Three-Day Fried Chicken. This batch was baked at 400 degrees F and came out a little dark, which is why we now recommend 375 degrees.
We took a stab at recreating the fried chicken served at Sweet Home Café at the National Museum of African-American History in Washington, DC. According to Chef Albert Lukas, “we’re bringing our chicken in a seasoned brine, and day two, we’re soaking it in buttermilk—a seasoned buttermilk bath—and then on day three, we put it a seasoned shower.” We also tried a cooking technique that allows the home cook to deep fry in just a couple of cups of oil. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients:
1 large chicken, or 4 lbs chicken pieces of your choice
For the brine:
½ gallon water
2 T Kosher salt
1 T sugar
For the buttermilk:
1 pint good buttermilk (we use whole buttermilk from Argyle Cheese Farmer, a local brand)
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
For the flavor shower:
1 c all purpose flour
1 t Kosher salt
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
2 c or more vegetable oil (peanut oil preferred)
Method: two days before you plan to make the dish, cut up the chicken, reserving the back and wing tips for stock. Make up the brine and put the chicken in it in a pot that will comfortably hold all the pieces with the brine covering the chicken. On Day 2, drain off the brine and add buttermilk with Old Bay Seasoning. Toss the pieces of chicken so they are evenly exposed to the buttermilk.
Pre-fried chicken pieces, ready for the oven
On Day 3, prepare the flavor shower, preheat oven to 375 degrees, and heat oil to 350 degrees in a saucepan just big enough to accommodate the largest chicken piece. Set up an assembly line where you remove a chicken piece from the buttermilk with one hand, shake it semi-dry, and transfer to the flavor shower in a flat-bottomed bowl. With the other hand, roll the chicken in the seasoned flour, shake off any excess, and transfer carefully to the hot oil.
Fry each chicken piece until the flour is cooked and the coating is crisp, about 3 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a wire rack above a half sheet pan. Repeat until all pieces of chicken have been fried, then transfer pan to preheated oven. Cook 40 minutes or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 170 degrees, turning once. Serve hot or at room temperature or cold for breakfast the next day.
