Fantastic Fried Chicken Recipe

rusnak · 06-30-2008, 11:31 PM

Ok, I think we have had enough bad news, politics, and generally bad joo joo.

This weekend, I'm going to contribute my famous fried chicken and some Ollalaberry pie to our family's annual 4th of July gathering, and thought I'd share with you guys.

This is the best fried chicken I have ever tasted, and here's how I make it:

Go to the store and buy the freshest and reasonably large chicken pieces that they have. The really big birds are tougher, and the small ones are tender but have less meat.

Buy fresh flour. One bag. I like either Gold Medal or King Arthur.

Buy some Pappy's Seasoning. The one with the red lid, all purpose seasoning.

Buy a half gallon of buttermilk. In a pinch you can use whole milk.

Buy some peanut oil. Peanut oil is best, but Canola Oil will do also.

Buy fresh eggs.

At home, wash the chicken and remove the skin. If you absolutely must have the skin on, separate it from the meat and cut slits in it.

Put the chicken in a deep glass bowl that will fit in the lower drawer of your refrigerator. Take the veggies out. Who wants to eat veggies when there is fried chicken anyway? Pour all of the buttermilk over the chicken until the chicken covered. If needed, cover with saran wrap.

Now, let the chicken soak in the buttermilk for about 4-6 hours.

Pour some flour in a large dinner plate or a pie tin. Pour some of the Pappy's seasoning into the flour. It is not an exact measurement, but enough so that you can smell it in the flour when you put your nose close to the plate. It helps if the flour is cold, so you might want to put it in the fridge too.

Crack some eggs into a cereal bowl or med size bowl, and mix up the eggs.

Ok, now you must keep the chicken COLD! Take the chicken out of the buttermilk, then stick in the flour, turning to coat. When the chicken is dry and coated, go into the egg to coat over the flour, then back into the flour to coat a second time. This is double battered chicken. When you have enough to fill a plate, back into the fridge but somewhere on a shelf or something - wherever there is room. Put the bowl of remaining chicken back into the lower drawer to keep it cold until batch #2 is ready for the coating process.

Heat your oil medium hot. Ok here's the key: it's the process of going from COLD to hot that makes the coating shrink and stick to the chicken. It won't fall off. If you have a deep fat fryer, it has a large basket and tells you how hot to set the oil. Ok, put the chicken into the heated oil. It is cooked when it floats to the top of the oil. Turn over and cook until evenly brown. Now coat and cook the rest of the chicken.

This chicken will be fantastic. Even better the next day cold with some hard boiled eggs, some biscuits and honey butter. I have a biscuit recipe too, but that's another post.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Be safe!!

Mule · 07-01-2008, 05:36 AM

Sounds like Alton Brown's recepie.

Shaun @ Tru6 · 07-01-2008, 05:42 AM

nice recipe. Here's mine:
Leave butter out all day. Coat chicken thighs with butter. Mix flour, salt (a lot) and fresh black pepper (sort of a lot).

Coat butter chicken with flour. Get a pan of 1/2 peanut oil just smoking hot, add chicken, leave on high, 7 minutes each side until golden brown, toss in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

The Gaijin · 07-01-2008, 05:48 AM

Double battered chicken?? Whoa dude. You are living large.

Mule · 07-01-2008, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

nice recipe. Here's mine:
Leave butter out all day. Coat chicken thighs with butter. Mix flour, salt (a lot) and fresh black pepper (sort of a lot).

Coat butter chicken with flour. Get a pan of 1/2 peanut oil just smoking hot, add chicken, leave on high, 7 minutes each side until golden brown, toss in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

You mean it's not just LEFT WINGS?

Dottore · 07-01-2008, 07:44 AM

For the liberal version:

Just slide some garlic, herbs and lemon under the skin, add salt and pepper and grill for 50 minutes or so.

It's the flour, eggs and fat that'll kill you. ;-)

asphaltgambler · 07-01-2008, 07:53 AM

A slight modification to the above. Soak/clean the chicken in ice water with salt for @ 2hrs. This will draw out the oil in the chicken.

(1 heaping tablespoon of salt to every gallon of water and stir )

Use Old Bay seasoning 1/4 cup to every 2 cups self-rising flour. Self-rising flour will come out lighter and flakier

Most important use a dedicated home deep-fryer and set the temp to 360-365 because the cook temp will lower when you drop the chicken in. Try to maintain 350 for 8-9 minutes

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dottore

For the liberal version:

Just slide some garlic, herbs and lemon under the skin, add salt and pepper and grill for 50 minutes or so.

It's the flour, eggs and fat that'll kill you. ;-)

No offense, but fuch that. We are talking about fried chicken, not steamed vegetables.

On the 14th, I will eat some pate and think of you. On the 4th, I will be having beer, fried chicken, ribs, potato salad and pie. You can have perrier and cucumber sandwiches, if I see you, I will give you some of whatever you like.

It is the fat that makes it tasty, that is why God makes fine pork and beef beautifully marbled. Brine is good for chicken, ribs, lot of things. No wait, sodium is bad for you Better have some dry white toast instead

rusnak · 08:38 AM

I don't know who Alton is, but I'll try your recipe, Shaun. We can all enjoy fried chicken and the 4th.

ok, maybe some people have something against fried foods, but you can keep your tofu chicken, I'm going to try cooking with butter. How do you get all of that flour to stick to the chicken?

Self rising flour...hmm..I a learning a lot about improving the ol recipe already!

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

more butter makes everything better, except if you put too much in cream puffs they won't puff

Shaun @ Tru6 · 07-01-2008, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusnak

I don't know who Alton is, but I'll try your recipe, Shaun. We can all enjoy fried chicken and the 4th.

ok, maybe some people have something against fried foods, but you can keep your tofu chicken, I'm going to try cooking with butter. How do you get all of that flour to stick to the chicken?

Don't be afraid of too much butter, and flour. without a wet batter, it's the only way to get a crust. what I like about it is the simplicity of 3 flavors: chicken, butter, crust. I only buy thighs for whatever chicken I do BTW, best, most tastiest part IMHO.

rusnak · 07-01-2008, 08:51 AM

asphaltgambler, try buttermilk as an alternative. I use a salt brine solution when I want to make chicken salad sandwiches. I soak the chicken in salt brine, then grill the chicken before cooling, and then chop them in a cuisinart with cucumbers and a little mustard and Old Bay seasoning.

I'm still wondering how to get the butter and flour to bind. Maybe needs some egg in between the second flour....

asphaltgambler · 07-01-2008, 09:59 AM

....will do!! I do believe the salt water removes some of the oil in the in the chicken making it juicey and light tasting w/o the grease.

Egg coating will defintely 'bind' what ever you are dipping the meat into BUT the egg must close to room temp or it will not mix and adhere well to the piece

Embraer · Embraer's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Gaijin

Double battered chicken?? Whoa dude. You are living large.

haha, none of this is battering. it's breading. if it were battering, you'd be using a liquid batter (as in battered white fish)

Seric · 07-01-2008, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusnak

I don't know who Alton is, but I'll try your recipe, Shaun. We can all enjoy fried chicken and the 4th.

Alton is the announcer for Iron Chef America and hosts his own show called Good Eats. Great chef with some geek flair who tends to get into the science of food. Really good show actually (despite the occasional bad puns), watch it nightly.

Mule · 07-01-2008, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusnak

I don't know who Alton is, but I'll try your recipe, Shaun. We can all enjoy fried chicken and the 4th.

ok, maybe some people have something against fried foods, but you can keep your tofu chicken, I'm going to try cooking with butter. How do you get all of that flour to stick to the chicken?

Self rising flour...hmm..I a learning a lot about improving the ol recipe already!

Good Eats on the Food Channel. Geeky, science guy type but dude can cook. Google "Alton Brown (whatever food)" & you'll be glad you did.

Mule · 07-01-2008, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Embraer

haha, none of this is battering. it's breading. if it were battering, you'd be using a liquid batter (as in battered white fish)

Breading is with bread crumbs. This is called dredging.

Mule · 07-01-2008, 10:52 AM

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_15279_,00.html

rusnak · 07-01-2008, 12:50 PM

who uses the term "double breaded"? If you do, then you need to cruise the "Walmarts" for your bag o frozen chicken, rather than make it yoself. As for fish, I prefer panko and eggwhites.

Shaun @ Tru6 · 07-01-2008, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusnak

I'm still wondering how to get the butter and flour to bind. Maybe needs some egg in between the second flour....

it just sort of does. The butter is completely soft, massage it on and in. Then pack it on flour and drop in the pan of oil.

I just made it up one night, tired and too lazy to get a flour-egg-crumb dredging system going, but really wanted fried chicken.