Ambessa Tea-Brined, Double Fried Chicken

Ambessa Tea-Brined, Double Fried Chicken

Serves 4

Just because something is a soul-food classic, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved with a little
tweaking here and there. Here’s some of that tweaking at its best.

What you’ll need:

For brine:

* 8 cups sweetened Safari Breakfast or Earl of Harlem Tea
* 1/2 cup kosher salt
* 10 thyme sprigs
* 1 head of garlic ,halved
* 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
For double-fried hot chicken:
* 4 chicken drumsticks
* 4 chicken thighs
* 3 tbsp. gochujang
* 3 tbsp. sorghum molasses
* 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
* 1/2 cup lard or 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* Canola oil , for frying
* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup Wondra flour
* 1-1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
* About 1 cup seltzer

What to do:

For brine:

1. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of the sweetened Ambessa tea just to a boil.

2. Add the 1/2 cup of kosher salt and stir until dissolved. Add the thyme, halved garlic head, lemon
slices and the remaining 4 cups of sweetened tea and let cool completely, then refrigerate until well
chilled, about 45 minutes.

For double-fried hot chicken:

1. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the 3 garlic cloves with the gochujang, molasses and
cayenne and puree until a past forms. Add the lard and puree until smooth. Season with salt. Scrape
the chile mixture into a very large bowl.

3. In a large saucepan, heat 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees F. Set a rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
Spread 1 cup of the all-purpose flour in a pie plate.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with Wondra flour, cornstarch
and a generous pinch of salt. Whisk in 3/4 cup of seltzer until a thick batter forms, adding more seltzer if needed.

5. Dredge 4 of the chicken pieces in the flour, tap off the excess and transfer to the rack. Dip 1 piece
of chicken at a time in the batter, let the excess drip back into the bowl and add the chicken to the hot
oil. Fry the chicken at 350 degrees F, turning occasionally, until pale golden and crisp, about 8
minutes; transfer the chicken to the rack. Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of chicken.

6. Return the first 4 pieces of chicken to the hot oil and fry at 350 degrees F until golden and an
instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 165 degrees F, 8-10 minutes. Transfer
to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of chicken.

7. Add the 8 pieces of fried chicken to the very large bowl with the chili mixture and toss to coat.
Transfer the chicken to a platter and serve right away.