HONEY-BRINED FRIED CHICKEN BREASTS

Honey-Brined Fried Chicken Breasts image

Is there anything less inspiring than a boneless-skinless chicken breast? How do we turn this culinary snoozer into something worthwhile? Fry it.

Provided by Chef John

Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Chicken Fried Chicken Recipes

Time 1h45m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

3 cups cold water
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup honey
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
¼ cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon onion salt
cayenne pepper to taste
vegetable oil for frying

Steps:

Mix cold water, kosher salt, and honey in a large bowl; stir until salt dissolves. Add chicken breasts, and weigh them down with a plate to keep them completely submerged. Cover entire bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove bowl from refrigerator; drain and dry chicken. Pour buttermilk over chicken in a large bowl. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Combine flour, black pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
Coat each chicken breast in flour mixture until well covered on all sides; place flour-coated chicken breasts on a cooling rack to dry for 15 minutes.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cook chicken breasts until browned and no longer pink in the center, about 10 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Transfer chicken to a cooling rack; allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 481.3 calories, Carbohydrate 49.4 g, Cholesterol 65.2 mg, Fat 21.5 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 22.8 g, SaturatedFat 4.2 g, Sodium 6378.4 mg, Sugar 18.2 g