FRIED CHICKEN WITH BUTTERMILK SRIRACHA DIPPING SAUCE AND CORNBREAD

Fried Chicken with Buttermilk Sriracha Dipping Sauce and Cornbread image

Provided by Robert Irvine : Food Network

Time 2h10m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 28

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for baking dish
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 quart buttermilk
2 tablespoons sriracha
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 3- to 4-pound chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
Oil, for frying
Lemon wedges, for serving
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
2 ounces sriracha
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, grated
2 tablespoons minced chives

Steps:

For the cornbread: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish.
Mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Bake until the top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.
For the fried chicken: Combine the buttermilk and sriracha with a fork in a large bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Add the chicken and let soak.
Mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne until well blended in a large shallow platter. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Remove the chicken and dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture, then into the buttermilk and finishing in the seasoned flour. Set aside and let the chicken rest while the oil comes to temp. This also allows the breading to develop.
Put about 3 inches of oil into a large deep pot; it should not come up more than halfway. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 to 365 degrees F on one of those clip-on deep-fry thermometers.
Once the oil has reached 350 to 365 degrees F, working in batches, carefully add the chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time. Fry, turning the pieces once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes per batch.
When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer and remove the chicken pieces from the pot, shaking off as much oil as you can, and lay it on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up the oil.
Sprinkle all over with more salt and a dusting of black pepper. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
For the dipping sauce: Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, sriracha, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and chives together in a small bowl.
Once all the chicken is fried, serve hot with lemon wedges, cornbread and buttermilk sriracha dipping sauce.