Pitmaster Rodney Scott’s Fried Chicken Recipe

Pitmaster Rodney Scott is a BBQ legend. For starters, he has been cooking whole-hog barbecue over wooden coals since he was 11 years previous. He’s additionally the founding father of Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, creator of Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ and he was the topic of a full episode of the award-winning Netflix collection, Chef’s Desk.

With Might being Nationwide Barbecue Month and July sixth being Nationwide Fried Hen Day, who higher to then to share one of the best fried hen recipe (and insider ideas for pulling it off like a professional) than Scott?

Who Is Rodney Scott?

After getting his begin in whole-hog barbecue at at younger age, Scott labored together with his family of their bbq cease in Hemingway, SC till 2017 when he opened Rodney Scott’s BBQ within the North Central neighborhood of Charleston, SC. In that very same 12 months the restaurant was named one of many 50 Finest New Eating places by Bon Appetit and in 2018, Scott was awarded the James Beard Basis’s award for Excellent Chef Southeast. In 2019 Rodney Scott’s BBQ opened a second location within the Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, AL and in the summertime of 2021, a 3rd location in Atlanta, GA bringing whole-hog, South Carolina-style barbecue, alongside together with his well-known “Rodney’s Sauce” to a different a part of the South.

Associated: Pitmaster Rodney Scott’s Secret to Grilled Pork T-Bones

Rodney Scott’s finest fried hen ideas:

• As soon as you’re taking the hen out from the in a single day brine within the fridge, go forward and bread it and let it sit for about half-hour earlier than frying. This may set the batter and the hen can be at a greater temperature for frying.
• Be sure the oil is on the proper temperature (350-365 F) and don’t overcrowd the pan or the temperature will drop an excessive amount of.
• Fry in batches and transfer the hen to a cooling rack when finished.

What do house cooks get mistaken relating to making this Southern favourite?

Greatest errors I see are overcrowding the pan and frying the hen on the mistaken temperature. You wish to let the hen come to room temperature earlier than frying it. If it’s too sizzling, the breading will burn, and if it’s too cool, the breading will get soggy. So you need to discover that candy spot.

Everybody appears to be “healthifying” fried hen nowadays…any ideas?

Eat it with a salad! 😉

Associated: The Top 10 Asian Fried Chicken Recipes

What to serve with fried hen:

Cole slaw, potato salad and hot sauce.

How do you retain it from getting chilly at a BBQ or picnic in the summertime and soggy?

Chilly hen is nice! Fried hen is nice at any temperature, however you possibly can throw some aluminum foil over it if you wish to maintain it heat. Hen fried correctly shouldn’t get soggy, that’s why “a bucket of hen” works so properly.

What’s one of the best ways to reheat fried hen?

To reheat fried chicken, place it on a sheet tray and bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-Quarter-hour.

What are one of the best BBQ locations you’ve ever been to (apart from your individual)?

Sam Jones BBQ in North Carolina; Jim’n Nick’s BBQ; Peg Leg Porker in Nashville; Franklin BBQ in Austin.

What are your go-to BBQ devices?

I can’t dwell with out my Thermapen digital meat thermometer. When smoking meat, temperature isn’t one thing you wish to go away as much as any guesswork, so it’s finest to have a gadget readily available that will get it proper with pinpoint accuracy. Additionally, I suppose you possibly can’t name this a ‘gadget,’ however I can’t dwell with no pair of high-quality stainless steel tongs.

What are your ideas for summer season BBQs at house?

• Buy a terrific sound system.
• Serve ice-cold drinks. I wish to maintain it traditional with beer and whiskey.
• Get the very best quality meats that your funds can afford.
• And most significantly, have enjoyable!

Fried Hen Elements:

• 1 cup Rib Rub *recipe beneath*
• 2 entire chickens (3 kilos every), every lower up into 8 items
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly floor black pepper
• Canola or different vegetable oil, for frying

Rib Rub Elements:

Makes 2 Cups

• 1⁄2 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1⁄4 cup MSG
• 1⁄4 cup freshly floor black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup paprika
• 1⁄4 cup chili powder
• 1⁄4 cup packed gentle brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Combine all the components and place them in an hermetic container.
2. Cowl and retailer in a cool dry place till prepared to make use of.

