Fried Chicken - This time for real...

[Nicholas Mosher]

Ok, running real short on time here, so I'll post what I finally used for recipes sometime tomorrow.

But here is a quick shot.

Nick's Blasphemous Fried Chicken (Haha)
With taters, greens, and gravy.

 

[Barb L.]

Ok, running real short on time here, so I'll post what I finally used for recipes sometime tomorrow.

But here is a quick shot.

Nick's Blasphemous Fried Chicken (Haha)
With taters, greens, and gravy.

Looks good Nick- but I would need more mashed potatoes!! Yum !

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

Man, been crazy with work the past few days. Ok here, here are the recipes I ended up with...

For the Chicken
4lb Chicken w/Giblets (minus Liver) - diced
Buttermilk
Flour
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Crisco (Or Lard)

For the Gravy
2-T Rendered Chicken Fat
1-oz Finely Diced Onion
1-oz Finely Diced Celery
2-T All Purpose Flour
1-C Brown Chicken Stock
1-C Whole Milk
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Sprigs Fresh Parsley
1 Clove Garlic - Crushed
1-t Black Peppercorns
1 Bay Leaf
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground White Pepper (Very Fine)

Break down the bird into boneless breasts and bonesless thighs. Save the drumsticks, and reserve the wings/body for stock. Resrve the giblets, discarding the liver. Butterfly the breasts/thighs, and then continue the cut dividing the pieces in two (yields 8 pieces). Place them in a container and completely cover with buttermilk. Cover and shake a few times, then refrigerate overnight for 24hrs.

Season a bowl of flour with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the chicken pieces one at a time - drip-drain for a couple seconds, then flour the pieces. This will allow the chicken to pick up extra flour and form a thicker crust than setting the pieces on a rack to fully drain. Allow the pieces to sit until the flour has hydrated itself and resembles wall-paper paste. Thie will also allow the internal temp to rise slightly ensuring even cooking.

Heat 1/2" of solid fat in a large cast iron skillet until a few faint whisps of smoke appear (this should be about 350ºF). Cook in two batches maintaining at least 320º. The cast iron pan helps dampen the effects of the cool chicken being added. If the temp drops too much you will get greasy chicken. If you keep it too high you will get burnt chicken. Cook on the first side until you see the side of the chicken are nicely browned, then flip and finish the other side. Remove the pieces to wire cooling rack over paper towels (prevents the bottom side from becoming soggy from trapped moisture). Salt immediately to taste.

For the gravy, melt the chicken fat in a small saucier over medium heat, then add the giblets. When the giblets begin to take color, add the onions and celery. Once they have sweated out and the onions take on a faint yelow coloration add the flour. Whisk constantly and bring the Roux to a blond stage. Slowly whisk in the stock and milk. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the proper flavor and thickness is achieved. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into another saucier and return to the heat. Season with finely ground white pepper and kosher salt to taste.

I served mine with collard greens and a mashed potatoes. Yum!

The Aftermath. Dishes $%@#. Now I know why I like one pot meals...

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

I suppose you could add more seasonings to the chicken (most recipes I found did), but I like the purity of the fried chicken flavor enhanced only by a bit of black pepper. I like to leave all the extras to the sauce.

I would agree with Alton Brown that if you do season, that you should season the pieces before flouring. This will save you spices, and will also protect them from burning beneath the flour.

Thanks for the help everyone! I know what I ended up with is a "bit unorthodox" without the bones, but I guess it's just my individual way of going about things.

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

The January 2007 Fine Cooking Issue features "Buttermilk Country Fried Chicken" made with boneless chicken breasts pounded out to 1/2" thickness. I guess my idea wasn't too far off...

I think they're missing out by simply using buttermilk in the "breading" process (rather than marinating), and frying in vegetable oil rather than crisco or lard. Oh well.

 

[thegrova]

If I can digress - and Nick the chicken looks great! I am interested in knowing how many people deep fry chicken and how many people pan fry chicken! I guess I am interested too in knowing how deep the oil is for the pan fryers out there!

The reason I am interested is that I simply never deep fry and when I do pan fry I only us enough oil to stop things from sticking!

 

[Michael in FtW]

I grew up with chicken fried in a cast iron skillet with either lard or Crisco - the fat was somewhere between 1-2 inches deep - just enough that the fat came up about half-way on the chicken ... you fried one side, then flipped it over and fried the other.

 

[skilletlicker]

I grew up with chicken fried in a cast iron skillet with either lard or Crisco - the fat was somewhere between 1-2 inches deep - just enough that the fat came up about half-way on the chicken ... you fried one side, then flipped it over and fried the other.

My cast iron frying pans are about 2 inches deep. To fry chicken I put about 1/2 to 3/8 inches fat in the pan. That does seem to me to be about the right amount to come up half-way on the chicken. Maybe you meant one to two inches deep after cooking with the chicken still in the pan?

I will also fry in a 5" deep cast iron pan with two inches fat but that is much more like deep frying in the DeLonghi fryer.

 

[licia]

If we are having FRIED chicken, I deep-fry it. Usually in a cast iron pan, but sometimes in a deep fryer. If I'm not going to deep fry it, I broil or bake it. We don't have it as often as we used to do so.

 

[Katie H]

When it comes to good old down south fried chicken, I always use my deep cast-iron skillet. Most of the time I use Crisco but, occasionally, I'll add a little lard along with. And, like others, only enough frying medium to reach halfway up the chicken pieces. Fry until golden and then flip and cook the other side to match.

When it comes to using a recipe I've had for over 30 years that produces an extra-crispy outside much like KFC, then I use the deef fryer.

They're both good in their own way. Both are still finger lickin' good.

 

[JDP]

thanks shunka, makes perfect sense since pan-frying entails part of the chicken is always exposed to the air and a lid would trap the steam and moisture in the space between the oil and the lid

I don't have time to read all of these so disregard this if it's already been said. Deep frying and pan frying are similar it's just how deep the oil is. Putting a lid on can be potentially dangerous. The collected steam will condense on the lid and can cause major splattering resulitng in burns when the lid is removed. When you buy broasted chicken it is actually cooked in a pressure deep fryer that was designed for that style of cooking. So be careful.

If you want an extra crispy try double dipping your chicken. So go from buttermilk to flour, back to the buttermilk and again into the flour.

JDP

 

[Uncle Bob]

I deep fry...totally submerged!

A serious question..does it make any difference...in taste etc..??

I've never really thought about it....

 

[Uncle Bob]

Katie E.

You do realize that from my point of view anywhere on the other side of Memphis is "Up Nawth"

 

[Katie H]

Katie E.

You do realize that from my point of view anywhere on the other side of Memphis is "Up Nawth"

I know darlin' and I also don't talk like a Yankee! My "south" is in my heart and in my mind.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I know darlin' and I also don't talk like a Yankee! My "south" is in my heart and in my mind.

'Aint that a fact!! I can tell!

One can sho get in a "southern state of mind" that permeates the heart and soul....