All Homemade Crispy Chicken with Smoky Bacon and Ranch Dip

20-30m
Prep Time
20m
Cook Time
40m
Ready In

Recipe: #38966

June 21, 2022



"It's one of those eye and belly loving foods that is so hard to say No. NOTE: the brining time is not included in the prep. time."

Original is 6 servings
  • Brine
  • Ranch Dip
  • Flour Mixture
  • And the rest

Nutritional

  • Serving Size: 1 (246.8 g)
  • Calories 514.7
  • Total Fat - 34.2 g
  • Saturated Fat - 19.6 g
  • Cholesterol - 310.1 mg
  • Sodium - 1814.4 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate - 21.1 g
  • Dietary Fiber - 2.2 g
  • Sugars - 4.2 g
  • Protein - 31 g
  • Calcium - 105.5 mg
  • Iron - 4.1 mg
  • Vitamin C - 4.4 mg
  • Thiamin - 0.2 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

BRINE: Mix all the brine ingredients together in a bowl. Add the chicken tenders (or cut up chicken thighs), cover and chill for 12 - 24 hours.

Step 2

RANCH DIP: Mix all the ingredients together, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and chill until required.

Step 3

COOK THE BACON: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the diced bacon in a frying pan, add just enough water to cover, and place over medium heat, stirring and skimming occasionally. After about 25 minutes, when all the water has evaporated, add the butter and keep stirring as the butter foams. When the bacon is dark and golden brown, strain it (you can keep the fat for using in other recipes), and pat the bacon bits with paper towels to remove excess butter and fat. Place the bacon bits on the baking sheet and put in an oven on the lowest setting for 30 minutes until dehydrated and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Step 4

WORKING THE CHICKEN: Wash the brine off of the chicken and place it in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons (900 ml) cold water to the chicken pieces in the bowl, and squeeze them (almost in a kneading-like manner) - the water will be incorporated into the chicken and the fat from the skin will release and emulsify into the water. Add more water 1 - 2 tablespoons at a time, continuing to work the chicken, and after about 5 minutes the water coating the chicken will thicken and go creamy. This is SUPER IMPORTANT, as it means the chicken will hold more flour, giving it a chunky, thick coating that will keep the chicken moist inside and crunchy on the outside. The thickness of the coating means the chicken won't dry out as it fries.

Step 5

MAKING THE CHICKEN: Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep saucepan until it reaches 340-degrees F / 170-degrees C.

Step 6

Mix all of the flour mixture ingredients together in a bowl. Place the chicken pieces one by one (without draining the water off) in the flour mixture and roll carefully until they're completely covered. Drop 6 - 10 pieces of chicken at a time (depending how big your fryer or saucepan is) into the hot oil and fry for 4 minutes. Remove carefully and leave to drain on paper towels.

Step 7

Serve the chicken with the lemon slices and the ranch dip scattered with the smoky bacon bits.

Tips


No special items needed.

0 Reviews

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