Martha Stewart Brined And Fried Chicken Recipe

The molasses in the brine is what nobody talks about with Martha Stewart’s Brined and Fried Chicken. It does not just season the meat, it gives the skin this dark golden color when it hits the oil that you cannot get any other way. The chicken soaks overnight in salt, sugar, molasses, thyme, and bay leaves, then gets double coated in cornmeal and flour before frying at 350 degrees.

I am not going to pretend this is a weeknight recipe. This Martha Stewart fried chicken takes planning, at least 8 hours for the brine and 30 minutes of standing over hot oil. But I make it every summer when I want real fried chicken, not the baked or air-fried kind, and it is the only recipe where I have never once ended up with dry meat inside.

Try More Chicken Recipes:

• Roast Chicken
• Spatchcock Chicken
• Baked Chicken Thighs

Why You Will Love This Fried Chicken:

• The brine makes it almost impossible to dry out: I have overcooked fried chicken plenty of times with other recipes. With this one, the overnight brine pushes so much moisture and seasoning into the meat that even if you go a minute or two past 15 minutes, the chicken stays juicy. That kind of forgiveness matters when you are managing hot oil and multiple batches.
• Cornmeal in the coating changes the crunch: Most fried chicken recipes use all flour. Martha mixes in equal parts cornmeal and the texture is completely different. It is grittier, crunchier, and it holds up for hours instead of going soft 20 minutes after you pull it out of the oil. I noticed this the first time I packed it for a picnic.
• It is just as good cold as hot: Martha says serve hot or cold and she means it. I have eaten this straight from the fridge the next morning and the coating is still crunchy, the meat is still tender. That is the brine working. Most fried chicken falls apart when it is cold but this one does not.

Brined And Fried Chicken Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
• 2 quarts cold water
• 2/3 cup coarse salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup fine ground cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 large eggs
• 3 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

How To Make Martha Stewart Brined And Fried Chicken

1. Make the brine: Put 1 cup of the water in a small saucepan with the salt, sugar, molasses, thyme, and bay leaves. Heat over medium, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
2. Brine the chicken: Pour the brine into a large bowl or deep baking dish and add the rest of the cold water. Put the chicken pieces in and make sure they are all covered by the liquid. Put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours, up to 24.
3. Set up the coating station: Take the chicken out of the brine and pat every piece dry. Mix the flour, cornmeal, salt, and red pepper flakes in one shallow dish. Whisk the eggs in another.
4. Double coat the chicken: Dip each piece in the flour mixture first, then the egg, then back in the flour mixture again. Set the coated pieces on a baking sheet with a rack so the coating can set.
5. Fry in batches: Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a large heavy pot. Fry the chicken in 2 batches, about 15 minutes each, turning once, until deep golden brown all the way around. Let the oil come back to 350 before starting the second batch.
6. Drain and serve: Move the fried chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve hot or cold.

Recipe Tips

• Pat the chicken completely dry after brining: This is the step that makes or breaks the coating. If the chicken is still wet from the brine, the flour turns to paste instead of sticking as a dry crust. I use paper towels on every side of every piece and I do not rush it.
• Keep a thermometer in the oil the whole time: Martha warns about this and she is right. The oil drops the second you add chicken. If it falls too low the coating absorbs oil and gets greasy instead of crunchy. I clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot and watch it between batches.
• Let the coated chicken rest before frying: After the double dredge, let the pieces sit on the rack for 5 to 10 minutes. The coating dries slightly and sticks better in the oil. I learned this after losing half the crust off a thigh the first time I made this.
• Do not crowd the pot: Two batches means two batches. I tried squeezing everything in once to save time and the oil temperature crashed. Half the chicken came out pale and soggy. Never again.

What The Molasses Actually Does

I wondered why Martha uses molasses instead of just more sugar. After making this a few times I think I know. The molasses adds a faint bitterness that balances the salt in the brine, so the chicken does not taste sweet even though there is sugar in there too. It also darkens the skin in a way that makes it fry up deeper and richer than a plain salt brine would.

The other thing is the thyme and bay leaves in the brine. You cannot taste them directly in the finished chicken but something is different when I have left them out. The chicken just tastes flat without the herbs. I do not skip them anymore even when I do not have fresh thyme and use dried instead.

What Goes Well With This Fried Chicken

This is a full event kind of meal so I go big on sides. Mashed potatoes are the first thing I make because gravy and fried chicken on the same plate is not something I need to explain. Corn pudding rounds it out.

If I am packing this for a picnic I skip the hot sides and bring string bean casserole cold instead. The chicken is just as good straight from the cooler so everything can travel.

How To Store Leftovers

Fried chicken might be the one food that is better from the fridge than reheated. I put the pieces in a container without stacking them so the coating does not steam off. They last 3 to 4 days and the cornmeal crust stays surprisingly firm even cold.

If you do want them warm, a wire rack in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes brings the crunch back without drying the meat. Do not microwave this. The coating turns into a sad wet blanket and you will be angry at yourself.

FAQs

• Can I brine for less than 8 hours? You can try 4 hours if you are short on time but you will notice the difference. The meat is not as seasoned all the way through and it dries out faster when frying. The full overnight brine is what makes this recipe work the way it does.
• What do I do with all that oil after? Let it cool completely, strain it through a fine mesh strainer, and pour it back into the bottle. I reuse it once for frying and then throw it out. Do not pour it down the sink or it will wreck your pipes.
• Can I use chicken pieces from the store instead of cutting a whole chicken? Yes. A mix of bone-in thighs, drumsticks, and breast pieces works. Just make sure everything is bone-in and skin-on or the brine does not have enough to hold onto and the coating will not stick the same way.
• Is the red pepper in the coating spicy? One teaspoon of red pepper flakes for the whole batch is mild. You feel a little warmth at the back of your throat but it is not hot. I have doubled it when I want more kick and it still was not what I would call spicy.

More Chicken Recipes:

• Chicken Scarpariello
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Asian Chicken Salad

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 680
• Total Fat: 38g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Cholesterol: 195mg
• Sodium: 850mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 25g
• Protein: 45g