Sourdough discard works really similarly to buttermilk here, thanks to its acidity and lactic acid. It's perfect to make a tenderizing brine for fried chicken.
If I have a lot of discard to use up, I'm making these chicken tenders! They're moist on the inside (thanks to the sourdough discard + pickle juice brine) and crispy and flavorful on the outside.
Most everything I know about making fried chicken comes from Kenji Lopez-Alt who has it down to a science - quite literally.
This method has a few elements going on, but once you get the rhythm down, it's very simple!
The seasoning
A quick blend of paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and cayenne. Some of this will go into the brine, and the rest will go into the coating for ultra-flavorful chicken.
The seasoning is super versatile - feel free to substitute and/or add to it, or omit what you don't like.
You'll add some of the seasoning to the brine, and the remaining to the dry coating.
The brine
The main goal of brining chicken is to help it to retain moisture while cooking. It also gives it flavor, and in this recipe, it helps the dry coating to stick.
Here are the ingredients:
- Sourdough discard - you want sour, liquid discard here! Since it's acidic and teeming with lactic acid, it acts really similarly to buttermilk here.
- Pickle juice - a secret ingredient for really amazing chicken. Salt and acid work together in a brine to tenderize meat, and pickle juice gives you both. It adds lots of flavor and tenderizes the chicken.
- Egg - helps the dry coating stick to the chicken.
Mix the ingredients up in a large bowl, add the chicken, then you can either do a quick brine at room temperature, or a longer brine in the fridge. I recommend not letting the chicken sit in the brine for longer than 8 hours or the texture can get kind of off.
The chicken
*Fair warning that there's a picture of raw chicken coming up so proceed with caution!*
I make chicken tenders here, but you can totally use bone-in chicken pieces if you want! The steps are all the same, you will just likely need to adjust the cook time slightly.
For chicken tenders, you can either buy chicken tenders from the store, or buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into tenders yourself.
To cut chicken breasts into tenders, lay it flat, then cut it into pieces lengthwise. You want pieces to be right around ¾-inches thick. I typically get 5 strips per breast. If some are particularly long, cut them in half.
The coating
Right before frying, the chicken is moved from the brine in to the dry coating. This is a mixture of flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. It is light and crisp once fried!
One step that I highly recommend you don't skip is to add ¼ cup of the chicken brine to the dry coating - this will create clumps that will be SO GOOD on your fried chicken!
Frying
Heat 1 ½-2 inches of oil in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. You want the oil to be between 325-350 degrees while cooking the chicken, but since the temperature will drop when it's added, heat it to 375 degrees to ensure it won't drop too low.
Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook 1-2 minutes more on the other side. I always check the internal temperature with an instant thermometer. 165 degrees is what you're looking for if you're cooking tenders.
Sprinkle with more salt once they're out of the oil!
Sourdough Discard Fried Chicken
Ingredients
For the Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Brine
- 1 cup sourdough discard (see note)
- ¼ cup pickle juice
- 1 egg
- 3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chicken tenders (from 4-5 breasts)
For the Coating
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
For Frying
- 4 cups vegetable or peanut oil
Directions
- Combine the seasoning ingredients in a medium bowl.In a large bowl, whisk together the starter, pickle juice, egg, and 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix until smooth. Add in the chicken tenders and let brine at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, OR in the fridge for up to 8 hours, letting the chicken sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before proceeding to take the chill off. This will help with more even cooking.Heat 1 ½-2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. You're aiming for a temperature of 375 before the chicken goes in. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and the remaining seasoning mixture. Add ¼ cup of the chicken brine and work into the flour with your fingers. This will make clumps that will be so good when fried! Remove the chicken pieces from the brine one at a time and toss in the flour mixture to coat. Place off to the side of the bowl. Continue until all the chicken tenders have been coated. You'll want to keep them in the flour bowl at this stage.Grab one piece of chicken at a time with tongs, shake the as much flour off as you can, and gently lower into the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd. The oil temperature will drop, so adjust the heat as needed to maintain it above 325 degrees. Cook - undisturbed - for 2-3 minutes on the first side, until deeply golden brown. Flip the pieces carefully and cook on the second side about 1-2 minutes longer. Remove to a wire rack and sprinkle with additional salt. Continue until all pieces have been cooked. Serve immediately.
Notes
Bethany Ehrlich says
Well this looks amazing! Pickle juice and Cayenne- Amen!
mandyjackson says
You are my brining role model 😊