Jack Daniel's Whiskey Fried Chicken

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 665kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

This crispy fried chicken is slathered in a thick, sweet, homemade sauce with a good splash of whiskey. Jack Daniel's Whiskey Fried Chicken uses skinless, boneless chicken thighs which have more flavour and hold up well to the hot oil. With my double fry method, your chicken will stay crispy even after soaking up that delicious sauce too!

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Ingredients

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup cornstarch

Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Slurry Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
oil for frying

Instructions

Measure all of the sauce ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together and set aside.
Measure the slurry ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together. Set aside.
Pour the oil into a heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch Oven. You will want about four inches of oil in your pot. Turn on the heat and bring the oil to 300-315 degrees. If in doubt, use a kitchen thermometer!
Set a baking sheet with a wire cooling rack on it next to the pot. You will place the fried chicken on the wire rack in a single layer. This will allow air to flow around the fried chicken, allow the excess grease to drip off, and keep the batter crispy and crunchy.
Using tongs, lower the chicken into into the oil one piece at a time. Don’t overcrowd the pot. I tend to fry them off about a dozen pieces at a time. The chicken fries really quickly; it only needs about 5-6 minutes.
Once all of the chicken is fried, increase the heat of the oil to 350 degrees. Carefully place all of the chicken back into the oil. This is what I refer to as the second fry and it will add further crisp to your chicken and it only needs another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain well.
Next, transfer the bowl of sauce to a skillet and over medium-high heat, continuously whisk the sauce until it starts to boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and mix the slurry by combining the cornstarch with the water. Pour this into the sauce while whisking. The sauce will immediately thicken. Continue to stir until all of the sauce is the same consistency.
Finally, add the fried chicken and toss it with the sauce until each piece is generously and completely covered.
Serve immediately.

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