Emprimir
Correo Electrónico
Direcciones
It might surprise many of you that I've never made Southern-Style Fried Chicken. Truthfully, I don't make a lot of fried foods. When I was about nine years old, the first dinner my mother taught me to cook was fried chicken. She taught me how to season the chicken with salt & pepper, sprinkle some flour and cook the chicken in some oil. Easy Peasy. I don't think I've made that dish since elementary school, which goes to show that it didn't leave any kind of nostalgic childhood memory for me.
The same restaurant that inspired me to make their signature biscuits, serves a Fried Chicken dinner, every Sunday. From what I've read, reservations sell out fast--at the cost of $36.00 per person. After reading reviews, most people said…
View Full Recipe at A Feast for the Eyes Food…
,%20and%20beverages/cocktails,%20I%20figured%20the%20tab%20would%20be%20about%20$100.00%20for%20the%20two%20of%20us.%20For%20fried%20chicken?!%20Ouch.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMy%20husband%20smacked%20his%20lips,%20at%20the%20mention%20of%20Fried%20Chicken.%20%20%20%20Before%20I%20knew%20it,%20I%20blurted%20out%20%22I%20can%20make%20it%20for%20you%22!%20%20His%20smile%20made%20me%20realize%20that%20I%20had%20just%20challenged%20myself%20to%20something%20new%20to%20me.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EFor%20inspiration,%20I%20checked%20out%20Cook's%20Illustrated%20and%20immediately%20settled%20on%20their%20%22Easier%20Fried%20Chicken%22%20recipe.%20For%20starters,%20their%20recipes%20uses%201-3/4%20cups%20vegetable%20oil,%20as%20opposed%20to%20five%20cups%20of%20oil.%20This%20is%20a%20good%20thing,%20as%20I%20don't%20often%20deep%20fry%20things%20in%20oil.%20%20%20I%20also%20liked%20the%20idea%20of%20brining%20the%20chicken%20in%20salted%20buttermilk.%20(The%20buttermilk%20helps%20to%20tenderize%20the%20outside%20layer%20of%20chicken,%20and%20the%20salt%20ensures%20juicy%20chicken.)%20Win!%20%20It%20goes%20without%20saying%20that%20I%20spend%20a%20few%20extra%20bucks%20to%20buy%20free-range%20hormone-free%20chicken%20that%20hasn't%20been%20brined%20in%20who-knows-what.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20buttermilk%20brine%20is%20seasoned%20with%20garlic%20powder,%20hot%20sauce,%20paprika,%20cayenne%20and%20pepper.%20I%20did%20this%20early%20in%20the%20morning,%20but%20can%20also%20be%20done%20overnight.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIf%20I'm%20going%20to%20eat%20fried%20chicken,%20I%20want%20a%20crunchy,%20golden%20coating.%20Once%20again,%20Cook's%20Illustrated%20has%20come%20up%20with%20a%20brilliant%20recipe.%20%20The%20flour%20is%20seasoned%20with%20the%20same%20spices%20as%20the%20buttermilk%20brine,%20and%20baking%20powder%20is%20added%20to%20the%20flour.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThat's%20because%20as%20the%20chicken%20fries,%20the%20baking%20powder%20releases%20carbon%20dioxide%20gas,%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Eleavening%20the%20crust%20and%20increasing%20its%20surface%20area,%20keeping%20it%20light%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Eand%20crisp.1/4%20cup%20of%20reserved%20buttermilk%20%20is%20added%20to%20the%20dredging%20flour%20to%20create%20an%20ultra-crisp%20coating.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20used%20a%2012%22%20Cast-Iron%20skillet,%20bringing%20the%20oil%20to%20375F.%20%20This%20is%20when%20you%20want%20to%20have%20a%20trustworthy%20digital%20thermometer.%20%20My%20therma%20pen%20has%20become%20one%20of%20my%20indispensable%20kitchen%20tools.%20Pricey?%20Yes.%20Accurate?%20Every%20single%20time!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIt%20takes%20about%203-5%20minutes,%20per%20side,%20to%20achieve%20a%20beautiful%20golden%20color.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20chicken%20is%20placed%20on%20a%20wired%20rack%20set%20and%20onto%20a%20baking%20sheet.%20%20(I%20have%20three%20sets%20of%20these,%20and%20use%20them%20all%20the%20time.%20They%20are%20indispensable,%20in%20my%20kitchen!)%20The%20chicken%20is%20baked%20until%20an%20instant-read%20thermometer%20inserted%20into%20thickest%20part%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Eof%20chicken%20registers%20160%20degrees%20for%20breasts%20and%20175%20for%20legs%20and%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Ethighs,%2015%20to%2020%20minutes.%20(Smaller%20pieces%20may%20cook%20faster%20than%20larger%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Epieces.%20Remove%20pieces%20from%20oven%20as%20they%20reach%20-correct%20temperature.)%20Let%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Echicken%20rest%205%20minutes%20before%20serving.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETASTING%20NOTES:%20%20The%20cost%20of%20this%20chicken%20was%20about%20$15.00%20for%20four%20servings.%20%20The%20coating%20was,%20indeed,%20crunchy%20and%20delicious.%20%20I%20usually%20don't%20eat%20chicken%20skin,%20but%20this%20time,%20I%20enjoyed%20every%20bite.%20The%20chicken,%20itself,%20was%20moist.%20%20%20Yes,%20I%20would%20make%20this%20chicken%20recipe%20again,%20and%20again.%20%20We%20have%20a%20dear%20friend,%20who%20is%20from%20the%20South.%20I%20can't%20wait%20to%20make%20this%20for%20him.%20He's%20going%20to%20love%20it,%20as%20well%20as%20the%20biscuits.%20I'm%20whistling%20Dixie%20over%20this%20recipe.%20It's%20truly%20easy,%20and%20Cook's%20Illustrated%20hits%20this%20one%20right%20out%20of%20the%20ballpark!%20Wow!%3C/p%3E){kind=link}