Best Sweet Tea Brined Cornbread Crusted Chicken Biscuit Recipes

SWEET TEA BRINED CHICKEN WITH PEACHES, MINT AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Combine 4 cups water with the sugar, ginger, and 1/4 cup salt in a large pot. Halve the lemon, squeeze the juice from half and add the juiced half. Reserve the remaining lemon half. Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add 3 cups of ice to cool the mixture to room temperature, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and make sure they are submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 16 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the fridge and remove from the brine. Pat dry.
• Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off one of the middle burners (2 if you have a grill with 4 or more burners) and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. The grill should be around 350 degrees F so adjust the burners or air-flow vents as necessary to maintain that temperature. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for the best results.)
• Lightly oil the grates of the grill and lay the chicken pieces, bone-side down, on the indirect heat side of the grill. Cover and cook until the skin is golden and the chicken is cooked about three-quarters of the way (130 to 135 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), 20 to 25 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces so they are skin-side down and continue indirect grilling until the chicken is cooked through and reads 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, lightly oil the flesh of the peaches and the remaining lemon half and place flesh-side down on the direct side of the grill. Grill until marked but not too soft, about 2 minutes. Turn the peaches (leave the lemon flesh-side down) and grill just until marked on the other side, about 1 minute more. Remove the peaches and lemon from the grill. Slice the peaches into wedges. Squeeze the lemon into a small bowl and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the arugula with the mint, peaches and the grilled-lemon vinaigrette. Serve with the chicken.

SWEET TEA BRINED CORNBREAD CRUSTED CHICKEN BISCUIT

Steps:

• 1. Sweet Tea Brined Chicken Heat water and tea bags to boiling in the microwave. Pour into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add ice to quickly cool. Add chicken breasts and allow to soak for 1 hour. Honey Cornbread Chicken: Remove chicken from sweet tea brine. Dredge chicken breasts in Jiffy Cornbread mix (dry). Heat 1 inch oil in a skillet. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Drizzle each chicken with honey.
• 2. Biscuits Combine flour, sugar, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Pour flour into a large bowl. Add milk and stir to combine. Turn out onto a floured surface. Press dough to about ½" thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut 10-12 biscuits. Place biscuit rounds onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with butter again. Allow to cool before serving.
• 3. Fried Collard Greens Heat oil in a skillet or deep fryer to 350 degrees. Flash fry raw, cut collard greens for 1 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
• 4. Peppered Sawmill Gravy: Heat bacon grease in a small pot. Add 1-2 TBSP flour and cook for a minute (make a roux). Add 2 cups milk, salt, and a generous amount of pepper. Whisk over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Move to warming area.
• 5. Fried Eggs: Heat a small amount of oil or bacon grease in a non-stick skillet. Fry eggs over medium heat to over easy. Remove from heat and drain on a paper towel.
• 6. Assembly: Split biscuits. Spread bottom half of biscuit with pepper jelly. Top with one piece of chicken, 2 slices of crispy bacon, spoonful of gravy, a handful of fried collard greens, and a fried egg. Top with biscuit and secure with a toothpick.

SWEET TEA-BRINED CHICKEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Sweeten the tea to taste, then add the canola oil, pickling spice, garlic, onion, kosher salt, celery salt and black pepper while it's still hot. Refrigerate until cool, then add the chicken breasts to the brine. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
• When ready to cook the chicken, preheat a grill to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the brine and grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle registers 165 degrees F, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Let the chicken cool, then dice it.
• Add the diced chicken, mayonnaise, pecans, honey and apple to a bowl and toss to combine. Put a large scoop of chicken salad on each croissant bottom, then top with lettuce, tomato, red onion and the croissant tops.