Sweet tea is a staple in the south. If you order "iced tea" at a restaurant down here, they are going to ask if you want sweet or unsweet. Instead of just sipping on sweet tea, I wanted to find other ways to use it in recipes. This sweet tea brined oven-fried chicken recipe was just what the southern doctor ordered!
This crispy baked chicken recipe has flavor to the bone because of the sweet and salty marinade it soaks in. The marinated chicken is then coated in a seasoned flour before being baked in butter in the oven. The result is a delicious piece of chicken full of flavor.
To make this fried chicken dinner you will need bone-in chicken pieces, sweet tea, low-sodium soy sauce, onion, garlic, butter, flour, onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika. You can use store-bought sweet tea or make your own homemade sweet tea. Serve this crispy baked chicken with your favorite side dishes. I served mine for dinner with grit cakes (recipe coming soon!) and collard greens. That's about as southern as you can get!
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus time to marinate
Cook Time: 45 to 50 minutes
Total Time: 55 to 65 minutes plus time to marinate
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Helpful Products
Recipe Notes
- I used Milo's sweet tea, but you can use your favorite store-bought sweet tea or make homemade sweet tea.
- I used chicken thighs for this recipe, but use your favorite chicken pieces. You could also cut up a whole chicken. The size and pieces usedwill affect cooking time.
Here's how to make it:
- Put the chicken, sweet tea, soy sauce, chopped onion and garlic into a shallow dish or food storage bag. Make sure all the chicken is coated. Marinated in the refrigerator for 4 hours and up to overnight.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Put the melted butter into an ovenproof skillet (I used a cast iron skillet) or baking dish.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess and put into the pan with the butter. Bake in a preheated 425-degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over and continue to cook another 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F internal temperature).
- Serve hot with your favorite side dishes.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving
Calories: 536
Total Fat: 21.8g
Saturated Fat: 8.8g
Cholesterol: 156mg
Sodium: 931mg
Total Carbohydrate: 36.5g
Dietary Fiber: 6.2g
Total Sugars: 4.2g
Protein: 50.1g
Vitamin D: 6mcg
Calcium: 66mg
Iron: 6mg
Potassium: 755mg
Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.
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FAQs
You can certainly fry chicken without brining the parts, but we recommend against that. It's very little work, and adds tremendously to the finished flavor.
Is cornstarch or baking soda better for crispy chicken? ›
When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.) The baking powder reacts with the oil and creates tiny air bubbles, which also helps form a crispy coating.
How to make fried chicken in 5 steps? ›
Directions:
- Step 1: Soak in buttermilk. Remove any excess moisture from your chicken pieces by patting them dry with paper towels. ...
- Step 2: Coat the chicken. In a large resealable plastic bag, add the ingredients listed for the coating. ...
- Step 3: Let it rest. ...
- Step 4: Fry, fry, fry. ...
- Step 5: Rest, then serve.
A brine adds flavor and keeps the meat tender and juicy.
You can brine whole chickens or broken-down birds; those pan-roasted thighs would surely benefit from it. All it takes is a little planning (you'll need to devote at least a couple of hours to the process, but it's happily hands-off).
How do you get crispy skin on brined chicken? ›
Place salted chicken in the fridge uncovered for at least an hour, up to 24 hours. The longer it sits in the fridge with the salt brine on, the more the moisture is locked in and the crispier the skin becomes once cooked.
What is the secret to southern fried chicken? ›
Fried Chicken Secret #1: A Salty Marinade = Juicier Meat
Most Southern fried chicken recipes start with a bath in a seasoned marinade of some sort, whether it's buttermilk, milk and eggs, or even pickle juice. Adding plenty of salt to this mixture can help your chicken stay moist.
What is the trick to getting crispy chicken? ›
Double Dredge
The best way to ensure the breading will stay on the chicken is to double down on the flour. This creates a super thick, extra crispy coating on your chicken. After dredging the chicken in seasoned flour, dip it into an egg wash and place it back into the flour.
What is the best oil to fry chicken in? ›
Canola Oil
Benefits: With a high smoke point and neutral flavor, canola oil is excellent for frying chicken. As an added bonus, it has high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which makes it healthier than other options.
Do you dip chicken in egg before frying? ›
Step 1: Dredge the chicken
In a separate shallow dish, briefly beat the eggs with the water before adding the salt, remaining 1-1/3 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture. Turn each piece until it is fully coated.
Should I use cornstarch or flour for crispy chicken? ›
When paired with all-purpose flour, cornstarch helps prevent gluten development, which makes the flour coating crispier, and absorb moisture (from the frying and the chicken), which also means a crispier coating. If you already have a favorite fried chicken recipe, try replacing a quarter of the flour with cornstarch.
Cornstarch is often used in Asian fried chicken recipes. The combination of the flour with cornstarch produces the crispiest result. You can replace all of the flour with cornstarch, or you can try using a similar non-gluten based flour or flour blend in place of traditional all-purpose flour.
How to brine chicken for frying? ›
Wet fried chicken brine entails a saline bath. A gallon of water to a cup of kosher salt is the standard ratio you should follow when creating a brining solution. The bird needs to be kept cold for the duration of the process. Moreover, the meat must be fully submerged for the method to work.
What goes first when frying chicken? ›
First, the raw chicken is lightly coated in flour, which absorbs excess moisture and helps the next layer adhere. Second, the chicken is dipped in beaten egg. And third, the cutlet is coated in fresh breadcrumbs, which cling evenly to both sides thanks to the coating of egg.
Why is my fried chicken falling apart? ›
Meat is not properly dry
If the meat is wet, it will make the flour soggy. In that case, breading will not stick properly and may fall off when deep frying. Therefore, you must take some paper towels and pat dry the meat on all sides.
Why brine fried chicken? ›
An intensely flavored buttermilk brine tenderizes the chicken while keeping it moist. Adding wet ingredients to the dry flour coating ensures an extra-craggy crust with lots of nooks and crannies. Starting in hot fat and finishing in the oven gives you fried chicken with a crisp crust and evenly cooked meat.
Should you brine chicken wings before deep frying? ›
Not only does the brine create some tender, juicy wing meat, but the flavor from the brine is also wonderful. The salt and sugar of the brine penetrates the chicken meat in such a way that it evenly seasons every morsel of the wing itself.
Should you brine chicken breast before pan frying? ›
Brining is an easy way to ensure your chicken is juicy and has tons of flavor. I'm just going to come out and say it: I am OBSESSED with this brined fried chicken. I've made plenty of fried chicken in my life. I've marinated it in buttermilk.
Is it necessary to brine chicken? ›
If you're aiming for perfectly cooked chicken, using a brine is an essential step. Brining tenderizes the meat while distributing flavor deeper and more evenly than a surface seasoning can provide.
