Fried Grilled Crawfish Chicken Recipe

Make brine and brine chicken

In a medium bowl whisk together whole milk, kosher salt, sugar, cayenne and black pepper until salt dissolves. Submerge chicken thighs in the milk brine, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours (minimum 1 hour if short on time). This tenderizes and seasons the meat.

Remove chicken from brine and pat very dry with paper towels. Let sit at room temperature 20–30 minutes before grilling/frying to ensure even cooking.

Prepare crawfish butter

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add minced shallot and cook 2–3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add crawfish tails, lemon juice, paprika, Creole seasoning, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Cook gently 2–3 minutes to warm the crawfish and let flavors meld. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reserve 3–4 tablespoons of the warm crawfish butter for brushing the chicken while grilling; keep the rest for serving.

If you prefer a smoother sauce, pulse half or all of the crawfish mixture in a food processor or blender briefly, then fold back in whole tails for texture.

Preheat and set up

Fill a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven with about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil (enough to shallow-fry) and heat over medium-high until oil reaches 350°F (175°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, test with a small piece of bread — it should brown in ~45 seconds. While oil heats, set up three stations: seasoned flour, buttermilk, and a clean plate. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder in a shallow bowl and whisk.

Dredge chicken

Working one at a time, dip each brined, dried chicken thigh into the buttermilk to coat, then into the seasoned flour, pressing to adhere a thick crust. For extra-crispy crust, return the floured piece to the buttermilk briefly and dredge again in the flour (double-dip). Place breaded pieces on a rack and let rest 10 minutes to set the crust.

Fry until golden

Carefully lower 2–3 pieces (do not overcrowd) into the hot oil. Fry 10–12 minutes, turning once halfway, until crust is deep golden and internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) measured at the thickest part. Adjust heat to keep oil between 320–350°F so crust cooks through without burning. Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack over a sheet tray to drain. Repeat with remaining pieces.

If desired for smoky flavor, after frying you can finish the chicken on a hot grill for 1–2 minutes per side just to get char marks and additional aroma. Lightly brush the chicken with neutral oil to prevent sticking and brush with reserved warm crawfish butter during or immediately after grilling.

Assemble

Arrange fried (and optionally grilled) chicken on a platter. Spoon remaining warm crawfish butter over each piece, letting some crawfish tails sit atop pieces for visual and flavor impact. Sprinkle with sliced scallions, extra chopped parsley and a light pinch of coarse sea salt if desired. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Recommended accompaniments: creamy coleslaw, garlic mashed potatoes, or dirty rice. Serve immediately so crust stays crisp.