The BEST Fried Chicken

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qualin

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 24, 2011
Messages
1,108
Location
Canada
OK, I'm looking for two things here..

The first thing I'm looking for is a really really good fried chicken recipe. Preferably the kind of recipe that will knock your socks off. We have KFC, Mary Browns and that's about it. (There is also a Fritou, but I have to drive halfway across town to get to it.)

I am willing to get lard if I have to, I heard frying in it provides the best flavor. (Far better than using Crisco or Peanut Oil apparently. Opinions?)

Second, I'd like to know the best kind of deep frying method to use. A friend of mine has an electric deep fryer with a 1500 watt rating and he even dedicated a single 15 amp circuit to it, but he really hates how it cools down whenever he puts anything into the oil.

I am tempted to use a deep pan with an oil thermometer, but my wife is scared that we'll have an oil fire and I'll burn the house down. (I would never fry in oil without having a box of large baking soda nearby.)

How do you do it? What is the best method? What is the best way to maintain oil temperature?

Thanks everyone.
 
There was a restaurant that I thought had fried chicken that was soooooooo awesomely out of this world!!!!!!

'THE FAMILY BUGGY', it was called...

I am convinced it was deep-fried and unfortunately this restaurant was going out of business & my family & I had gone there on one of its final days!

While the building sits there empty, though, I hope a new restaurant moves in & gets the same recipe passed down to 'em from the old restaurant!

And I know I probably would never make anything nearly as good, as that chicken, myself...!

(Well, then again, I could buy a deep-fryer...!)

-- Dave
 
Buttermilk

soak the chicken in Buttermilk overnight if possible, drain well, make up a mixture of self rising flour seasonings ect to coat, and fry in a cast iron skillet with about in inch of fat of your choice (I use butter flavored Crisco) start out pretty hot, but reduce temp after its in the pan, try not to let the pieces touch each other, cook SLOW rotating pieces 180 degrees. Continue cooking slow, and turn over, also rotating when needed. When almost finished, start banking the chicken up on the sides of the pan. Remove an place on plate with paper towel.

Now if your going to make gravy!...I could go on but gravy is anther subject LOL Buttermilk biscuits should be in the oven by this time too! again anther subject!

P.S this is what I do, others milage may vary!
 
Well....

I learned how to pressure fry chicken from a friend in my hometown who was the manager of the KFC in the 60s and 70s...I have done it many times with no problems, but some have expressed to me that I would blow up the houseLOL! Here is how it was done, They used a 16 quart Mirro Matic pressure canner with a specially designed lid made for instant pressure release, I use a 6 quart Presto, fill it half full of oil, bring the oil to 350 degrees, immideately slip in your chicken that has been dipped in egg wash then breaded well, a 16 qt pot will hold 4 small cut up chickens, I just do mine in small batches, just put in enough to where it is not crowded, put on lid and pressure weight..15 lbs, when it jiggles, turn heat down slightly and cook 12 minutes...immideately remove from heat, here is where it gets tricky, lift weight slowly and let pressure off as quickly as possible...too fast and you will get scalded..when all pressure is released, then remove lid and chicken...it really does produce a superior product.
 
Hans that is like Broasted chicken.  The KFC machines now are called Hennie Pennies.  My company has then in RandD kitchen here at corporate.

 

 Also I thnk our Laundress has a chicken pressure cooker.
 
That Is.

The way KFC did it in the old days, before the Henny Penny fryers , I did have one of the KFC pressure cookers with the quick pressure release lid, Someone borrowed it and I never got it back..
 
Blow Up the House

That's too funny! Hans - I needed a laugh - thanks! If you say it works, I'm tempted to try it. But I would proceed with caution, as I too would fear blowing the house up. A friend in Detroit years ago cooked Chitterlings (which I have no desire to ever cook), in her pressure cooker which did blow up, and chitterlings were literally on the ceiling, walls, floor - everywhere.

When I fry chicken, (which I seldom do, as I don't like the smell in the house) - I use Peanut Oil in a cast-iron dutch oven - about 3 inches deep. After soaking the chicken in brine (salt/water solution)for at least 2 hours, 4 or more is preferred, then into seasoned flour (black & red pepper, Old Bay, celery seed - all to preference)and drop into hot oil for deep fry - 14 minutes for smaller pieces; 20 for larger pieces. No lid on the dutch oven - air helps it brown and have greater crunch on finished product, while juicy inside. Has always sent them running back for more. Technique derived from friends, both elderly ladies, known for great chicken.
 
I know for best results preheat the oil to the proper temperature before adding the chicken.
Use a fry thermometer so you can monitor the oils temps while the cooking is done, or get a digital fryer with automatic temp control.
Unplug the fryer after the chicken has been removed from it.
Don't use newspaper or paper towel to drain. Use a cooling rack instead. This prevents the chicken from getting greasy.
Keep warm in an preheated electric oven. The moisture of a gas oven will make the crust soggy.

I love Broasted Chicken, but am too nervous to try it at home.
 
My method

is very much like oldskool's up there. I brine, and I use a dutch oven, uncovered. The dutch oven is taller than a skillet, and reduces (not eliminates) spattering, which is messy, and can be painful.

