Nashville Hot Chicken

Ingredients

0 of 18 out on the counter

• 1 lb chicken tenders (about 10)
• ½ cup jalapeño jar juice
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp light brown sugar or honey
• ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs beaten with 2 tbsp water
• Oil spray
• 2¼ tsp honey
• ½ tbsp sriracha
• 1 tsp melted butter

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1The night before, set 2 tbsp of the jalapeño juice aside in the fridge, then brine the tenders in the fridge in the rest of the jalapeño juice, water and sugar. Keep it under 24 hours or the vinegar softens the outside.
2. 2Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and spices in a bag.
3. 3In the morning, pat the tenders dry. Discard the brine. Rub the 2 tbsp of reserved jalapeño juice into the dredge to make pea-sized clumps: those are the craggles.
4. 4Dredge each tender, dip it in the egg wash, then dredge again, pressing the coating on. Rest 10 minutes on a rack.
5. 5Spray with oil until no dry flour shows. Air-fry at 400 °F in two batches, about 12 minutes each, flipping and re-spraying at 6, until the thickest tender reads 165 °F on a food thermometer.
6. 6Stir the honey, sriracha and melted butter together and brush it on for the last 2 minutes. Rest 3 minutes. Serve 4 tenders (about 6 oz raw) on a plate built on greens and a whole grain such as brown rice.