What Makes Thomas Keller’s Hot Sauce So Perfect (Plus a Chicken Tender Recipe to Try It On)

Nestled amongst the heirloom tomatoes and purple-hued carrots at the kitchen garden of Thomas Keller’s famed restaurant The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., one finds vegetables with a spicier fate in store.

They’re ají dulce peppers, which are the foundation of a sweet-and-fiery hot sauce at Ad Hoc, Keller’s nearby casual, family-style restaurant. Head chef Kate Hagan-Welchel planted five different pepper varietals in the French Laundry garden before settling on the squat peppers, which pack the flavor of a habanero without the tears-streaming-down-your-face heat.

True to the pepper’s flavor profile, Ad Hoc’s “Hoc Sauce” is sweet up front with a smoky burn in the finish. It’s hot, but won’t melt your face off. Bottles are available online at Finesse, Keller’s online shop, for $10 a pop.

Here’s Hagan-Welchel’s recipe for buttermilk fried chicken fingers, which Ad Hoc says go excellently with Hoc Sauce. Just don’t rub your eyes right after scarfing them down.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Keller Restaurant Group

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
By Chef Kate Hagan-Welchel of Ad Hoc
Serves 8 to 10

Be careful. The oil can spurt as the chicken is added and fried, making this is a perfect recipe to use a splatter screen. Place a thermometer in the oil to help monitor the proper cooking temperature. It is a good idea to make this brine a day ahead and refrigerate it. Do not add the chicken to warm brine and do not leave the chicken in the brine longer than the specified time or it may become too salty.

For the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
12 bay leaves
1⁄2 cup garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
About 1⁄2 ounce (3 large) rosemary sprigs
About 1⁄2 ounce (1 large bunch) thyme sprigs
About 2 ounces (1 large bunch) flat leafed parsley sprigs
Grated zest and juice of 2 large lemons
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the coating:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 quart buttermilk
10 cups peanut oil
Kosher salt
Rosemary and thyme sprigs for garnishing

Make the brine: Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.

Rinse the chicken breasts and place them in the cold brine and refrigerate overnight or for up to 12 hours. Remove the chicken breasts from the brine and pat dry, removing any herbs or spices sticking to them. With a knife and pair of kitchen shears, cut the chicken breasts into tenders.

Bring the peanut oil to 330 ̊F in a 6-quart sauté pan. Meanwhile, mix the coating ingredients together in a bowl and place the buttermilk in a second container. Just before frying, dip each piece of chicken into the coating, patting off the excess, then into the buttermilk and back into the coating. Place the chicken on a parchment lined sheet tray.

When the oil has reached the proper temperature, carefully lower the pieces of meat into the oil. The temperature of the oil will decrease. Adjust the heat as necessary to bring the oil to proper temperature. Fry the meat for about 13 minutes, to a deep golden brown, cooked throughout and very crisp.

Remove the chicken to a tray lined with paper towels and sprinkle salt. Carefully add the white meat to the oil and fry for about 6 to 7 minutes until cooked. Remove to the tray, sprinkle with salt and turn off the heat under the oil. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes to cool slightly. It is very hot when it comes out of the oil.

While the chicken rests, add the herb sprigs to the hot oil and let them cook and crisp for a few minutes. Arrange the chicken on the serving platter and garnish with the fried herb sprigs.

Need more heat? More hot sauce stories for you:

The Scientific Reason Why Sriracha Is Basically the Best

Everything You Need to Know About Chili Pastes

14 Hot Sauces That Could Dethrone Sriracha

What’s your favorite hot sauce? Tell us below!