Cooking Lesson #54— Nashville “HOT” Country Fried Chicken

Nasvhille "HOT" Fried Chicken

How you doin’? The Nashvillians are coming! And that’s a good thing if you really “need” some hot fried chicken. I can’t quite remember when the invasion started in SoCal, but several restaurants popped up selling Nashville “Hot” Fried Chicken at almost the same time. This chicken is not just good, it is addictive… it has that “come back flavor” you crave. One of the best hot chicken joints I’ve found is the country-style chicken at Howlin’ Rays.
 
Growing up in Los Angeles, Johnny “Ray” Zone paid his dues. He worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens around under chefs such as Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay and Nobu Matsuhisa and he learned how to cook a chicken. It wasn’t until a trip to Nashville, though, that Johnny created the Howlin’ Ray’s hot chicken concept.
 
Some of the hot chicken restaurants don’t give you a choice on how hot is hot. At Ray’s you have a choice--Country, no heat; Mild, brush of heat; Medium, feel the burn; Hot, burn, baby, burn: X-Hot, you've been warned and Howlin', can't touch this 10++  
 
Now with all the time on our hands you can make your own Nashville “Hot” chicken and you can control the amount of heat yourself. Here’s how to give it a start. So, let’s get started.
 
          This recipe will yield a "Medium" hot result... adjust the spices and hot sauce to your liking.

Prep time:  20 minutes
Marinate time: overnight or up to 24 hours
Fry time: 15-20 minutes
Rest time: 15 minutes
 
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (3–4-pounds), patted dry and quartered
 
To make the dry rub
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
 
To make the batter
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Peanut oil, for frying (enough so that the pieces are under the oil when frying)
 
Directions
 To marinate the chicken

1. The day before you are planning to fry up the chicken, marinate the chicken with dry rub. In a mixing bowl, combine the kosher salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and white pepper.
2. Toss the chicken quarters in the spice blend to make sure they are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours.

To fry the chicken

1. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to fry it. You don't want to have it go from the refrigerator to the fryer directly, or it will burn on the outside and before it is cooked through.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the milk and hot sauce together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
4. Dip the dry-rubbed chicken in the milk/hot sauce mixture; shake off any excess.
5. Then dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 so the chicken will be double-dipped and double-dredged.
7. Choose a large enough pan to accommodate all the pieces you are going to fry at one time. You can always cook them in batches, one or two pieces at a time. The chicken will cook more quickly if fewer pieces are cooked together in the pan.
8. Pour enough peanut oil in the pan to ensure the chicken will be under the oil while frying. Heat the peanut oil to 325ºF. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Set a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
9. Working in batches, carefully lower the chicken pieces into the hot oil and fry until crisp; see ChefSecret for time and temperatures for doneness.
10. Cook with the lid on the pan for the first 12 minutes. Turn the pieces about mid-way through cooking.
11. Remove the chicken from the oil and transfer to the rack to drain.
12. Let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes after frying to set the juices.

 
ChefSecret:  It’s always best to use a food thermometer to check for doneness.

• Breast quarters should take about 15 to 17 minutes to reach 160ºF at their thickest point.
• Leg quarters should take about 18 to 20 minutes to reach 165ºF.
• Because the breast quarters are thicker, they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oil; that is why we suggest removing them from the pan at 160ºF. If you are concerned about under-cooking, go ahead and cook until 165ºF.

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