A Fourth of July Favorite

For moist and flavorful fried chicken, try some special treatment.

More on:

• Family Dinner
• Party Planning
• Family Lunch
• Fourth of July

John T. Edge looks forward to the Fourth of July with the fervor of a Founding Father. After all, it's the only day that picnics are a patriotic duty, says the man who has spent a decade studying American identity through food.

Each spring, John T., director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture in Oxford, Mississippi, begins planning his annual American picnic. On the menu: food icons such as fried chicken, burgers, coleslaw, potato salad and pie. He's written 13 books so far, including <Fried Chicken: An American Story. The center of any picnic? Cold fried chicken. And this recipe from John Fleer, chef at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, beats all.

John Fleer's Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken

You Will Need
8 chicken leg quarters

Brine
1 quart brewed tea, double strength
1 lemon, zested, quartered
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt

Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups masa harina (fine cornmeal)
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups buttermilk
1 quart vegetable oil


What to Do
1. Mix brine ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes, until sugar and salt dissolve. Add 1 quart ice water. Submerge chicken for 48 hours, refrigerated. Drain.

2. Mix flour, masa harina, Old Bay, chili powder, salt and pepper in large bowl. Soak chicken in buttermilk in medium bowl, 2 minutes. Remove, draining off excess liquid. Coat chicken in masa harina mixture. Let sit 30 minutes before frying.

3. Heat oil to 325°F. Fry chicken, fully covered in oil, 15 minutes (big pieces may need more time; small pieces, less). Cool; refrigerate overnight.

Serves 4


Get more picnic recipes.

From Reader's Digest - July 2006

 

• Picnic the Healthy Way
• 17 ways to go beyond fried chicken and potato salad
• 
• Food Safety in the Summer Heat
• Don't let your picnic be ruined by dangerous pathogens
• 
• Take the Party Outdoors
• Turn your outdoor bash into a fun-filled affair!
• 
• Summer Grilling Recipes
• Delicious, summer recipes for burgers, kabobs, seafood, sides and desserts.
• 
• Cooking With Molly O'Neill
• The best-selling cookbook author shares her recipes.
• 

Sponsored Links