I HAVETHISloveoffriedchickenthatborderson
obsession.Thatmomentwhena perfectlyfriedbird
hasthatcrunchandis seasonedjustright,theherbs
andspicessoperfectlybalanced.It transports me- a momentofhappinessin anotherwise
maddeningpursuitofperfectingmycraft.I knewit assoonasI tookthatfirstbiteof
Nashvillehotbird– I was a goner. I had to know how it was done, what made it so
goddamndelicious.
Thenthere’sthefeelingyougetwhenyoucooka piecejustso,spendingthetime
preparingeverythingjustperfect,thespicestriedandtested,eachgrammeasured
andfreshlyground,thefloursiftedandsiftedagain,makingit aslightaspossible
beforefoldingthroughthespices,neverrushing;thatmoment you drop a piece of
chickenreadytofryintoa bubblingandsizzlingskillet.
It mustbestrangeforthosewhoknowtoseesomethingsouniquelyNashvillein
thehandsofstrangerssofarfromhome.I’mjusttryingtocarrytheflagandstayas
truetothespiritasI can.EverythingwedoatTheHotChickenProjectcomesfrom
a placeofabsoluteadmirationforwhatthoseoriginatorsofhotchickenhavedone.
I wantedtocreatea placewithsubstance,a placethatcouldbecomepartofthe
community.Andthefood,ofcourse,somewhere that would honour the legacy that
isnowsetsofirmlyin Tennesseefolklore.
AndI didn’twanttojusttakeit,allthathard work. That creation. I wanted to share
it.I wantedasmanypeopleaspossibleto
experiencethesame joy it gives me, every bite,
stilltothisday.
Thisis aneditedextractfromTheHotChicken
Project by Aaron Turner (Hardie Grant, $48).
MAKEITRIGHT
THETEMPERATURE
“I waseatinga pieceofSouthernfried
chickenthatwassoperfectin temperature,
I wascompelledtoaskthecookhowit was
done.‘Honey,it’ssimple.Yougottahave
thatchickenouttathefridgeat leasttwo
hoursbeforethefry,otherwiseyour
chicken gonna be no good.’”THECRUNCH
“It’stheattentionduringtheprocessof 6
minutes 20 secondsofhotoilacrobatics
andninja-likefocusthatI love.Thekeyis
tonotovercrowdyourfrybasketorskillet
andshakingevery 30 seconds,sometimes
movingthemaroundin thebasket,making
suretheystaysubmergedin thecooking
oil. That’s the key to a good, crispy wing.”THESIDES
“Ofcourse,thereis theall-important
pickle– sweet,saltyslices of heaven that
offer blessed relief.”@aaronigniEXTR ACT.
60 delicious.com.au