Rosemary-Brined, Buttermilk Fried Chicken

photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

yield

Serves 6 to 8

This is the best fried chicken, ever. There I said it. If it's not, then I want to try yours.

I started paying attention to fried chicken in a serious way when I began work on the book Ad Hoc At Home. Ad Hoc is Thomas Keller's Napa Valley restaurant devoted to family meals. It offers one family meal each night, and everyone eats it. The fried chicken is so popular that it is served twice a week. Chefs Jeff Cerciello and Dave Cruz have tried all kinds of methods, mainly centering on the best crust. They decided that the trio of flour, buttermilk, and flour is best, and I agree. But the key here is the brine. Salt keeps the chicken juicy and seasoned, and also helps pull the rosemary deep into the flesh. So even after the rapture from eating the crust has passed, the flavor of the chicken holds you.

This brine, like all brines flavored with aromatics, is best when you bring the ingredients to a simmer in all the water. But if you're like me, sometimes you'll be caught short and need to hurry things along. If you have a scale, you can bring half the water to a simmer with the other brine ingredients, let the aromatics steep for 20 minutes. Measure the remaining water as ice and pour the brine over the ice. Or simply combine the brine with cold water.

Because so few people make fried chicken at home, I like to serve it to friends. Happily, it's a great do-head dish; the chicken will keep well for a couple of hours. You can fry it and then keep it on a rack in a 250°F/120°C/gas 1/2 oven until you need it. If you have a convection oven, use that feature to keep the crust crisp. The thighs will become delectably tender given the extra time in the low heat. Serve on a platter garnished with branches of deep-fried rosemary and grated lemon zest.

ingredients

Brine

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• 5 or 6 branches rosemary, each 4 to 5 inches/10 to 12 centimeters long
• 4 1/2 cups/1 liter water
• 1 lemon, quartered

• 8 chicken legs, drumsticks and thighs separated
• 8 chicken wings, wing tips removed
• 3 cups/420 grams all-purpose/plain flour
• 3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 cups/480 milliliters buttermilk
• Oil for deep-frying

preparation

Make the brine: 

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons salt after the onion and garlic have cooked for 30 seconds or so. Add the rosemary and cook to heat it, 30 seconds or so. Add the water and lemon, squeezing the juice from the wedges into the water and removing any seeds. Bring the water to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and allow the brine to cool. Refrigerate until chilled.

Place all the chicken pieces in a large, sturdy plastic bag. Set the bag in a large bowl for support. Pour the cooled brine and aromatics into the bag. Seal the bag so that you remove as much air as possible and the chicken is submerged in the brine. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours, agitating the bag occasionally to redistribute the brine and the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse under cold water, pat dry, and set on a rack or on paper towels. The chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before you cook it, or it can be cooked immediately. Ideally, it should be refrigerated, uncovered, for a day to dry out the skin, but usually I can't wait to start cooking it.

Combine the flour, black pepper, paprika, sea salt, cayenne, and baking powder in a bowl. Whisk to distribute the ingredients. Divide this mixture between two bowls. Pour the buttermilk into a third bowl. Set a rack on a baking sheet/tray. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shake off the excess, and set the dusted pieces on the rack. Dip the pieces in the buttermilk, then dredge them aggressively in the second bowl of flour and return them to the rack.

Heat oil in a pan for deep-frying to 350°F/180°C. Add as many chicken pieces as you can without crowding the pan. Cook the chicken, turning the pieces occasionally, until they are cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes depending on their size. Remove to a clean rack and allow them to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Tostadas

photo by Romulo Yanes

yield
Makes 6 (main course) servings

active time
45 min

total time
45 min

Once a way to make use of stale tortillas (by toasting and/or frying them), tostadas are so good that it wasn't long before people simply started using fresh tortillas. After biting into these layers of flavor—crunchy, creamy, luscious—you'll see why.

ingredients

• 1 medium white onion
• 1 pound tomatoes, quartered
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 or 2 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
• 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 6 large radishes, halved and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided
• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat coarsely shredded (4 cups)
• 6 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 (1-pound) can refried beans, heated
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• 1/4 cup crumbled queso añjo (aged white cheese, also called cotija) or ricotta salata

• Accompaniments:sliced serranos; lime wedges

preparation

Preheat broiler.

Cut half of onion into 3/4-inch wedges, then chop remainder. Toss onion wedges, tomatoes, garlic, and whole chiles with 2 tablespoons oil in a 4-sided sheet pan, spreading in 1 layer.

