken in a brine of salt, sugar, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce seasoned the chicken down to the bone. We built depth of flavor in our Creole Fried Chicken with a three-step approach: After brining, a sprinkling of our Creole seasoning on raw chicken added flavor without the dusty saltiness of packaged spice blends; the seasoning also lent a potent punch to the chicken’s flour coating; and for a peppery finish, we sprinkled the hot chicken with more seasoning when it came out of the oil. Before frying, we rolled the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour not once, but twice—the extra coating produced a crisp, substantial, craggy crust. Using a clip-on candy/deep-fry thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil before we started and while the chicken was cooking ensured the oil was always at the correct temperature.

• 1 whole Chicken
• 3 quarts Peanut Oil

Brine

• 1 qt Water
• 2 Tbsp Salt
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 Tbsp Tabasco
• 1Tbsp Garlic Powder

Seasoning Blend

• 1 Tbsp Black Pepper
• 2 tsp Cayenne
• 1 tsp White Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Celery Salt
• 1 Tbsp Oregano (dried)

1. Brine the Chicken: Brine chicken for 1-8 hours in refrigerator covered w/saran wrap
2. Drain brine
3. Bread the Chicken: Whisk together seasoning ingredients, reserve 1/4 cup
4. 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
5. Whisk together
6. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp of reserved spice on chicken, and toss to coat
7. Dredge in flour, let rest on grate
8. Fry the Chicken: Heat oil to 370
9. Re-dredge chicken right before frying
10. Fry in two batches
11. Temp will drop to 320-330, which is ok
12. Repeat for 2nd batch
13. Drain on rack
14. Sprinkle on remaining spice

• To ensure even cooking, breasts should be halved crosswise and leg quarters separated into thighs and drumsticks.
• We prefer the brash flavor of Louisiana’s own Tabasco sauce in this recipe, but any hot sauce will work.
• In step 1, do not soak the chicken longer than 8 hours, or it will be too salty.