I made Chef Marcus Samuelsson's fried chicken recipe for Juneteenth — the crispy, flaky crust and hints of rosemary make it an automatic favorite

Fried chicken would have been a nightmare for early Juneteenth celebrations, but modern cooking makes the process much easier.

Adrian Miller, a culinary historian and author, told Insider that despite fried chicken's popularity at cookouts, it often wasn't on the menu during early Juneteenth celebrations. Juneteenth first took place on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas.  

"Barbecue is one of the premier party foods because it's scalable and demands community," Miller told Insider. "Old school barbecue was very scalable. If you had enough labor, animals,  land, wood —  all the component parts — you could do barbecues for thousands of people."

He added: "There's a reason why you don't see fried chicken dinners for a thousand people and reported on in early newspapers. That would be a logistical nightmare." 

 

 

157 years after the inaugural Juneteenth, making fried chicken is less challenging.

I chose to make Marcus Samuelsson's fried chicken recipe ahead of Juneteenth. Samuelsson is an award-winning chef and author who co-founded the popular comfort food spot, Red Rooster Harlem. Samuelsson has authored a number of books, including "Yes Chef: A Memoir" in 2013 and "Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook Off Duty" in 2014. 

Samuelsson's fried chicken is incredibly seasoned — not at all bogged down by unnecessary oil — and incorporates unusual flavors to make a very tasty meal. 

 

You're going to need chicken and lots of spices to make Samuelsson's fried chicken.

Samuelsson broke his recipe ingredients into two categories: spice blend and chicken. To make, you'll need: 

Spice Blend

• 1/4 cup berbere spice mix or mild chile powder (such as ancho chile powder)
• 1/4 cup hot smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp celery salt
• 2 tbsp freshly ground white pepper
• 2 tbsp ground cumin 
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Kosher salt

Chicken

• Kosher salt
• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 4 skin-on chicken drumsticks (about 1 pound)
• 1-quart buttermilk
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 6 cloves garlic (2 minced, 4 unpeeled)
• Peanut or canola oil, for frying
• 2 to 3 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup semolina flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp freshly ground white pepper

You'll also need a large skillet and a few large bowls. 

 

Start by creating the spice blend, which includes celery salt and hot smoked paprika.

Blend the mild chile powder, hot smoked paprika, celery salt, white pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder, and kosher salt in a container.

You will use this spice mix for the chicken marinade and seasoning at the end of the recipe.

Brine the chicken thighs and drumsticks in eight cups of water and one cup of salt.

Brine refers to a high concentration of salt in water. Bon Appétit reported that brine adds flavor and keeps meat tender.

According to Samuelsson's recipe, you'll need to brine the chicken, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it for 90 minutes. Afterward, remove the chicken and pat each piece of chicken dry.

Mince two cloves of garlic for the chicken marinade.

This recipe doesn't have a lot of chopping prep, but you will need to mince two cloves of garlic for the marinade.

Once minced, set it aside in a container.

It's time to make the marinade!

Grab the chicken, spice blend, buttermilk, and coconut milk.

Put the chicken in the marinade to sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Once you've measured each ingredient and added them to a large bowl, mix them together and add the chicken.

Samuelsson suggested each piece of chicken be submerged in the marinade, then covered, and refrigerated overnight. The following day, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it "almost" come to room temperature, according to the recipe. That should take around one hour.

Now, we're going to bread the chicken after letting it marinate.

Before placing the chicken in the skillet, I suggest covering it with flour first. 

Samuelsson said to mix the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, cornstarch, and white pepper on a baking sheet before adding the chicken.

Roll the chicken thighs and drumsticks in the flour mixture to cover every nook and cranny.

Use tongs to remove the chicken from the marinade and roll each piece into the flour mixture. Samuelsson advised letting the excess marinade drip off before rolling it in the flour and sprinkling more on hard-to-reach areas.

Add oil, rosary sprigs, and garlic cloves to the skillet.

Now, get ready to fry! Fill the skillet halfway with canola or peanut oil, then add the rosemary and garlic cloves. Then, wait for the oil to reach 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pro tip: if the oil becomes too hot, the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves may burn. Either add these ingredients when the oil is nearly 360 degrees Fahrenheit or be prepared to swap them out. 

Add the chicken to the heated oil and let it fry for around seven minutes.

Samuelsson advised lowering the temperature if the crusts start to brown too quickly.

Otherwise, occasionally turn each chicken piece in the oil until it's just cooked through. I immediately noticed the chicken crust begin to form and take on a flaky texture that's absolutely amazing. But be careful! Some of my crust fell off while flipping them over, so use caution.

Add the fried chicken to a rack and let rest for 10 minutes.

Use the tongs to remove each piece of chicken from the skillet to a cooling rack. Remove the rosemary sprigs and garlic from the oil as the pieces cool.

As the chicken cools, reheat the oil to reach between 375 degrees Fahrenheit and 380 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the cooled chicken back into the fryer for around one minute.

Samuelsson said to add the fried chicken back into the reheated oil until the crust is crisp and turns a deep, golden color. Then, remove the chicken pieces from the oil, place them back on the cooling rack, and sprinkle with the spice blend.

Samuelsson's fried chicken is one of the best iterations I've had since leaving Florida.

Maybe it's because I've had the opportunity to try Samuelsson's fried chicken at his Manhattan-based restaurant, Red Rooster, but I knew the chicken would come out delicious.

The chicken had subtle hints of heat that I'm assuming came from the ancho chile powder and the hot smoked paprika. One of the best flavors that stood out to me with this recipe was the rosemary, which really came through in the chicken despite being added much later in the process.

The texture was crispy, flaky, and crunched with each bite. I feel like fried chicken crust can make or break a meal, and this crust delivers. I've explored many parts of New York City, and while some fried chicken spots miss the mark, this recipe held its own.