Periodically, I play around with my recipes, always looking to improve them. As I age, my tastes also change. Recently, I have been changing up the spices in my deep fried chicken recipe. Latest : 1 cup a.p. flour 1/4 cup corn starch 3 tsp salt 2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp basil 1 tsp oregano Tips for success: a.) in order to get breading to stick well, blot dry chicken pieces WELL. b.) Use a cast iron pot to keep oil at a constant temp of 350 F. needed: temp probe for hot oil. c.) after dying chicken toss in flour mixture d.) shake off excess flour mix and dip in egg wash e.) be sure to coat egg wash well, onto 1st flour coating f.) toss chicken AGAIN with flour mixture. g.) when oil is at 350 F, add a few pieces BUT DON"T OVERCROWD OIL OR TEMP WILL DROP AND CHICKEN WILL BE GREASY. h.) drain on wire rack, NOT on paper towels. i.) if not serving soon, hold in low temp oven until ready to serve. When chicken 1st comes out of oil it will be way too hot to eat immediately. I let it rest for 15 minutes. I'd very much welcome how YOU do fried chicken. What is your favorite way of doing deep fried chicken ?
I've tried 2 really complicated fried chicken recipes...I'll just post generalities: KFC Knock-Off (this mirrors the real in-restaurant process) -Make the spice mix with oil & dry Thousand Island Dressing mix (This is NOT the Colonel's Secret Spices) -Smear it on the chicken -Let sit overnight covered in the fridge -Dredge the chicken in flour -Coat it in an egg batter -Fry it to set the coating and to make it crisp (don't thoroughly cook it) -Put water in the bottom of cookie sheets and set cookie cooling racks on them -Put the chicken on the racks -Cover with foil -Put in the oven to steam until cooked It's the process of setting the coating first and then steam-cooking the chicken that makes Original Recipe seem so greasy...there's a ton of moisture in it. This is really good, if you have the patience. Martha Stewart Recipe -Brine the chicken for 24 hours -Soak the chicken in seasoned buttermilk for 24 hours -Batter and fry This makes a very tender, tasty classic fried chicken.
A bit of flour, Italian bred crumbs, garlic salt pepper, baking soda, Hungarian paprika .. I do not deep fry anything though. We like a thin batter in order to actually taste the chicken. Skinless also.. oh i do dip in egg first
I haven't fried chicken in years; it's too easy to drive by Popeye's. When I did fry it, I'd just use the old flour dredge, egg/milk dip, flour dredge routine. Fried with skin on in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven.
That's the issue...none of us can replicate commercial deep fryers for maintaining the high temps, avoiding batter-burn, and incorporating the cumulative flavors of prior meals.
Your nose much be much more sensitive than mine, as I never notice it. In any event, i'd be willing to smell it just to eat good fried chicken.
There is a Stop & Rob up the road from me (there are quite a few of them in this rural area.) The current owner got the brilliant idea of serving food. If I feel like a quick bite, this place is 6 miles closer than the shopping district I'd usually drive to, and I'd drive right past it. She makes some pretty good sandwiches, burgers and fries...but you walk out smelling like you worked a double-shift at McDonalds (but not quite as good.) I'll put my jacket on the next day and I can still smell it.
Both of us like Popeye’s fried chicken. We never prepare it here because, like you say, just too easy to stop by one. We have a couple fairly close by.
I don't recall ever eating at Popeyes, but I have tried Church's and it was horrible. The biscuits were quite tough and chewy and the fried chicken was bland and dry.
We don't have any around here, but Popeye's is my favorite. I used to like Church's more than KFC, when I lived in California, but Church's did something that changed the way their chicken was prepared. The last couple of times I tried Church's (many years ago), it was all slimy beneath the skin and that kind of disgusted me.
Now that I think about it, I did eat once at Popeye's. They have/had a fine deep fried shrimp Po'Boy sandwich.
Of course, I should clarify that when I say that Popeye's is my favorite, I am speaking solely of chicken restaurants. In no way, whatsoever, should this be taken to suggest that I prefer Popeye's chicken to my wife's fried chicken. Are we clear on this?