Chicken quarters take longer to cook than smaller pieces. To ensure that the exterior doesn’t burn before the inside cooks through, keep oil temperature between 300° F. and 325° F. while the chicken is frying.
For only two servings, I split a breast-half in two and I leave all the ingredients as-is, except that I only use 1 cup of flour and ¼ teaspoon pepper to coat the chicken before frying.
Ingredients:
For the brine
2 quarts water
½ cup hot sauce
½ cup salt
½ cup sugar
1 (3½ – to 4-pound) whole chicken, butterflied and quartered with poultry sheers
For the coating
3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil (1 quart if only making two servings’ worth)
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper for the mild version, 2 for medium and 3 tablespoons for hot
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon pepper
Preparation:
BRINE CHICKEN: Whisk water, hot sauce, salt, and sugar in large bowl until salt and sugar dissolve. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
BLOOM SPICES: Heat 3 tablespoons oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add cayenne, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to small bowl.
DREDGE: Remove chicken from refrigerator and pour off brine. Combine flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl. Dredge chicken pieces 2 at a time in flour mixture. Shake excess flour from chicken and transfer to wire rack. (Do not discard seasoned flour.) Allow them to sit a while to develop a gummy coating.
FRY AND BRUSH: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200° F. Heat remaining oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350° F.
Return chicken pieces to flour mixture and redredge, turning to coat. Fry half of chicken, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 300° F. and 325° F., until deep golden brown and white meat registers 160° F. (175° F. for dark meat), 20 to 25 minutes.
Drain chicken on clean wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Bring oil back to 325° F. and repeat with remaining chicken.
Stir spicy oil mixture to recombine; brush over both sides of chicken. Serve on white bread topped with pickles.
