Fried Chicken

[Heather]

Do most people prefer deep-fried chicken? I prefer pan-fried chicken (with cream gravy) but it can be hard to find done well.

[mdt]

Do most people prefer deep-fried chicken? I prefer pan-fried chicken (with cream gravy) but it can be hard to find done well.

Since both techniques essentially fry the chicken in some sort of fat, do they really taste that different? Could it be due to the fat used? I must investigate...

[Heather]

Since both techniques essentially fry the chicken in some sort of fat, do they really taste that different? Could it be due to the fat used? I must investigate...

I think they taste different, and of course pan fried doesn't form the same kind of crust as deep fried. I pan fry chicken in a mix of butter and oil, after soaking in buttermilk and coating with flour, S&P, garlic powder, thyme, and a little sage.

Fried chicken tasting? I am so there.

[Sthitch]

Since both techniques essentially fry the chicken in some sort of fat, do they really taste that different? Could it be due to the fat used? I must investigate...

The cooking method is quite different, Alton Brown does a great job at describing why in the "Fry Hard II" episode of "Good Eats". For me, pan fried chicken with cream gravy is never surpassed by deep fried chicken.

[mdt]

The cooking method is quite different, Alton Brown does a great job at describing why in the "Fry Hard II" episode of "Good Eats". For me, pan fried chicken with cream gravy is never surpassed by deep fried chicken.

Cool. Time to go to my Tivo archives and watch this episode.

[otello]

Red Rooster, Damascus - enjoy

not pan-fried - but damn good eats a redskins tailgate.

[TinDC]

I agree, I love pan fried and it is more difficult to find. My mother-in-law makes wonderful pan-fried chicken, but she usually does her's in an electic skillet. Not sure why she prefers this method.

[Al Dente]

I scored the mother of all pan-fried-chicken pans at work the other day. Cast iron-- 22" across and about 4 or 5 inches deep. I plan on frying up a few birds as soon as possible. I just need to work on seasoning the pan. Not on topic, but I could make a monstrous paella with this baby too.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I scored the mother of all pan-fried-chicken pans at work the other day. Cast iron-- 22" across and about 4 or 5 inches deep. I plan on frying up a few birds as soon as possible. I just need to work on seasoning the pan. Not on topic, but I could make a monstrous paella with this baby too.

The problem with a 22" cast iron skillet is getting the sucker hot. It will take a while to preheat the oil.

[Escoffier]

not pan-fried - but damn good eats a redskins tailgate.

So you didn't pan fry your tailgate? Braised?

[Barbara]

The problem with a 22" cast iron skillet is getting the sucker hot. It will take a while to preheat the oil.

The problem I have with a pan that size is LIFTING that sucka.

[treznor]

I agree, I love pan fried and it is more difficult to find. My mother-in-law makes wonderful pan-fried chicken, but she usually does her's in an electic skillet. Not sure why she prefers this method.

My dad also makes great fried chicken (or used to make, back when he still cooked fried food) and only uses an electric skillet. It's the only thing that he uses the electric skillet for.

[BiscuitGirl]

Do most people prefer deep-fried chicken? I prefer pan-fried chicken (with cream gravy) but it can be hard to find done well.

Pan fried is definitely the way to go. I learned to cook it using bacon grease and a cast iron skillet. Yum. However, can't get into the cream gravy thing. After the chicken is cooked, pour off a little of the grease, add flour and make a pretty dark roux and then add water until it is the correct thickness. Great with mashed potatoes.

Alot of people like electric skillets because they are big and you can get it done in one batch and because it has a thermostat which makes it easy to keep the temperature constant.

[mhberk]

The cooking method is quite different, Alton Brown does a great job at describing why in the "Fry Hard II" episode of "Good Eats". For me, pan fried chicken with cream gravy is never surpassed by deep fried chicken.

Yeah, I remember him explaining that pan-frying allows the steam and moisture to escape easier than deep-frying. This prevents the coating goodness from all coming off with the first bite

[Ilaine]

Yeah, I remember him explaining that pan-frying allows the steam and moisture to escape easier than deep-frying. This prevents the coating goodness from all coming off with the first bite

Both of my grandmothers had black belts in fried chicken, but the only recipe I've got comes via my dad, pan fried version.

I distinctly remember him showing me how you listen to the chicken, as the moisture cooks off it makes a certain sound and when it's all cooked off it sounds different, and then you put the lid on to make sure it cooks all the way to the bone.

I just called him to ask him about it and he doesn't remember telling me this. I told him he can't remember for beans! But, FWIW, that's what he told me back when he showed me how to cook it like his mama did. Now he uses a thermometer.

Of course, his mama kept chickens and killed them herself, but that's another story.

She always pulled the skin off before she dipped it in milk and then in seasoned flour, and you have to let it sit on a rack and dry, and repeat the flouring if moisture shows through so it gets a hard flour crust. We used to do that on the kitchen counter but now in the fridge for health reasons. Similarly, she used lard but we use peanut oil now.