How you can Make Fried Hen

1. In a medium saucepan, carry 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rib rub and stir till totally dissolved. Switch the combination to a big container or pot (like a canning pot) and add 8 extra cups of water and 4 cups of ice. Refrigerate till the brine is properly chilled, then add the hen items and refrigerate for not less than 6 and as much as 8 hours.
2. Take away the hen from the fridge and permit it to come back to room temperature. In a big bowl or brown paper bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Place the hen, a couple of items at a time, into the seasoned flour. Shut the bag and shake it to totally coat the hen elements with the flour. Repeat till all the hen has been coated. (The hen will nonetheless be moist from the brine. That’s okay. Extra coating will cling to the hen and assist to type an extra-crispy crust.)
3. Set a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Pour sufficient oil into a big Dutch oven or cast-iron pan to fill it 3 inches and warmth to between 350°F and 365°F on an instant-read Thermometer.
4. Working in batches to keep away from crowding, add the hen to the oil, taking care to prepare dinner items of the same dimension so that they’ll be finished on the similar time. Prepare dinner the hen till the facet that’s submerged within the oil is golden brown, about 8 minutes for smaller items and 10 minutes for the bigger items. Utilizing a slotted spoon or a frying spider, flip the items over and prepare dinner till golden brown or till the thickest a part of the meat reaches 165°F, one other 8 to 10 minutes. Switch the hen to the cooling rack on the sheet pan. Prepare dinner extra batches, ensuring to carry the oil again as much as 350°F earlier than including the subsequent batch.
5. Serve sizzling or at room temperature.

Extra Hen Recipes to Attempt Subsequent:

Rodney Scott’s Fried Hen

Elements

Fried Hen:

• 1 cup Rib Rub *recipe beneath*
• 2 entire chickens (3 lb every), every lower up into 8 items
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp freshly floor black pepper
• Canola or different vegetable oil, for frying

Rib Rub:

• 1⁄2 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1⁄4 cup MSG
• 1⁄4 cup freshly floor black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup paprika
• 1⁄4 cup chili powder
• 1⁄4 cup packed gentle brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Key Tags

Instructions

Fried Hen:

1. In a medium saucepan, carry 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rib rub and stir till totally dissolved. Switch the combination to a big container or pot (like a canning pot) and add 8 extra cups of water and 4 cups of ice. Refrigerate till the brine is properly chilled, then add the hen items and refrigerate for not less than 6 and as much as 8 hours.

2. Take away the hen from the fridge and permit it to come back to room temperature. In a big bowl or brown paper bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Place the hen, a couple of items at a time, into the seasoned flour. Shut the bag and shake it to totally coat the hen elements with the flour. Repeat till all the hen has been coated. (The hen will nonetheless be moist from the brine. That’s okay. Extra coating will cling to the hen and assist to type an extra-crispy crust.)

3. Set a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Pour sufficient oil into a big Dutch oven or cast-iron pan to fill it 3 inches and warmth to between 350°F and 365°F on an instant-read Thermometer.

4. Working in batches to keep away from crowding, add the hen to the oil, taking care to prepare dinner items of the same dimension so that they’ll be finished on the similar time. Prepare dinner the hen till the facet that’s submerged within the oil is golden brown, about 8 minutes for smaller items and 10 minutes for the bigger items. Utilizing a slotted spoon or a frying spider, flip the items over and prepare dinner till golden brown or till the thickest a part of the meat reaches 165°F, one other 8 to 10 minutes. Switch the hen to the cooling rack on the sheet pan. Prepare dinner extra batches, ensuring to carry the oil again as much as 350°F earlier than including the subsequent batch.

5. Serve sizzling or at room temperature.

Rib Rub:

1. Combine all the components and place them in an hermetic container.

2. Cowl and retailer in a cool dry place till prepared to make use of.

Kitchen Counter

Serves 4-6.