Recipe: Fried Sweet Tea Chicken with Sweet-Tea Syrup (and sweet tea brine)

FRIED SWEET TEA CHICKEN WITH SWEET TEA SYRUP
"If you're frying chicken without brining, you're missing a chance to get it flavorful down to the bone. I'm all for crispy and delicious skin being the star, but there are many more bites beneath it, so brining is necessary. It's like the bit of salt in a good chocolate chip cookie. Sure you'll eat one without it, but to have that extra touch is to love it. Brining also keeps it juicy."



FOR THE BRINED CHICKEN:
4 cups sweetened tea
2 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 lemon, halved
1 (4 1/2 to 5 pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces

FOR THE SWEET TEA SYRUP:
2 cups sweetened tea
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and gently chopped

FOR FRYING:
Peanut or vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

TO MAKE THE BRINE:
In a large bowl, whisk together the 4 cups sweetened tea, 2 cups water and 1/2 cup salt until the salt dissolves. Squeeze the lemon halves into the pot, add the halves and the chicken pieces, submerge, and soak for 2 hours at room temperature.

TO MAKE THE SWEET TEA SYRUP:
In a medium pan over medium heat, combine the 2 cups tea, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Simmer until reduced and thickened like syrup. Taste and add a pinch of salt. Stir in the thyme.

PREPARE TO FRY:
In a large pot, heat 6-inches of oil until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cayenne, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.

In a paper bag, shake together the flour, cornstarch, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

Drain the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Dust the chicken in the flour and shake off excess. Dip each piece in the egg, then back in the flour to coat. Set on a wire rack to let the coating sink in for 15 minutes.

FRY THE CHICKEN:
In batches, fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. Remove from the oil and set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Drizzle with the Sweet-Tea Syrup.

Makes 4 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Sunny's Kitchen by Sunny Anderson