BLUE CORN FRIED CHICKEN WITH MALT VINEGAR AIOLI

Blue Corn Fried Chicken with Malt Vinegar Aioli image

Provided by Brad Sorenson

Time 12h35m

Yield 3 to 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
12 chicken legs
Vegetable shortening, for frying
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups fine ground blue cornmeal
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
Malt Vinegar Aioli, recipe follows
1 cup malt vinegar
4 egg yolks
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 1/2 cups canola oil

Steps:

In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce, mustard, garlic powder, and paprika. Toss the chicken legs in the mixture to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and let the chicken come to room temperature.
In a deep saute pan with tall sides, over medium-high heat, add the shortening until you have enough to fill halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat the shortening to 325 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a shallow baking dish, combine the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, poultry seasoning salt, and black pepper. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess and dredge the chicken in the flour and let rest about 5 minutes to let the flour soak in. Dredge again in the flour and fry, in batches, in the shortening until golden brown on both sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken to a rack fitted over a sheet pan and finish the chicken in the oven until internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan, heat the malt vinegar over medium heat and simmer to reduce by half. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl add the yolks, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons salt. With a large whisk, begin to beat the egg yolks until they begin to get frothy. Slowly add the oil while whisking vigorously until creamy and thick. Gently whisk in the malt vinegar reduction. Taste the aioli, and season with salt, if needed. Serve the aioli alongside the fried chicken.