Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients

• 1½ kg chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 180g sea salt flakes
• 90g soft dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 75g butter
• 125ml hot chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Preparation

Serves 4

1. Put the chicken in a big bowl. In a pan, heat 1 litre of water with the salt, brown sugar and chilli flakes. When it’s dissolved, add 2 litres of cold water and pour over the chicken. Put in the fridge and leave for at least 2 hrs, but ideally a day or two. When you’re ready to cook, take the chicken out of the water and pat dry all over with kitchen paper.
2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the smoked paprika, ground cumin, sea salt and dark brown sugar on a baking tray. Mix them together, then roll the dried chicken pieces in the spices, making sure everything is covered. Roast the chicken for 1 hr or until crispy and caramelised.
3. Meanwhile, for the sauce, gently melt the butter in a small pan with the hot sauce and maple syrup. When the chicken pieces come out of the oven, drizzle this sauce all over them and give them a shake. Serve with a side of creamed corn.