RECIPE #4851 - CHUMPDOG HOT CHICKEN, July 2, 2012 - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports

NICK WORLEY / AMATEUR WINNER MUSIC CITY HOT CHICKEN FESTIVAL

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup spice mix made to taste with the following ingredients: cayenne, garlic powder, habanero powder (optional), iodized salt, seasoned salt, sugar, black pepper

1/4 cup oil or lard 

4 bone-in chicken breasts

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

Vegetable oil - enough in the fry pan to make it about 2 inches deep (or to cover the chicken if you use a deep fryer)

8 slices of white bread

Dill pickle slices for garnish 

DIRECTIONS:

Here's the basic method, which can vary greatly:

Mix the spices into a spice rub to taste.  I won't divulge my winning mix, but here's a universal Hot Chicken hint: Heavy on the Cayenne, not too salty.

Either lightly heat lard to make it runny and oily, or using another type of oil, mix the spice rub into the oil or lard until it forms a paste.  Not too drippy, not too thick.  Be careful, as it's easy to make the spice rub super hot.  For some reason when mixed with lard or oil and applied to fried chicken, it becomes hotter!   

Cooking:   Lightly salt the chicken, and dredge the chicken lightly in the flour, heat the oil to desired frying temperature, fry the chicken in a skillet or deep fryer.   If using a skillet, you only want to flip the chicken once, or it will be too greasy.  I use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is at least 160 degrees F in the center.  Upon removing the chicken from the fryer, immediately apply the paste to the chicken, either with rubber gloves, or a brush.  Be sure to coat the chicken evenly until it has a reddish color to it.  After sitting for a minute or so, the paste should become one with the fried chicken crust, leaving the impression that the chicken was spiced prior to frying.

Serve on top of two slices of white bread, preferably fresh and cheap, with dill pickle slices.  Don't use bread and butter pickles, nobody likes those.   The chicken crust should leave a deliciously hot orange grease on the bread.  Eat with caution. 

Notes about common misconceptions: It seems that since the first article on Hot Chicken was posted on the internet, every lazy journalist has just copied that article and further spread the same misinformation.  I have found that pre-soaking the chicken in buttermilk, heavily battering, using egg, etc. will just make the crust too hard and thick once the paste is applied.  Pre-spicing the chicken before frying (other than salting) will leave your fryer full of burned powders and the chicken will not taste the same.  I've even read from several questionable sources that some places infuse their oil with spice.  I highly doubt this, as it would make for filthy fryers or skillets and isn't necessary in the first place.  Keep it simple.