Outside of the herbed cream cheese, none of this is good for my low carb diet. Must resist.
Ask and you shall receive:
Keto friendly Nashville Hot -smoked- Chicken
About 3 years in the making, this is a keto friendly and kitchen friendly dish inspired by one of my favorite regional dishes, Hot Fried Chicken. This isn't for the faint, but can be tamed down if you so desire.
The base recipe is borrowed from Amazing Ribs Cornell Chicken. For the marinade:
1 Egg
1 Cup Oil
2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons coarse kosher salt
1. Mix the egg and oil with a stand mixer until it is well mixed and bright yellow. This should take about 2-3 minutes
2. Add the vinegar and salt. Mix until combined.
3. Using a sharp knife, pierce the skin in several places all over each piece of chicken
4. Add chicken parts to a gallon ziplock bag and pour the marinade in. Remove all the air, seal well. Stick it in your fridge for 4 hours.
For the Hot Chicken Seasoning
3 tablespoons Cayenne pepper powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Ghost Pepper Powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup hot vegetable oil
1. Mix everything together. Reserve 1 tsp of the dry spices for the rub.
2. Heat oil in a small saucepan over low. When it is shimmering, remove from heat and mix in the spice mixture. Stir and be careful it doesn't burn. Set aside.
For the Rub: (for 4 thighs, scale up if needed)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Hot chicken seasoning
Once the chicken has marinated, remove the parts and reserve the marinade in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the rub evenly over both sides of the chicken.
Now for the cook:
1. Prepare your grill for indirect cooking or your smoker. I used charcoal and cherry wood. Keep the heat 225-250 degrees F.
2. Arrange the chicken away from the heat. Baste with the marinade every 10 minutes. Dab the marinade on with a brush rather than painting it to prevent the rub from falling off. Rearrange the parts if they aren't cooking evenly.
3. Continue smoking and basting the chicken until it reaches 150 degrees F. This should take 60-90 minutes. IMPORTANT: DO NOT BASTE THE CHICKEN ONCE IT HITS 150 DEGREES!!!!! Throw out the marinade and wash the brush. The egg is uncooked and raw chicken was in it. You don't want salmonella.
4. Get the hot side of your grill hot. I used my gas grill since I had the smoker on. Grill the chicken over high heat on both sides. This serves to sterilize the chicken from the marinade and to crisp up the skin. Watch for flames, keep adjust the heat and move the chicken around to keep it from flaming up and catching on fire.
5. Meanwhile, heat the spice oil mixture back up. I just placed the saucepan on the top rack of my grill. Stir it good.
6. When the chicken is done, brush the spice oil mixture over the top using a different brush and serve.
Shown plated with broccoli and red peppers which were roasted on the grill in a disposable pan while the chicken was cooking.