Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Copycat Popeye's Spicy Chicken

Copycat Popeye's Spicy Chicken | It's super easy to make your own Popeye's at home - crispy and spicy perfection!

I love copycat recipes. It's a problem. To date, I have 67 copycat recipes posted on the blog (see them HERE). Now that I'm back home in Tennessee in an actual city, it's not really any issue of getting crappy fast food/restaurant food...crappy Taco Bell? Well, there's about a million of them in the area, so you know which one you go to and which one you don't. Up in New York where we lived, you don't get that kind of luxury. So I resorted to finding out how to make my favorite restaurant recipes at home when I was getting a craving.

Even still, there are a lot of times I think that my homemade copycat recipe tastes better than the restaurant version. In most cases, if I eat fast food, it makes my stomach hurt - probably all the grease. And you know...not knowing exactly went into that food. Gross! I used to love KFC and I've eaten Popeye's a few times...but I'm not big on the texture of the chicken. It just doesn't taste completely right.

Copycat Popeye's Spicy Chicken | It's super easy to make your own Popeye's at home - crispy and spicy perfection!

This Popeye's copycat recipe is the bomb!!! I was amazed at how close it tasted to the real thing. Popeye's definitely has its own style of breading - it's crunchy and so delicious. I was happy that this recipe reflected that. And it's spicy! YUM!

(Print)
What you need:
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 cup hot sauce (Frank's is my go-to)
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. pepper
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 3 tsp. cayenne
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • Salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
  • 2 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts or tenderloins [I used tenderloins]
  • Oil for frying
Directions:
  1. Place chicken in a large bowl and pour buttermilk over the top of it. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
  2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, water, and hot sauce.
  3. In a gallon freezer bag, mix flour, pepper, paprika, and cayenne.
  4. Drain buttermilk off the chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  5. Put chicken in freezer bag, seal, and shake until evenly coated.
  6. Remove all chicken from bag and then dip each one in the egg mixture and put back into the freezer bag. Seal and shake again.
  7. Heat oil in a deep skillet or deep fryer to 350* (If you are using a skillet and don't have a thermometer, test the heat by sprinkling a little flour into the skillet. If it sizzles immediately, you are ready. Just be sure to monitor your heat so it doesn't get too hot.).
  8. Fry a couple pieces of chicken at a time for about 5 to 7 minutes for tenderloins, or until golden brown. Flip the pieces, if necessary.


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