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Honey Butter Fried Chicken – 3361 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL

Honey Butter has jazz on Wednesdays on our patio with our next upcoming next Wednesday.

They’ve also brought back weekly specials with wings on Wednesdays and nachos on Thursdays!

HBFC BBQ Ranch Mac n’ Cheese 

Recipes by Honey Butter Fried Chicken in Chicago, Illinois

Honey Butter Fried Chicken Strips

Pimento Mac ‘N Cheese 

BBQ Sauce and Ranch Dressing 

Honey Butter Fried Chicken Strips

⅓ cup              Kosher Salt, preferably Diamond Crystal

¼ cup              Granulated Sugar

⅛ teaspoon     Chile Flake

2 quarts           Water

To make the brine: combine above ingredients in a large pot and heat over medium heat and stir until sugar and salt dissolves. Cool the brine completely. 

4          boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, each cut into 3 or 4 strips

Place the chicken pieces in brine for 8 – 12 hours. Remove from the brine and dry excess moisture with paper towels.

1 ¾ cups         All-Purpose Flour                                           

¼ cup              Rice Flour                                           

1 ½ teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper                            

1 ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder            

1 teaspoon      Onion Powder                                                

⅛  teaspoon    Cayenne Pepper                                            

⅛ teaspoon     Smoked Paprika (pimenton)

¼ teaspoon     Baking Powder          

To make the flour: mix flour, spices, and baking powder well.  Taste it – it should taste good!

To batter and fry the chicken:

1 quart             Buttermilk

Fryer Oil (canola, rice bran, or peanut): fill a sturdy, high-sided pot with 4” of oil

To batter the chicken: place the chicken dredge flour in a wide container. Pour the buttermilk into a second container. Batter each piece of chicken one at a time. Submerge the chicken first in buttermilk. Lift the chicken out of the buttermilk, and let drip slightly, and place into chicken dredge flour container and coat the chicken again. Be careful to ensure that the chicken is evenly and fully coated, but do not let the coating become too thick. Place the battered chicken onto a plate and proceed with battering the remaining chicken. 

To fry the chicken: preheat your oil over medium heat. Using a probe or oil thermometer, carefully bring oil to 340 degrees F.  If your pot is small, fry the chicken in batches. If you place too much chicken into the oil, the temperature will drop too much and the chicken will become greasy. Place the chicken gently into the hot oil – the temperature will drop. Carefully adjust the heat to keep the oil at a constant 315-320 degrees F. Fry the chicken until each piece reads at least 165 degrees F at it’s thickest point. When the chicken is cooked, remove carefully from the oil and place on a wire rack over a cookie sheet or on paper towels.  

Dust the top side of the just fried chicken with a sprinkle of salt and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Let rest for one minute, flip the chicken and dust the other side with salt and smoked paprika.  

1 cup               HBFC seasoned flour

3 ounces         Buttermilk

Drip buttermilk one drop at a time into the flour. Try to spread out the drops so they don’t drip in the same place. Stir up the flour a few times to coat the buttermilk clumps. Halfway through the buttermilk, use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the clumps into another bowl. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk. Deep Fry the clumps (stir them as they fry) in a fine mesh strainer or basket in 325 degree oil until golden brown. Drain off the oil, and place on paper towels to drain the crunchies further. 

Pimento Mac ‘N Cheese 

½ pound          Fusilli Pasta – cooked al dente, shocked in ice water, drained 

½ pound          Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread (like Merkts or Pine River brand)

1½ ounces      Buttermilk

⅓ cup              Pimento Peppers – pureed and strained

Warm the cheese and buttermilk over medium heat just until cheese melts into the buttermilk. Toss pasta with the cheese sauce and pimento puree and mix occasionally until the sauce adheres to the pasta and the pasta is hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BBQ Sauce and Ranch Dressing – store bought or homemade!

Arrange the mac ‘n cheese in wide bowls or on plates. Chop the fried chicken into one inch pieces and arrange over the top of the mac and cheese. Drizzle with BBQ Sauce and Ranch Dressing. Garnish with crunchies and scallions. Enjoy! 

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