Dave’s Hot Chicken Dupe
Dave’s Hot Chicken Sandwich Breakdown:
Buttermilk Marinade:
4 lbs of chicken (thighs or breasts)
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp hot sauce
2 Tbsp pickle juice
1 Tbsp berbere (optional)
1 Tbsp MSG (optional)
Flour Dredge:
2 cups flour
1 cup corn starch
1/4 cup rice flour (optional)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
3 tsp kosher salt
Hot Oil Spices:
1 cup HOT oil
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
3 Tbsp cayenne
1 Tbsp berbere (if unavailable add an extra Tbsp cayenne)
1 Tbsp white sugar (only on the half being dusted on top of chicken)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Chile powder
1 Tbsp lemon pepper
1 Tbsp paprika 1 Tbs white pepper
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp MSG
For the coleslaw dressing
* ½ cup mayonnaise
* 2 tbs white sugar
* 1 tbs vinegar
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* ½ tsp mustard powder
* ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
* A good pinch of salt
Here's the lowdown on makin' these bomb chicken sando’s
Step 1: The Marinade:
Trick of the trade: If you don’t have buttermilk, that’s FINE! You can totally just warm up some milk for like a minute in the micorwave and add like a Tbsp of lemon juice and voila! Homemade buttermilk. Now For the buttermilk mix, whip up some beaten eggs with buttermilk, hot sauce, pickle juice, and maybe a bit of berbere and MSG if you're feelin' fancy and your going to allow your chicken to sit in this AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I can’t stress this enough, the deliciousness here is increasing exponentially the longer you let it sit. Overnight for optimal results, but if you lack proper planning skill, I’ll accept 2-4 hours.
Step 2: Prep work
Heat up a deep pot with oil, or if you’re fancy a deep fryer and get it to 325F.
For the flour mix, just toss together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, and the optional rice flour,with kosher salt, give it a good whisk.
Now, for that spicy oil, blend all those spices we have listed above and you’re going to have to split it into two groups. One half that has the white sugar and one without. The portion that doesn’t have the extra white sugar is going to be used for the hot oil, and the portion with it is going to be used to dust your chicken once it’s out.
Take the chicken out of the marinade, dip it in the flour, then in the buttermilk, and back in the flour. Repeat for all your chicken pieces.
Step 3: Its Fry Time (or oven baking/airfrying if you’re lame)
Drop those bad boys in the hot oil, let 'em cook at 325F until they’re golden brown, you might notice it takes some time for it to go from a lighter brown to a the nice deep golden brown. Be patient, and make sure it’s 165F internal.
Once they're done, throw 'em on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
Grab a cup of that hot frying oil, mix it up with the spice blend.
Drown each piece of chicken in that spicy goodness, or gently bast it. I promise it won’t seem too oily. And gently dust it with the separate spices we had laid to the side with the added white sugar. Since there’s no salt in this spice blend you can honestly go as heavy or light as you like. These mix even goes great on fries!
Now, lay it all on a slice of white bread for classic Nashville style, orrrrr grab some good Brioche Buns and my coleslaw, toss some pickles on top, and you're ready to feast!
