Mississippi Fried Chicken Biscuits with Rosemary Honey

Recipes reprinted with permission from Whitney Miller’s New Southern Table (Thomas Nelson, 2015). Photography by Justin Fox Burks

Rosemary Honey

Yield: 1 cup

1 cup honey
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

Combine honey and rosemary in small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool completely. Once cooled, honey can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Olive Oil Biscuits
Yield: approximately 14 biscuits
1/2 cup + 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cups self-rising flour, plus more as needed for cutting and kneading
1 1/2-2 cups whole milk

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 nine-inch cast-iron skillets with 2 tablespoons each olive oil. Sift flour into medium bowl. Make a well in center of flour and pour 1/2 cup olive oil into well. Using your hand, gently stir olive oil into flour until incorporated. Add milk a little at a time while continuing to work flour with your fingers. When a wet dough forms, begin using a down-across-up-and-over folding technique to incorporate flour and milk until a moist and sticky dough forms. If dough is too wet, add 1 to 4 tablespoons more flour. Be careful not to overwork dough.

Transfer dough to a floured surface. Gently press dough into 2 one-inch thick rounds. Coat a 2 1⁄2- or 3-inch round biscuit cutter with flour and cut out biscuits, being sure to press straight down through dough. Re-form dough scraps and continue cutting. Place biscuits close together in greased skillets.

Bake biscuits for about 12 minutes, until they have fully risen. Do not overcook. If tops are still pale, change oven setting to broil, and cook until golden brown.

Mississippi Fried Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large egg
1 48-ounce bottle canola oil

Rosemary Honey Chicken and Biscuits. Complete recipe in the spring 2017 issue.

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets heavy-duty plastic wrap and flatten to 1⁄2-inch thick using a meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken breasts with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and place in an airtight container. Pour buttermilk over chicken, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
In a shallow bowl, combine remaining 1 teaspoon salt, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, thyme and cayenne. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and add 1/4 cup buttermilk mixture from chicken marinade. Remove chicken from buttermilk and shake off any excess. Dip chicken in egg mixture and then coat in flour mixture. Transfer chicken to waxed paper lined–baking sheet and let it stand for 10 minutes. Reserve flour mixture.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until temperature reaches 325 degrees.

Dredge 2 chicken breasts in seasoned flour again. Shake off excess and place in hot oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip chicken over and fry another 3 to 4 minutes. Maintain temperature by adjusting heat as necessary. Place chicken on a brown paper bag–lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Serve immediately.