i made southern fried chicken today... it was heaven! with sauteed mustard greens w/garlic and mashed potatoes with sour cream and butter as sides. i've made fried chicken before, but the batter always fell off while frying and it was never crispy. then i found this recipe on allrecipes.com and made a few adjustments. it's tastes a lot like popeye's chicken, probably thanks to the double dredge in flour.
a few tips are:
- use chicken pieces with the skin on (obviously this ain't no diet food)
- soak the pieces in a pot filled with iced water and a lot of salt for 30-45 minutes before frying (brining)
- don't skimp on the oil while pan frying and don't crowd the pieces either
- if the oil is too hot, it's going to brown too quickly and burn on the outside and the inside will be bloody. cook on moderate heat and lower it a bit towards the end. this isn't a quick job, but the chicken is so good and moist, it'll be worth it.
ingredients for a 3lb whole chicken, cut up:
1 cup flour
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp italian herbs
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
one egg white with 1/4 cup water, mixed
1 quart of oil for frying
method:
mix the dry ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag and mix the egg whites and water in another bowl. dry the pieces of chicken, dredge the flour mixture in ziplock bag, shake off, dip in egg/water mixture, and again in flour mixture. wait till oil is hot and fry.
i fried them for 40 minutes total, 10 minutes on side side, and then flip and continue until it's been thoroughly cooked.
a quick pan gravy can be made by adding 3tbps of cooking oil, a little less than 3tbps of flour, and adding chicken stock and milk to desired consistency. salt & pepper to taste.
