50 State Sandwich Challenge: Tennessee

 I've been looking forward to this one from the very beginning.  Hot chicken is one of my favorite meals let alone sandwiches and its become a national staple (with KFC making a terrible imitation) with the emergence of Nashville as a premiere American destination.  The world may have only recently learned about hot chicken, but this dish has been served in Nashville's African American communities for generations.  The current dish as its served today was introduced in the 1930s when Thorton Prince III came home late to an angry girlfriend who accused him of womanizing.  The next morning, as revenge, his girlfriend made him fried chicken for breakfast with extra pepper.  Thorton liked it so much that he decided to make his own recipe with his brothers and by 1935 opened his first BBQ Chicken Shake cafe.  He opened Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in 1945, which is still open today, operated by Thorton's great-niece, Andre Prince Jefferies.  There are dozens of hot chicken spots in Nashville, but if you're ever there I would highly recommend Prince's.  

Ingredients:

I used chicken thighs because they are the best 

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup pickle brine 

2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tea spoon paprika

1/2 tea spoon garlic powder

1/2 tea spoon salt and pepper

1 cup vegetable oil 

White bread

1. Toss chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of salt, cover, and refrigerate overnight. 

2. Whisk buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg together in a mixing bowl. Pour marinade over the chicken, cover and let marinate for 2-4 hours. 

3. Mix the flour together with salt (I put extra cayenne here) in a shallow dish.  Toss chicken in flour until thoroughly coated. Return chicken to marinade, coating all sides; remove chicken from marinade allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Coat the chicken once again in flour mixture. Place on a rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Allow to sit out about 15 minutes to allow coating to dry out a bit.

4. Place butter in a large pot. Add cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Place over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until fats melt. Remove from heat; keep sauce warm.

5. Fill cast iron skillet about 1/3 of the way with vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken into hot oil, skin side down. Maintain an oil temperature of 325 degrees F, adjusting heat as need. Fry until instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

6. Transfer chicken to a rack to drain. Brush with the sauce on both sides.

7. Serve chicken pieces on white bread and brush with more sauce.  Serve with pickles.