Add This Spicy Seasoning To Fried Chicken For 10x The Flavor (Hint: It's Not Hot Sauce)

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When we covered mistakes people usually make when frying chicken, we talked about the importance of proper seasoning. For those that crave the most piquant punch of flavor when frying up chicken at home, we're about to blow your mind. Jerk seasoning is a hallmark of delicious Jamaican cuisine, but we'd argue that it has a place in every well-appointed spice cabinet. It's a blend of more than a dozen flavorful powdered ingredients like aromatics, herbs, and warming spices, all tied together with at least a couple potent chiles. Scotch Bonnet peppers are the traditional island contribution, but cayenne is another option. And jerk seasoning is absolutely delish as the starring player in flavoring fried chicken! 

This isn't the first time we've set our sights on an international ingredient for our fried chicken. Sazón, that quintessential Latin American seasoning, is absolutely delish on poultry, for instance. But jerk seasoning brings the heat in the best way, and we're slightly obsessed with infusing its strong flavor into our meat. The process couldn't be easier, either. As illustrated in this TikTok, you simply sprinkle a generous coating of your jerk seasoning over your chicken before marinating it. The TikToker used her jerk seasoning in conjunction with a standard poultry rub, but you can definitely mix up your own concoction of herbs and spices. After that, just dredge and fry your chicken the way you normally do. Don't already have jerk seasoning in your cabinet? Amazon can hook you up with its Whole Foods Organic Caribbean Jerk Spice Blend for less than a five-spot.

A great jerk-flavored fried chicken demands a little creativity. To that end, you can pair other seasonings with your jerk seasoning to really maximize the flavor. We've seen brown sugar added to the mix, and we wholly endorse this addition. Not because we necessarily crave sweet fried chicken, but because a tiny note of sweetness really sets off the heat of the jerk seasoning — look at the prevalence of the viral "swicy" trend for a great example of people adoring this sweet-heat combo punch. Since there are an abundance of herbs and spices that go into jerk seasoning, you can feel free to add extra of whatever ingredients you want to come to the forefront, like garlic, oregano, and/or chiles.

One doesn't make jerk fried chicken if they don't like some spice in their food, and we're fully here for those who want a kickin' chicken! The most outrageous flavor will be achieved when you pair jerk seasoning in your marinade step and add hot sauce to either the marinade medium or the sauce you pair with your chicken. We know that Aldi's hot sauce is often referred to as a Frank's Red Hot copycat, and that would be a great budget option. The brand isn't terribly important, however. Just mix your hot sauce with melted butter and toss your chicken in it (keep napkins handy!) ... or, if you want a tidier experience, douse your buttermilk in the spicy stuff so that your chicken fully absorbs the heat and flavor of the sauce before you bread it and fry it.