Source
r/Cooking•
Capsluck

How do I get actually spicy fried chicken?

I love heat, and I know spice tolerance is different for everyone, but for those of you who can really take the heat, how have you solved spicy fried chicken?

I don't want to smother the chicken in a sauce, I want the chicken spicy straight out of the fryer.

Currently I add a lot of spice to the flour dredge, but I find it very wasteful of some pretty expensive spice since most of it goes to waste.

I also add my favorite hot sauce to the wet ingredients (a habanero-reaper blend), but even that doesn't seem to really amp up the spice.

Do you have any tricks?

Posted Nov 13, 2020, 8:32 PM UTC

218
[deleted]•

what are these expensive spices you are using? spiciness does not come from pricy ingredients. for example black pepper is an inexpensive spice that people usually overlook but can add a lot of spiciness too dishes

6
CapsluckOP•

It's just cayenne, but where I am it's almost $12/100g. A recipe I followed suggested mixing the cayenne in with the flour dredge, 1 part cayenne, 2 parts flour, which is basically 1/4 cup of cayenne.

1
bolaobo•

Where are the hell are you shopping? Even Whole Foods has cayenne cheaper than that.

It's a dried spice and you can order online.

3
gruntothesmitey•

Right after you dip them in buttermilk (or whatever) apply the spice directly to the pieces. Then do the flour dredge.

5
bongsandbutter•

I second this.

Also helps to do this with the salt, it ensures an even distribution on the chicken as opposed to it getting lost in the flower dredge

2
CapsluckOP•

Gotcha, so this would protect the spice from the heat as well. I wonder if contact with the hot oil is somehow messing with the spice when it's in the flour?

1
gruntothesmitey•

That I couldn't tell you. If anything, I'd think the heat would intensify the spiciness, like when you toast spies for curry or something.

1
Sans_0701•

Try separating some of the spice you add to the flour (or a different spice mix) and saving it to toss the chicken in right out of the fryer or sprinkle some on. Its not quite ready to eat out of the fryer but less work and mess than a sauce, it might add that that extra kick you’re looking for.

3
dano___•

Toss them in a spicy powdered spice blend right after they’re done frying?

2
a-la-brasa•

Add more cayenne (or other powdered spicy chili) to the flour dredge. I mean sure you may not use every last bit of flour, but like...cayenne is pretty cheap. Not an "expensive spice."

Otherwise, nashville hot chicken is a good thing to try. You essentially make a chili oil with some of the hot fry oil, and sauce the finished chicken with it. Because it's an oil, it doesn't make the chicken wet or soggy like typical sauces would.

2
Eglantine26•

The traditional Nashville Hot Chicken technique is to mix the spices with some hot frying oil and coat the fried chicken with the hot oil and spice mixture after frying.

1
CapsluckOP•

That's an interesting idea, and it doesn't mess with the crunch? Appreciate it, I'll look into that.

1
Joseph_Furguson•

If you do a brine, add 1/2 cup of hot sauce to it. This allows the hot sauce to penetrate.

If you do a buttermilk soak, shake your spices over the chicken parts before you dredge in flour.

Do a hot oil mixture that you brush on before serving.

For hot, Heat 3 Tablespoons of oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1 tablespoon cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

For extra hot, increase oil to 1/4 cup, cayenne to 3 1/2 tablespoons, sugar to 3/4 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon dry mustard.

1
CapsluckOP•

Another person to suggest the oil brush! How have I not come across this before? I'm definitely going to give it a shot, thanks for the measures, too!

1
Bunktavious•

One of my favorite fried chicken recipes actually dry rubs the chicken, then marinades the chicken in mustard overnight before dredging. I'd try something like that, with some added spice to the dry rub:

https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/re-up-bbq-fried-chicken/14396/

1
UnbentTulip•

Put Carolina reaper powder in your flour dredge. Problem solved.

1
Alivethroughempathy•

I would dry fry my chilies with a bit of salt and sichuan pepper before throwing in my fried chicken pieces and giving it a few tosses before serving.

1
ShamBawk33•

Alton Brown points out that seasoning the flour simply burns the spices in the oil. He prefers a spice-shake on the meat, then season the flour with just salt.

"Nashville Hot Chicken" makes normal fried chicken, but then uses a butter cayenne sauce that is spread on the chicken after it is cooked with a pastry brush.

1