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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 2, 2011 16:16:43 GMT
I was just wondering if anybody on here has a recipe for southern fried chicken? I make a version that's quite nice but it's my own interpretation (only fry it to brown the pieces then finish off in the oven) and I'd like to try a more authentic version....I use herbs from the garden, chili flakes and cayenne pepper...are there other herbs and spices that I could use? thank you  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 17:57:12 GMT
Aw, Cheery is still without anything that's finger-lickin' good.  It's been ages since I made any fried chicken. One really good tip is to soak it in buttermilk for several hours before frying. Apparently franchise chicken places soak their cluckers in salt water to not only make it salty, but to tenderize it. Many recipes say to roll the chicken in flour or flour and breadcrumbs. I think you get much better results dipping the pieces in an egg/milk wash before rolling them in flour (no breadcrumbs). I've never made the oven version & would love to have your recipe. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2011 18:04:37 GMT
In my childhood, I think my mother just used corn meal, salt and pepper to make fried chicken and it tasted spectacular, but of course that might have just been because my Mama cooked it. However, she gets extra points anyway for making fried chicken, which was a completely alien dish to her.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 3, 2011 19:13:15 GMT
Thank you dear ones....
My version is as follows....
Take as many chicken breasts as you feel like eating...or chicken wings or legs...we like breast best. Cut into desired sized chunks..I usually slice the breasts in half so that I have a butterfly then cut into strips about 2-3" long.
Get some rosemary, thyme, oregano from the garden...maybe a few fennel seeds....clean and finely chop. Add a few chili flakes, some cayenne pepper and a bit of salt. Rub this mix into the chicken pieces and leave to marinade for about 30 minutes.
In one bowl have a lightly beaten egg with a bit of milk mixed in
In another bowl have some flour
Dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture
coat in the flour
In a heavy based pan put a few centimetres of groundnut oil (or other type..groundnut oil doesn't taint the flavour) and heat
When very hot pop in the coated chicken pieces a few at a time and fry until crispy and brown...a couple of minutes
Drain on kitchen paper
Finish off cooking the chicken in a moderate oven (gas 5) for 20 - 30 minutes...
Lovely with potato wedges, sweetcorn and coleslaw.
Much nicer than bought stuff......but I'll try the buttermilk idea and the cornmeal one...I don't make it very often (because it's a bit naughty....) Thanks for the replies. X
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 12, 2011 19:32:04 GMT
I love your recipe and can't wait to try it. I have two things I do to drain fried food. It seems to work better than draining on paper. 1) Use a cake rack. Set it over a platter, plate, whatever, with paper on the plate if you wish. As you take pieces from the fryer, set them on the rack. They'll drain nicely without setting in their own grease. 2) Use a paper egg carton. It's perfect, as the undulations hold the food up with minium contact and the cardboardy material absorbs grease. I just found this, linked on one of AnyPort's FB Page's favorites: Crunchy Oven-Fried Drumsticks. It has some off-the-wall but intriguing ideas for coatings. Moving this to The Galley, as it's a recipe thread. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2011 19:35:35 GMT
I have always read about using paper egg cartons for draining fried food, but I absolutely never remember to keep them!
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 12, 2011 20:40:12 GMT
You'd remember to keep them if you lived in Mexico. Only supermarkets sell eggs in the 12 or 18 cup cartons we know. If you buy them from the corner store, the number you want will be picked from a "cono" (open egg container flat with 30 cups) and put into a plastic bag. The fear factor of getting them home without breakage is unacceptable to me, so I save any conventional egg cartons. The young woman clerk at a store in my neighborhood mentioned one day that my egg carton was really "curioso". I asked if she'd seen one before, and she said no, never. This is someone in her twenties!
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 16, 2011 17:46:49 GMT
I save my egg cartons for some chaps I know who keep chickens....I occasionally get rewarded with free eggs.
Thanks for the recipes...the one I'm doing seems to be popular with son and OH...I was asked to make it tonight and they were drooling as I served it up... ;D
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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 17, 2011 12:20:43 GMT
Don't used egg cartons (the pulp paper version) harbor dangerous bacteria such as salmonella? Just asking...I'm kind of huevery on using them for the purpose Bixa describes. We use ours over and ovary. The supermarkets and Costco sell eggs in the pulp paper cartons. I like the huevos rojos by Bachoco as sold at Costco. We NEVER get to have fried chicken. Sob!  We just don't fry much if ever. This morning was an exception when I made a sort of tlacoyos. See "What's for breakfast". |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 17, 2011 16:51:27 GMT
You're probably right about the bacteria, but the boiling oil from the food must kill them. You did make me huever there for a moment, though, since I wash my hands after handling an egg.
I never buy eggs at the supermarket anymore, and just use my cartons ovum again at the corner store. Since you bake, you probably buy more eggs than I. this may give you the germ of an idea: one 18-cup carton + one 12-cupper = 30, the eggzact amount in a cono.
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