Chef notes
This is a real showstopper for your dinner party. It's one of those dishes that exemplifies why I love New Orleans food so much.
Technique tip: Use a timer and make sure chicken is room temperature before frying.
Swap option: Use any of your favorite seasoning blends to season.
Special equipment: Strainer to remove chicken from oil; 2-gallon capacity pot so you have plenty of room for chicken and oil. Alternatively, you can use an outdoor turkey fryer. Attach a candy thermometer to oil pot.
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 6 cups water
- 1/3 cup salt
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 whole broiler chicken
- 7 cups buttermilk
- 9 extra large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
- 5 cups bread flour, such as King Arthur
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup fresh picked parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 small nub ginger, thinly sliced
- 1⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons, zested
- chili crisp
- honey
- sliced lemon
- Persillade Dipping Sauce (recipe above)
Preparation
For the chicken brine:
1.In a large sauce pot, sweat onion, garlic and rosemary in canola oil over high heat.
2.Once the vegetables start to soften, add water, salt and lemon juice, and bring to a simmer until salt dissolves.
3.Once cooked, remove brine from heat and allow it to come to room temperature.
4.Place chicken in a large sealable container and cover with brine until immersed. Weigh down with a plate to ensure chicken is fully submerged.
5.Place chicken in the refrigerator overnight.
6.Remove chicken from the refrigerator and remove from brine and allow to come to room temperature for about 1½ hours.
7.While the chicken is resting, bring a large pot full of oil up to 335 F.
For the buttermilk soak:
In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients until well-combined. Set aside.
For the chicken dredge:
In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients until well-combined. Set aside.
For the persillade dipping sauce:
Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend, making sure to scrape down the sides to incorporate all parsley. Make sure the mixture is very finely blended so there are no chunks of garlic.
To cook:
Once chicken is at room temperature, dunk in buttermilk soak, shake off excess and toss in the dredge mixture.
Fry at 335 F (25 minutes for a whole chicken, or 10 minutes for chicken pieces) and remove from oil to drain on a towel. Temp the chicken to ensure doneness (breast should be about 150 F degrees; leg meat should be about 185 F).
To serve:
1.Plate with any garnishes you choose, including chili crisp, honey or lemon slices dressed with Creole seasoning on a platter for presentation.
2.When carving the chicken, use a knife to cut around the thigh on both sides. Remove the back of the chicken and cut off the wings. Cut the breasts in half through the bone. Place on a smaller plate with rosemary and lemon.
3.Offer selection of dipping sauces, including the Persillade Dipping Sauce, along with the chicken, as desired.