Sourdough Fried Chicken

Prepare the batter

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This will help the flour to adhere to the chicken better and result in a crispier coating that stays on.

Add the chicken to a wire rack over a baking sheet.

Sprinkle on all sides with 1 teaspoon salt.

In a bowl stir together the sourdough starter, egg, beer, and milk.

In another bowl stir together the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, flour, brown sugar, chili powder, dried thyme, cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Dredge the chicken

One at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour until well coated.

Then dip into the sourdough mixture until all the flour is covered.

Dip back into the flour mixture until all the sourdough mixture is covered.

Return the chicken to the wire rack on the baking sheet.

Repeat for all chicken.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until the oil heats (this will help the coating to adhere to the chicken and become crisper, without it your chicken may be soggy and the coating will easily separate from the chicken).

Frying the chicken

Heat 4-6 inches of oil in a deep fryer or a pot with a deep-fry thermometer until it hits 335 – 350°F, adjust heat to maintain this temperature.

Set out a clean wire rack over a different baking sheet (this will keep the underside of the chicken from getting soggy the way it does on paper towels. Don’t return it to the first rack, it will risk contamination from the raw chicken bacteria).

Cook chicken in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side (make sure to only fry a few at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot). Internal tempertuare of the chicken should be 165 F.

Place cooked chicken on the clean cooling rack and repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.

Serve warm.