CopyCat Popeyes Spicy Chicken

Ingredients

8 pieces fresh frying chicken
1 (6 ounce) bottle Louisiana hot sauce
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1⁄2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dry buttermilk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon Accent seasoning
1⁄2 teaspoon ground mustard
1⁄2 teaspoon superfine sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄4 teaspoon ground dill seed (not dill weed)
1⁄4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon dried chipotle powder

Batter:
6 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon fine sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon Accent seasoning

Dredging:
3 cups all-purpose flour

Deep Frying:
beef tallow or shortening

Directions

Rinse chicken pieces and blot dry. Place chicken into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Coat chicken well with contents of one 6-ounce bottle original Louisiana Hot Sauce, rubbing sauce well into skin of chicken.

Measure the all of the seasoning ingredients into a resealable plastic container. Seal container and shake well to blend. Put mixture into an empty, clean salt shaker. Sprinkle the Seasoning evenly and generously on every side of marinated chicken. Rub mixture well into chicken. Allow chicken to marinate in seasoning for at least 2 hours, refrigerated and sealed.

BEAT 6 large eggs in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon fine salt, 1 teaspoon fine sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon Accent seasoning; WHISK mixture in bowl vigorously until smooth.

Add 3 cups all-purpose flour into a medium bowl for the dredging.

Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet and set aside.

Remove chicken from the marinating dish using tong. Dip chicken into the batter until evenly coated. Coat the chicken well in the dredging flour. Place chicken onto the rack over baking sheet.

Repeat steps with remaining chicken pieces until all are battered and breaded. ALLOW breaded chicken to rest at least 15 minutes to absorb the breading.

Add the manufacturer’s recommended amount of deep-frying fat for deep-frying (100% beef tallow shortening or 70% Crisco Shortening with 30% Crisco Butter-Flavor Shortening);

Place deep-fryer basket into place in deep-fryer. Preheat fryer to 315°F, or preheat enough fat to immerse chicken completely in deep heavy stove top pot between 315°F, using a standard deep-fryer thermometer to gauge.

Carefully lower each piece breaded chicken one at a time, into the deep-fryer basket without crowding. If stove top frying, gently place breaded chicken pieces into hot oil using tongs, turning once halfway through frying duration.

Fry for 10 minutes. Raise frying temperature to 375°F. Continue frying at the higher temperature for 5 minutes

Blot chicken lightly to drain. Transfer rack over a baking sheet and keep chicken warmed in a preheated 170°F oven until serving.