Two Southern staples in their own right, sweet tea and fried chicken are often found on the same table. But it wasn’t until I tasted the sweet-tea fried chicken sandwich from Saw’s BBQ in Birmingham, Alabama, that I realized they’re even more powerful together. In this recipe, inspired by the dish from Saw’s, sweet tea acts as a flavor-charged brine for chicken thighs, resulting in tender, ultra-succulent fried chicken with a lingering hint of sweetness.
For the brine, I take a cue from the age-old Southern secret of spiking sweet tea with a pinch of baking soda. This trick is said to strip the tea of any lingering bitterness, but adding a little baking soda to the brine also performs the valuable role of tenderizing the meat. Instead of deep-frying, I opt for a shallow-fry in a cast-iron skillet, which yields spectacularly crispy, craggy chicken with a fraction of the oil.
The ultimate companion for sweet-tea-brined chicken? Alabama white sauce. Unlike many barbecue sauces—which lean heavily on ketchup and molasses—this pale mayonnaise-and-vinegar-based one is bright and punchy, a trademark of Alabama barbecue. Laced with plenty of black pepper, this versatile white sauce would be great on just about anything: In Alabama, it’s most commonly slathered on grilled or smoked chicken—the thin mayo-based sauce keeps the bird moist and juicy—but I also use it as a salad dressing and a dipping sauce for fries (Big Ranch Energy).
My favorite way to serve this chicken is over a slice of soft white bread to sop up all that sauce. For an epic chicken sandwich, tuck the fried thighs into a plush potato bun along with sliced pickles and a hefty spoonful of Alabama white sauce. Whichever way you choose, don’t forget a side of fried green tomatoes.