Hot Fried Sasso Chicken is a bold and flavorful take on fried chicken, featuring a Sasso chicken brined with a tangy gochujang mixture, dipped in a spiced buttermilk blend, and coated with a crispy flour batter. Paired with pickles and white bread, and seasoned with honey and a unique Hail Mary Spice blend, this dish offers a fiery and satisfying experience that will leave your taste buds tingling.
1wholechicken (Ideally a Sasso from La Pera Poultry Bros in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn)
00 flour, for batter
Canola oilenough to fill a large, tall walled pot halfway
Honey, to season
Salt, to season
Pickles, to serve
White bread, to serve
BRINE
1cupsalt
1cupsugar
1cupGochujang paste
2gallonswater
BUTTERMILK DIP
1quartbuttermilk
1/2quartmilk
1/2cupcelery salt
1bottleCrystal Hot Sauce
1/2cupcayenne pepper
1/4cupgarlic powder
1/4cuponion powder
HAIL MARY SPICE
1/2cupdried shiitake mushrooms
11-inch sqaurekombu
1cupdried Tianjin chile
2tbspsblack peppercorn
2tbspsgarlic powder
2tbspsonion powder
2sliversdried orange peel
CHILE OIL
2cupsguajillo chiles
2cupsTianjin chiles
1/2cupThai bird chile
1tbspstar anise
1tbspcloves
1tbspblack pepper
1tbspfennel seed
1tbspcumin seed
4cinnamon sticks
1quartcanola oil
WINE PAIRING
Sparkling Wine
Instructions
BRINE
BRING water to a boil. Dissolve salt, sugar and Gochujang paste. Then chill fully. Break whole chicken down into drumsticks, thighs, breasts, and wings. Place chicken pieces in brine and let rest for 12 hours. Remove and place on a wire rack in a pan in the refrigerator for 12 more hours to let dry.
BUTTERMILK DIP
COMBINE all Buttermilk Dip ingredients. Reserve.
HAIL MARY SPICE
PLACE all Hail Mary Spice ingredients in a blender. Blend until a fine powder forms. Place in a dry plastic container and reserve.
CHILE OIL
PLACE all Chile Oil ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
PLACE in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Then, let oil steep for 6 hours before straining through double layer of cheesecloth and reserve.
FRIED CHICKEN
FILL a large, tall walled pot halfway with canola oil and heat to 325°F.
DREDGE chicken pieces in flour. Then dip in Buttermilk Dip, shaking off excess, then dredge in flour again and add to pot. Fry until the inside of the chicken pieces register at 170°F.
REST chicken on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then season with salt, Hail Mary Spice, honey and Chile Oil.