Broil about 4 inches from heat until softened and charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss together lettuce, radishes, chopped onion, and half of cilantro.

Purée tomato mixture in a blender along with one or both roasted serranos (to taste) and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth(use caution when blending hot foods). Transfer purée to a bowl and stir in chicken, remaining cilantro, and salt to taste.

Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, turning once or twice and pressing with tongs to immerse, until golden brown, 45 to 60 seconds per tortilla. Drain briefly on paper towels, then transfer to plates.

Spread tortillas thickly with heated refried beans, then top with chicken mixture. Slice avocado over tostadas and dollop with crema.

Mound lettuce mixture on top and sprinkle with cheese.

Serve with: Margaritas

Chicken, Rice, and Mango in Lettuce Wraps

photo by Romulo Yanes

yield
Makes 4 servings

active time
40 min

total time
40 min (not including grilling chicken)

You'll have some leftover creamy ginger soy dressing for salad later in the week.

ingredients

For rice

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For dressing

• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (from a 2- by 3-inch piece)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

For wraps

• 2 grilled chicken breast halves, shredded (2 cups)
• 1/3 cup lime vinaigrette (reserved from Grilled Chicken with Shredded Mesclun Salad )
• 3/4 lb Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
• 1/2 seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped), halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks
• 3 scallions, cut into 3-inch-long thin strips
• 1 (1-lb) firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

preparation

Make rice:

Wash rice in 3 or 4 changes of cold water in a large bowl until water is clear, then drain well in a large sieve. Bring 1 3/4 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil, then add rice and cook, covered tightly, over low heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered and undisturbed, 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and transfer to a bowl to cool to warm.

Make dressing and serve wraps:

Purée all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute.

Toss shredded chicken with lime vinaigrette.

Put chicken and remaining wrap ingredients in bowls on a large platter with ginger dressing on the side.

Grilled Citrus Chicken Under a Brick

photo by Tom Schierlitz

yield

Makes 4 servings

This is a traditional Tuscan method—bricks weigh down the butterflied chicken, resulting in even, quick cooking and crispy skin (you'll need two bricks for this recipe; wrap them in foil). If you don't have bricks, a cast-iron skillet will do the trick. Ask your butcher to butterfly the chicken for you.

ingredients

• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
• 3 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 whole chicken (about 3 3/4 pounds), neck and giblets removed, butterflied
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/2 oranges

• 2 foil-wrapped bricks or 1 cast-iron skillet

preparation

Whisk juices, olive oil, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and garlic in glass baking dish. Add chicken to marinade. Turn to coat; chill 2 hours, turning occasionally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Mix remaining 2 teaspoons salt, paprika, and pepper in small bowl.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Slice 1/2 orange into 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick slices. Remove chicken from marinade; pat dry. Loosen skin from chicken breast and slide 1 to 2 orange slices between skin and breast. Loosen skin from thighs and slide 1 to 2 orange slices between skin and thighs. Rub paprika mixture over both sides of chicken. Place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Place foil-wrapped bricks or cast-iron skillet atop chicken (if using bricks, position 1 brick over top half of chicken and 1 brick over bottom half). Cover and grill until skin is crispy and brown, about 15 minutes. Remove bricks or skillet. Using tongs or 2 large spatulas, turn chicken. Replace bricks or skillet and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Let chicken rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place whole orange on grill and cook until slightly charred, turning often, about 1 minute. Cut into wedges and serve alongside for squeezing over chicken.

Chicken with Herb-Roasted Tomatoes and Pan Sauce

photo by Romulo Yanes

yield
Makes 4 servings

active time
30 minutes

total time
40 minutes

Roasting tomatoes intensifies their flavor and coaxes out their sweetness.

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes or other small tomatoes on the vine
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves

• Ingredient info:Herbes de Provence, a dried herb mixture, can be found at specialty foods stores and in the spice section of most supermarkets.

preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine tomatoes, 2 tablespoons oil, and herbes de Provence in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet until oil shimmers. Carefully add tomatoes to pan (oil may spatter). Transfer skillet to oven and roast, turning once, until tomatoes burst and give up some of their juices, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and drizzle with Worcestershire sauce.

Meanwhile, season chicken all over with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken on both sides until golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and roast chicken until cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet; heat over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze pan with vinegar, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan; add tomatoes and their juices and simmer until sauce is just beginning to thicken, about 1 minute. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice chicken; divide among plates. Spoon tomatoes and sauce over; garnish with herbs.

Per serving: 330 calories, 24 g fat, 1 g fiber

Nutritional analysis provided by Bon Appétit