Ingredients
Chicken
- 16 ounces Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs quartered
- 0.5 cup Flour
- 0.75 cup Cornstarch
- 0.75 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Salt and Pepper
- 0.75 cup Cold Water plus more if needed
- 0.25 cup Vodka
- Canola or Vegetable Oil for frying
Spicy Sauce
- 0.5 cup Barbecue Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dark Molasses
- 2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
- 0.5 cup Chili Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Honey
Blue Cheese Dressing
- 0.5 cup Mayonnaise
- 0.25 cup Sour Cream
- 0.33 cup Blue Cheese crumbled
- 0.5 bunch Chives minced
Instructions
Chicken
- Heat canola oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan first to 340 degrees F.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper in a big bowl.
- Blend ice water and vodka and pour gradually into flour mixture, stirring to create a pancake-like batter, adding more water if needed.
- Drop chicken thighs in batter and turn to coat evenly.
- Deep fry in hot oil 4-5 minutes. Remove and let drain and cool.
- Reheat oil to 375 F. Fry chicken a second time until golden and appearing crispy, for up to 5 minutes. Remove and let drain again.
Spicy Sauce
- Blend all ingredients for the spicy sauce and toss fried chicken with sauce in a large bowl till coated.
Blue Cheese Dressing
- Blend all ingredients well, folding in chives at the end. Serve alongside the dressed chicken with sticks of raw celery and carrots.
My culinary school teacher used to tell us, “Nothing says, ‘I love you' like fried.” And she, of course, was right! What better way to show your affection towards your company than to prepare for them a plate of delicious comforting fried foods? All the better the dish be shared among friends, so this is a recipe that is a favorite to get passed around parties and all sorts of gatherings.
In lieu of the more usual chicken wings I've called for thighs here, as they will retain the most moisture during the twice frying process here as opposed to the wings, which would dry out a fair amount. The spicy sauce is one to play around with– feel free to add more chili sauce or the most fiery one you can get your hands on, and adjust the levels of honey to suit your own balanced tastebuds!
And of course the blue cheese dressing cannot be beat, but if you can spring for the fanciest blue cheese your budget allows and you won't regret it. I always recommend full fat sour cream as well if you can allow it in the diet (hey, we're already twice frying something here!), because it just tastes so much better! But as with most things, you can opt for the healthier alternative and even substitute low fat Greek yogurt here and people will still fall over themselves to finish it all.
Heat the canola or vegetable oil of choice (peanut is a great alternative for those without allergy issues) in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan to 340 degrees F for the first round of frying. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, and a generous dash of salt and crack of fresh black pepper in a big bowl.
Blend ice water and vodka in a measuring cup and pour gradually into flour mixture, stirring to create a batter just a touch thinner than pancake batter. The vodka here allows for a crispier exterior in the end, as it does not develop the gluten in the flour as much as water does. The alcohol will cook off so there is no need to worry about that! Drop the chicken thighs in the batter and turn them around to coat evenly.
Deep fry them in batches in the hot oil for 4-5 minutes, turning as needed. Remove and let drain and cool briefly. Reheat the same frying oil to 375 F for the second round. Fry the chicken again, this time until they are evenly golden and appearing crispy, for up to 5 minutes. Remove and let drain on a plate lined with fresh paper towels.
For the spicy sauce to dress the chicken thighs blend the barbecue sauce of your choice, dark molasses, soy sauce, chili sauce, and honey together and whisk until emulsified. Toss the twice-fried wings in a large bowl with the sauce till coated.
Blend mayonnaise, sour cream and blue cheese well, folding in chives at the end.
Serve alongside the dressed chicken with sticks of raw celery and carrots.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 16 ounces Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs quartered
- 0.5 cup Flour
- 0.75 cup Cornstarch
- 0.75 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Salt and Pepper
- 0.75 cup Cold Water plus more if needed
- 0.25 cup Vodka
- Canola or Vegetable Oil for frying
Spicy Sauce
- 0.5 cup Barbecue Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dark Molasses
- 2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
- 0.5 cup Chili Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Honey
Blue Cheese Dressing
- 0.5 cup Mayonnaise
- 0.25 cup Sour Cream
- 0.33 cup Blue Cheese crumbled
- 0.5 bunch Chives minced
Instructions
Chicken
- Heat canola oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan first to 340 degrees F.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper in a big bowl.
- Blend ice water and vodka and pour gradually into flour mixture, stirring to create a pancake-like batter, adding more water if needed.
- Drop chicken thighs in batter and turn to coat evenly.
- Deep fry in hot oil 4-5 minutes. Remove and let drain and cool.
- Reheat oil to 375 F. Fry chicken a second time until golden and appearing crispy, for up to 5 minutes. Remove and let drain again.
Spicy Sauce
- Blend all ingredients for the spicy sauce and toss fried chicken with sauce in a large bowl till coated.
Blue Cheese Dressing
- Blend all ingredients well, folding in chives at the end. Serve alongside the dressed chicken with sticks of raw celery and carrots.
Quick Fried Arancini with Fennel Salad
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