Copycat Popeye’s Spicy Fried Chicken

Copycat Popeye’s Spicy Fried Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken Brine

• 5 pounds Whole fryer chicken cut up into 8 pieces skin on
• 1 quart Buttermilk to brine chicken
• 1/2 cup Tabasco sauce or more
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Annatto Oil optional for color

Spice Mixture

• 1 tablespoon Onion powder
• 1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon Sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons Dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Accent (MSG)
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric

Batter Mixture

• 3 cups All-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1/2 Spice mixture from above list

Other ingredients

• 4 large eggs lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
• Oil for frying

Instructions

1. In a large plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid, combine buttermilk, Tabasco sauce, Annatto Oil, and kosher salt with a small whisk. Add the cut up pieces of whole chicken to the large plastic bowl making sure to completely submerge the chicken in the brine mixture. Refrigerate overnight or 12 hours for the best results.
2. Pour off the chicken brine, shake off excess buttermilk brine from the chicken. Do not rinse the chicken.
3. In a small bowl combine all the spices together. Generously season both sides of the cut-up whole chicken. Reserve 1/2 seasoning.
4. Combine all-purpose flour, 1/2 of a cup of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and about 1/2 of the spice mixture from above. Place the flour mixture into a large paper, add the brine seasoned chicken to the paper sack Roll the top of the bag down to close tightly and shake gently to coat the brined chicken. Remove the chicken from the paper sack, then shake off the excess batter. Reserve until ready.
5. In a medium glass dish, combine the eggs, and water. Dunk each piece of the coated chicken into the egg mixture and then shake off the excess egg mixture. Place chicken back into the paper sack and then shake gently to coat the chicken
6. Remove chicken from the paper sack and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 1 hour to dry the batter, trust me it becomes so much more crispy after doing this.
7. Add the peanut oil to a preheated cast iron kettle of about 350 degrees.
8. Add chicken to cast iron kettle and cook until golden brown. Be sure to the chicken is completely covered with oil. Do not overcrowd the cast iron kettle if need be make in batches.
9. Place the fried chicken on the bakers rack to drain excess oil; be sure to place a metal baking sheet under it or paper towels while draining the excess peanut oil off of the chicken.