Best 2 Fourth Of July Fried Picnic Chicken Recipes

4TH OF JULY FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rinse chicken pieces, pat dry and place in a shallow dish for marinating.
• Pour buttermilk over chicken and marinate for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Combine flour, salt, sage, paprika and pepper in paper bag.
• Add chicken and shake to cover.
• Dip chicken in egg and roll in breadcrumbs.
• Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Pour oil into large skillet to a depth of 1 inch and heat to 375°F or until water spatters when sprinkled on oil.
• Add chicken legs and thighs first.
• Fry until browned about 10-12 minutes before adding remaining pieces, frying another 10 minutes or until brown.
• Drain chicken on paper towels before serving.

PICNIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the honey giardiniera butter: Add the butter, honey and salt to taste to a bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in the giardiniera until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the chicken: Add the chicken thighs, reserved giardiniera brine and pickle brine to a plastic zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
• When ready to fry the chicken, fill a Dutch oven halfway full with oil and heat to 350°F.
• Set up a dredging station: Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl and in a separate large bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne until well combined. Use your tongs to drizzle some of the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
• Remove 1 or 2 pieces of the chicken from the brine at a time and submerge in the buttermilk. Add 1 piece of the buttermilk-soaked chicken at a time into the flour mixture and turn to completely coat the chicken. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the remaining chicken is well coated.
• Add the chicken to the hot oil in batches, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, and cook until brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack on a baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately with the giardiniera butter or let cool and store on a wire-rack on a sheet pan, lightly covered, in the fridge overnight. Serve at the picnic at room temp. Served with softened honey giardiniera butter.