Pressure frying at home is a very, very poor idea. Way too many variables, which is why Wear-Ever took their pressure fryer off the market not long after they introduced it.

I drain the chicken as written in Alton Brown's first book, I'm Only Here For The Food. A rack over newspaper.

My "secret" is to add a tablespoon or two of strained bacon dripping to the oil. When I do fry chicken, which is only a few times a year, I always start out with fresh oil, and the strained bacon dripping helps the flavour, and the browning.

Oil/shortening which has been used to fry doughnuts or french fried potatoes can be filtered and reused, according to Cooks Illustrated (and me,) however oil/shortening used to fry chicken, fish, or other protein should not be reused, even if strained and refrigerated.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
First off I think the best chicken ever is Broasted Chicken, I used to work at a restaurant that is one of the oldest Broaster franchises. Broaster is not just any old pressure fried chicken, it is a specific brand and you first brine pieces in their brine called chickite for 24 hrs then drain well lightly flour with slo-bro chicken flour and refrigerate a few hrs or longer until coating becomes tacky. Then pressure fry in a Broaster with 360 degree peanut oil under 10 lbs for 12 minutes. Potatoes are quartered and floured in extra seasoned Broaster flour and cooked along with chicken. When done release pressure(very slowly if doing potatoes as they will explode.
You can go to Broaster.com to locate franchises close to you

My own fried chicken is a very good double battered chicken.
I start by brining the pieces in salt water over night, drain and let set 20 min then into a wet batter followed by a dry coating. I let it set for 20 min then fry in an electric Dutch oven using a mixture of crisco and Wesson oil. I fry legs for 12-15 min and breasts for 20 then I drain on paper bags.

I'll look up the exact recipe later
 
My first job out of college was as a mystery shopper for KFC. 25 years ago I'd been to all corporate stores in the US after 2 years (1700-odd stores at the time). We had no training on the kitchen operations (on purpose...we were supposed to be regular customers) but at the time there were 3 main types of pressure fryers for Original Recipe (the company had graduated from the Presto pressure cooker days): the round kind (smallest capacity...mostly in franchises), the square kind (lower volume corporate stores) and the chicken processors (as big as 2 refrigerators...the racks of chicken were wheeled over and put in...these were apparently very dangerous if misused...the technicians who fixed them had lots of training. Misuse of these was deadly (and a fireable offense, if I recall correctly). Extra Crispy/Spicy Crispy was an open fried product, as were the sandwiches/Chicken Littles. I've still got stories from those days...it was a fun first job!
 
Pressur Frying..

As with anything, you have to use common sense..I have done it MANY times with no problems...but then I never have blown up a regular pressure cooker, I had two Aunts that averaged one blow up per year...why, mostly because they filled them way too full.!
 
Ya'll Come Down...

I will make you all a Southern Fried Chicken Dinner that will be pan fried (iron skillet)...I brine the chicken for 8 hours, then buttermilk for 8 hours, then a nice coating of seasoned flour, then fry in lard (not peanut oil, Crisco or anything else), lard that has had a small piece of country ham fried in it before starting the chicken.....involved..but nothing beats it.

I will of course serve Green Beans, Cream Corn and Biscuits with this meal...not to mention Sweet Tea!....when you guys coming ? (I inserted the "you guys" to honor my Bostonian dad..lol)
 
Oh wow, that sounds awesome... You live 3700 km away though.. (About 2200 miles)

Well, if I'm ever down in that part of the country, I'll have to take you up on that! :)
 
LARD!

Now you are talking!!!! i keep lard for pie crust, and sometimes biscuits, nothing better, forget what the doctors say, cholesterol is what they put in food to make it taste good, my Mother and Grandmother both did the buttermilk thing, then the iron skillet, It is messy and time consuming, but OH so good...!!Everytime Im in Atlanta we go to the Collonaide, but next time I want to try Mary Macs Tea Room......or your house...LOL!
 
Talked It Up...

Well, after reading this thread earlier in the week, thought I'd fry some chicken today - temp in the 80's, good cooking weather! Fried Chicken (brined and fried in Cast Iron Dutch oven), Mashed Potatos, gravy, steamed brocoli, Potato Rolls, Sweet Tea and Creamed Cheese Pound Cake or Rum Cake. Forgot the Deviled Eggs and 3 Bean Salad in the picture.

Sorry the pic is with my phone, not the best and sorry for the cluttered counters.
John

oldskool++3-25-2012-19-49-9.jpg
 
Haven't you ever heard of Shake n' Bske?.........

and for you PostKFC guys....what the heck is all 11 secret herbs and spices?

Now, back to our regular scheduled program.......

Flour mixture: flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika

Egg Mixture: eggs and milk scrambed together

Breadcrumb Mixture: italian seasoned breadcrumbs, chili powder, ground rosemary

brine chicken in water and salt for minimum of 4 hours......then buttermilk, overnight.....

dip and coat chicken in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.......fry in crisco!....Mom used to like Fluffo, but no longer made....

same formula of coating for most everything and (say it wih me now)DEEP FAT FRY!, pork chops, mushrooms, califlower, steak, etc

sometimes in a hurry...brush chicken with real mayonnaise, and coat with italian breadcrumbs.......and bake in the oven!
 

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