Sweet Tea Is The Secret Southern Ingredient For Flavorful Fried Chicken

Southerners know there's nothing better to wash down fried chicken than a tall glass of sweet tea. But what if you could infuse the flavor of tea directly into the meat? You can by soaking it in a brine, typically a mixture of salt dissolved in water. Keep the salt, but replace some or all of the liquid with sweet tea to give your fried chicken a flowery, slightly sweet taste, which compliments coating spices and herbs like cayenne, paprika, thyme, and oregano marvelously.

Fried chicken experts, whether they're a Chick-fil-A cook or a home chef, know that a quality brine gives you the juiciest fried chicken. Similar to marinades, they work by infusing meat with salt water, which imparts extra flavor, breaks down muscle fibers, and helps to dissolve connective tissue. This creates extra tenderness and flavor that you just can't mimic by adding extra salt to the breading, while preventing fried foods from drying out. But why settle for plain old water when you can spice things up a bit? 

The tannins in black tea add another layer of flavor to fried chicken while slightly tenderizing it, leaving you with top-tier, golden-brown deliciousness. Plus, deep-frying is a particularly masterful way to cook brined meats, because the hot oil does a great job at removing excess moisture that might cause sogginess. Read on for top tips for crafting your sweet tea brine and frying your chicken to perfection.

Brining fried chicken in sweet tea is almost identical to brining it in water – just mix the brine, soak the meat in the fridge, and fry. Depending on your tastes, you can either dilute the tea with water, or make an extra-concentrated batch if you want some extra flavor. You don't need fancy tea for a brine, either. Store-bought bags of Lipton are perfectly well-suited for the task. For additional flavor, you can toast whole spices like mustard seed, peppercorns, or nutmeg in the same pot you prepare the brine in. Let the pot cool completely, add the brine, then soak your chicken.

Also, keep in mind that the sugar in sweet tea caramelizes as it's cooked. Fried chicken recipes often call for oil temperatures between 325 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and since extra sugar is in the mix, keep the temperature on the lower end to prevent the meat from burning.

Finally, for extra-crispy fried chicken, grab some vodka and add a dash to your batter. A touch of the neutral spirit and even a sprinkling of baking powder go a long way towards making crispy breading, without overwhelming the taste of your tea and spices. To guarantee the right texture for any fried food, ensure proper airflow when draining by laying it across a grate, rather than directly on top of paper towels. This keeps your coating dry while it cools without holding on to too much oil, which can make it limp and greasy.