Throw A Dirty Martini In Your Fried Chicken Batter

The martini has been a mainstay on menus for well over a century, and nowadays, not just as a drink; some people are throwing dirty martinis into their fried chicken batter. If you've made fried chicken before, you might already know that the dish pairs well with anything acidic — buttermilk, pickle juice, and apple cider vinegar are all fair game, so why not olive brine? That, plus the vermouth and gin (or vodka) that comprise your dirty martini will work a double shift by keeping your chicken meat tender and flavorful while also helping the exterior reach peak crispiness.

Chicken recipes that incorporate the elements of a dirty martini are nothing new. Rachael Ray, for instance, once brought her former culinary producer, Grant Melon, on her show to demonstrate his "Dirty Martini Chicken," a dish of boneless, skinless chicken thighs cooked with olive brine, dry vermouth, vodka, and other bits and bobs you'd find behind the bar. However, throwing a dirty martini into fried chicken batter, specifically, is a bit more novel.

This new concept comes from Lifehacker's Allie Chanthorn Reinmann, whose recipe was inspired by their love of olives. They start by making a dirty martini, using olives, gin, olive juice, and salt. If you want to stick to tradition by adding dry vermouth, go for it. As Reinmann explains, the alcohol's "flavor doesn't come through in the end."

Then, they pour the cocktail into a blender or food processor and blend it for half a minute or so, or until the olives are somewhat broken down. After that, they add potato starch (the key to an extra-crispy bite), flour, and baking powder to the mix, pulsing and then scraping down the sides until there are no chunks left. When the batter is ready, all that's left to do is dredge the chicken in flour, coat it in the batter, and fry it in oil. And yes, you should definitely make a second martini to drink with dinner.

Fried chicken à la dirty martini may not be a time-honored recipe (yet), but chicken and alcohol go way back. Just like acidic ingredients, alcohol can act as a flavor-booster and tenderizing agent for poultry and other types of meat. As Dr. Robert Barth, the author of "The Chemistry of Beer," told Inverse, fat and alcohol are natural bedfellows. Booze has the power to both infuse fatty meat and help the flavors of its brining solution shine through, with no emulsifying ingredient required.

Take beer can chicken, a grilling-season favorite that creates a rotisserie-like result without the special equipment. Flipping further back in the culinary history books, tons of chicken recipes call for vermouth and other types of wine to add flavor and juiciness. For braised recipes, adding alcohol to the pan (also known as deglazing) is essential in releasing the flavor-packed bits of caramelized vegetables and aromatics, which can make for an excellent pan sauce.