North Carolina Dipped Fried Chicken Recipe

Southern Living Dipped Chicken on a plate to serve wit hthe platter of chicken beside. — Photo:
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Active Time:

50 mins

Marinate Time:

4 hrs

Total Time:

5 hrs 5 mins

Servings:

While Nashville hot chicken certainly has had its time in the spotlight, there's another saucy fried chicken that is as beloved just one state over: North Carolina dipped fried chicken.

Made famous by Frankie's Chicken Shack in Salisbury, North Carolina, dipped fried chicken is much like it sounds: fried chicken that's dipped in a hot sauce. Except the original sauce is—and probably always will remain—a mystery. Frankie's closed in 2004, and the Cureton family still holds the recipe close.

Several other North Carolina restaurants now make dipped fried chicken, but everyone's sauce is just a little bit different. Heavy on the pepper-vinegar flavors that are common in Tar Heel State BBQ sauces, the sauce for dipped fried chicken is primarily hot sauce. Some recipes go so far as to call for Texas Pete Hot Sauce, which, despite its name, is actually a North Carolina original and dates back to 1929.

Dipped fried chicken is crispy, crunchy, moist, and spicy. A hint of molasses comes through the sauce, which is made with apple cider vinegar and hot sauce.

Our brine steals a note from hot chicken by using buttermilk, hot sauce, and pickle juice instead of a standard salt-and-sugar chicken brine. You'll let the chicken sit overnight before coating it in a flour-cornstarch mixture along with some spices. The chicken is then fried, before taking a dip in sauce.

Our dip sauce has hot sauce as the star, and we stirred in more vinegar, molasses, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. The sauce is the ideal balance between a vinegary mild hot sauce with a touch of sweetness that still allows the spice of the hot sauce to come through.

Some dipped chicken recipes have you dunk each piece of chicken in the sauce first. You can certainly do it, but you can also spoon it on if you want. That might be good for people with a bit of a heat sensitivity. With a drizzle, you can get a good balance of heat with the juicy fried chicken.

Save any leftovers in case someone wants to dunk their chicken in it as they go. For some, one dip is never enough.

Southern Living Dipped Chicken on a platter to serve — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Ingredients

Brine:

3 cups whole buttermilk
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dill pickle juice (from 1 [24-oz.] jar)
1/4 cup vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Texas Pete)
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar

Chicken:

3 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, breasts, and drumsticks)
1 1/2 cups (about 6 3/8 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Canola oil

Dip:

1/2 cup vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Texas Pete)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. unsulphured molasses
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Gather ingredients:

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Prepare the Brine:

Whisk together buttermilk, vinegar, pickle juice, hot sauce, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Brine the chicken:

Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Make coating:

Place flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in a large ziplock plastic bag. Seal and shake to combine.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Coat the chicken:

Place a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, remove from Brine, letting excess drip back into bowl. Add chicken to flour mixture in bag, and shake until coated.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Prepare the oil for frying:

Pour oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium until oil reaches 325°F. Place a wire rack inside a second large rimmed baking sheet.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Fry the chicken:

Working in 2 batches, fry chicken, turning occasionally, until a digital thermometer inserted into thickest portion of chicken registers 160°F, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size of chicken piece.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Transfer cooked chicken to prepared wire rack. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Prepare the Dip:

Whisk together hot sauce, vinegar, sugar, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low, whisking occasionally, until slightly reduced and heated throughout, about 10 minutes.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Transfer Chicken to a large platter, and drizzle with Dip. Serve immediately.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley