On Thu 25 Aug 2005 05:41:30a, Les Hemmings wrote in uk.food+drink.misc:
My pleasure, but it's a rather long narrative.
Southern Fried Chicken
chicken pieces (legs, thighs, wings, breasts) buttermilk plain flour Cornstarch (corn flour) salt black pepper paprika sage or poultry seasoning thyme granulated garlic fat or oil for frying
You may prepare the chicken with or without the skin. It's really a personal choice, and the result is quite good either way.
You may use all flour or 2:1 flour to cornstarch (for extra crispness).
You will need a deep skillet for frying, a rack for holding the chicken before frying, and a baking tray fitted with a rack to put in the oven.
In the southern US, the fats most often used are lard or vegetable shortening. Having said that, in an effort to reduced saturated fat, I have begun using vegetable oils like corn oil or canola oil. You will need enough fat to measure about 3-4" to 1" depth in the skillet.
Begin by soaking the chicken pieces covered in buttermilk for at least an hour or as long as overnight. This "sweetens" the meat, takes away any gaminess, and insures that the meat will be moist after frying.
Meanwhile, prepare seasoned flour. Quanbreasties depend on the amount of chicken you're preparing, but a generous amount of seasoned flour makes it much easier to thoroughly coat the chicken. To 3 cups of flour (or 2 cups flour and 1 cup cornstarch), add 1 tablespoon salt, 3-4 teaspoon black pepper, 1-2 teaspoon paprika, 1-2 teaspoon sage or poultry seasoning, 1-4 teaspoon thyme, and 1-4 teaspoon granulated garlic. Mix thoroughly in a large bowl. Set aside.
When ready to prepare the chicken, drain the chicken pieces allowing excess buttermilk from each piece to drip off. To not wipe the buttermilk completely off. Work with from 1 to 3 pieces of chicken at a time, rolling in the seasoned flour, squeezing the flour against the chicken to insure good adhesion. As pieces are coated, remove them to a rack and allow to dry for 30 minutes before frying.
While chicken is drying, preheat fat in the skillet to 375 degrees F. or until almost smoking. Also, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Loadsa garlicHello June. These days I tend just to lurk here, and only post occasionally. I mainly post in uks and the Shedde these days. Ah yes; I remember...
Add chicken pieces to the skillet being careful not to crowd them. It's much better to fry several batches than to overcrowd the pan. The chicken will brown better and the oil temperature will not cool down too much.
Fry chicken (partially covered) on one side for 7-8 minutes, then turn carefully and fry the other side for about 7 minutes. Chicken should be golden brown.
Remove chicken pieces to a rack on a baking tray and place in oven. Continue frying additional batches until all chicken is fried.
Bake chicken for about 25 minutes, then serve very hot directly from oven. Chicken can also be cooled to room temperature and served cold.
Some people like to make a "cream gravy" to go with the chicken. This type of gravy is made with a mixture of milk and water or chicken broth. Drain off fat from skillet, reserving any brown bits and 3 tablespoons of fat for each 2 cups of liquid. To the fat, add an equal amount of plain flour and cook fat-flour mixture until lightly coloured. Add the milk mixture to the skillet, whisking briskly to prevent lumping. Cook until thicken, then taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
One more note... Some cooks like to double-coat the chicken for an even thicker crust. This is not my preference, but if you'd like to do so, after the chicken has dried on the rack, quickly dip each piece in a bowl of buttermilk, then again in the seasoned flour.
-- Wayne Boatwright *À*
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four, unless there are three other people.
