Crunchy (brined) Fried Chicken

After rain for few days the temperature drop faster than I thought. The sky so grey and still some dark cloud hanging there ready to pour their heavy snow I think.... Well, winter I guess knocking the door already. Even I can see peak of mount  Uludağ(*) already white covered by snow

Well.. what can we do? It's weekend and weekend should be our "go out side" time. But I can not risk my kid for having bad depressingly cold weather before the snow really come. Because as you know how bad the cold air before snowing, it's dry and unpleasant cold.

I knew that we would not "go out side" this weekend, so I prepared to make something that can cheer us up a little. We couldn't eat outside so I made this crunchy fried chicken instead. With fried potatoes and homemade orange juice..well I brought "restaurant" in home ^,^

Make 10 or 12 delicious crunchy chicken 


Ingredients:

• 1,3 kg whole chicken (cut into 10 or 12 pcs) or you can choose just chicken thighs and/ or wings (skin on)
• 1~2 Tbsp smoked paprika powder ( I use sweet one because my kid still can not eat spicy )

For brined the chicken:

• about 1500 ml hot water
• 6 Tbsp sugar
• 7 Tbsp salt

>> dissolved sugar and salt and hot water and let it sit until room temperature 

For crunchy coating:

• about 3 cup of flour (all purpose)
• 3 Tbsp tapioca starch/ potato starch/ corn starch (I use tapioca starch)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• Oil for deep fry (plus 1 Tbsp shortening-optional)
• Egg wash from 1 medium egg beaten with 3/4 cup of water

How to:

1. First you must make the brine and let it sit to cool until it reach room temperature. Do not soak your chicken while it's still warm or even hot! .Wash and drain the chicken then rub entire chicken with paprika powder. Let it stand for 1 or 2 hour.

2. After your brine water reach room temperature, soak all your chicken. I use big bowl with cover. Then refrigerate at least  5 hours or 1 night. So you can make this preparation ahead.

3. Drain and wash your brined chicken. Yes, wash it. Otherwise you will get too salty chicken.

4. Prepare the coating. Mix thoroughly all purpose flour, starch, garlic powder, salt and pepper powder. Meanwhile heat your deep pan with enough cooking oil and shortening on high heat. Deep you chicken piece into egg wash then coat it with flour mixture, make sure you coat under the chicken skin too.

5. Low the heat to medium when the oil reach hot point (I don't have candy thermometer for it, just recognize it when it almost smoky). Fry it in medium heat until it golden red.

Enjoy your very crunchy and delicious inside fried chicken ^,^

(*) Uludağ is big mountain range in Bursa province, Turkey. It's also tourist destination especially for winter holiday.