This sweet and spicy fried chicken recipe is flavored with honey and hot sauce, and it tastes even better wedged between flaky buttermilk biscuits.
INGREDIENTS
Sweet Heat Hot Chicken
1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
2 c. Buttermilk
5 chicken cutlets (about 1 lb.) halved crosswise
7 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. hot sauce (such as Cholula Brand)
3 tbsp. Honey
Louis Johnson Biscuit Sandwiches
4 c. all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for working
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut up
1 1/2 c. Buttermilk
Sweet Heat Hot Chicken
DIRECTIONS
To make the Sweet Heat Hot Chicken: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Pour buttermilk into a separate bowl. Working with one piece at a time, toss chicken in flour mixture, dip in buttermilk, then toss again in flour mixture. Transfer to a plate.
Set a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Heat 1 1/2 inches oil in a Dutch oven to 360°F. Fry chicken, in batches and turning occasionally, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to prepared rack.
Whisk together hot sauce and honey in a bowl. Drizzle warm chicken with hot sauce mixture. Serve immediately.
To make the sandwiches: Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in buttermilk with a fork until dough begins to form a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead 2 or 3 times, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
With floured hands, pat dough into a 1-inch-thick square (8 to 9 inches). Cut dough into 4 squares and stack on one another. Roll stacked dough into a 1-inch- thick square, repeat 3 more times. With a floured knife, trim around sides of dough to create clean edges. Cut into 9 biscuits. Place biscuits slightly touching on a baking sheet. Chill 15 minutes.
Bake biscuits until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
Split biscuits and serve with Sweet Heat Hot Chicken.