Try This Chef-Approved Method For Arnold Palmer-Style Fried Chicken
The chicken biscuits on the menu at Miami restaurant Root & Bone are mouth-watering concoctions: two buttery biscuits topped with pickles, Tabasco pepper jelly, and the establishment's signature fried chicken. And while the latter may sound like the most basic element of the brunch item, it's anything but ordinary. Tasting Table spoke with Jeff McInnis, executive chef at Root & Bone and its Miami neighbor Stiltsville Fish Bar, to get the inside scoop on his unique twist on classic fried chicken.
According to McInnis, the signature dish is a true Arnold Palmer-style fried chicken. If you need a refresher, the Arnold Palmer is a drink that mixes together iced tea and lemonade, which is exactly the flavor combo the Miami restaurant uses with its poultry. "Our signature at Root & Bone is a very unique recipe. We brine the chicken in a sweet tea for at least one day with some salt," McInnis told us. "We dehydrate lemon slices until crispy and pulverize these lemon chips with a touch of salt; then we use this 'lemon dust' just after we fry the bird which gives the dish such a unique zing!"
Incorporate seasoned flour and a swicy condiment for fried chicken that won't quit
We'll shout the benefits of marinating your soon-to-be fried chicken in sweet tea from the rooftops, as doing so brings plenty of delightful flavor and extra juiciness. To follow McInnis' lead, bring your sweet tea and salt to a boil until the salt dissolves, then let it cool. Make sure your poultry is completely submerged in the liquid, then let it sit in the fridge for over a day before you start breading and cooking. To dehydrate the lemons for the zesty sour garnish, a dehydrator is ideal — but if you don't have one, place your slices on a wire rack nestled atop a baking sheet. Pop the whole thing in the oven for up to four hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, then wait until your lemons cool completely to crush them.
This may sound plenty fancy for fried chicken, but McInnis doesn't stop there. Root & Bone also uses a seasoned flour to create that crispy outer coating. All you need is salt and pepper here, especially since you're bringing tons of flavor with the brine and garnish, but you can also add dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano, which will complement the tea's earthiness. To finish everything off, McInnis leans into the "swicy" (sweet and spicy) trend. "We love that 'sweet heat,' so we serve it with a honey Tabasco which is sweet and spicy!" he said. Our mouths are watering just thinking about it.