[MC Horoscope]

Deep fried chicken's great, with a rice dressing on the side. (Cajun "rice dressing" would be a meal in itself. Beef, pork and veal, trinity, scallions, roux, stock, and rice. We even throw shrimp in it when we have them. You get it with chicken livers instead at the plate lunch places, aka dirty rice. The Popeye's version does not compare.)

Don't get me wrong. I love pan fried chicken and really mean to check out Crisfield's!

But the Prudhomme Family Cookbook's recipe for deep fried chicken is something else! Seasonings really nail it.

[bioesq]

Pan fried is definitely the way to go. I learned to cook it using bacon grease and a cast iron skillet. Yum. However, can't get into the cream gravy thing. After the chicken is cooked, pour off a little of the grease, add flour and make a pretty dark roux and then add water until it is the correct thickness. Great with mashed potatoes.

Does this mean that I'm not cooking this Sunday?

[Ilaine]

But the Prudhomme Family Cookbook's recipe for deep fried chicken is something else! Seasonings really nail it.

I don't have the Prudhomme Family Cookbook but you're bringing back some good memories.

How about the late lamented Austin Leslie's recipe? Or Leah Chase? Both world famous.

I used to have Austin Leslie's recipe torn out of a newspaper, probably the Times Picayune, don't have it anymore, his cookbook is still available, though. I know that he used canned milk mixed with Tabasco to dip the chicken. Never had Leah's.

Never put shrimp in my rice dressing, either, but it sounds good. Do you use it as the only meat in the dressing? How does it differ from jambalaya (no tomato?)

[MC Horoscope]

Never put shrimp in my rice dressing, either, but it sounds good. Do you use it as the only meat in the dressing? How does it differ from jambalaya (no tomato?)

Never tried the fried chicken recipes you mentioned. Wish I had!

There's no tomato in the rice dressing I know about. There's roux, which I don't believe goes in jambalaya, at least in my experience. And the shrimp are added along with the other meats (well, toward the end). I have also had this with oysters added toward the end instead of shrimp, but I prefer the shrimp with this dish.

[teddyk]

One of my favorite things to make and eat is fried chicken. Occasionally, however, it comes out a little subpar. The crust is a little overdone and the skin looks too dark (and it tastes just a little charred).

The latest such event was when I tried to Thomas Keller lemon brined chicken recipe in food and wine (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-brined-fried-chicken).

I use a deep fryer, rather than a cast iron skillet. At 330 for 20 minutes, as the recipe suggests, the outside seems a little overdone. I could go for less time, but I am worried the chicken might be done on the inside. I used new oil as well.

Tips?

[Anna Blume]

To each one's own, but why Thomas Keller and not Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock? Or at least the Lee Bros.?

Buttermilk. Soak overnight. Cast iron skillet. And if there are no serious health issues, lard from Cedarbrook at the farmer's market.

[Ilaine]

One of my favorite things to make and eat is fried chicken. Occasionally, however, it comes out a little subpar. The crust is a little overdone and the skin looks too dark (and it tastes just a little charred).

The latest such event was when I tried to Thomas Keller lemon brined chicken recipe in food and wine (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-brined-fried-chicken).

I use a deep fryer, rather than a cast iron skillet. At 330 for 20 minutes, as the recipe suggests, the outside seems a little overdone. I could go for less time, but I am worried the chicken might be done on the inside. I used new oil as well.

Tips?

Traditionally home fried chicken fried pan style will have a darkish exterior, sort of mahogany color. 330 is lower than the traditional temperature of 350 - 375.

Not sure how to get your recipe lighter but my suggestions are to try deep frying rather than pan frying, try letting the chicken come to room temp before you cook, try cutting the chicken into smaller pieces.

Little pieces of batter drop off and fall to the bottom of the pan and tend to scorch, so try letting the batter dry in the chicken, and shaking as much as you can.

In our family recipe, we use a deepish pan, and only turn the chicken once, then put a lid on it to finish it, instead of turning it and turning it, which dislodges batter which then burns.

Or you can fry until it's the color you like, then finish in the oven.

You don't have to wonder whether the chicken is done, you can use a thermometer (170 is done for a thigh, 160-165 for a breast) or go low tech and cut a piece to see.

Or it may be something to do with your flour. Southern cooks use soft white flour made from soft white wheat but up here so-called all purpose flour is made from harder red wheat. There really is a difference, a big difference, when it comes to baked goods, but I am just guessing whether this makes a difference in your fried chicken batter, though.

[Dave Pressley]

I have been in the restaurant business in some way, shape or form for over 22 years now. I have a degree in the Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales. I cooked professionally for 9 years after culinary school. I have been an avid home cook ever since I stopped doing it professionally. Alas, I have never made fried chicken before tonight. ( I never wanted to have the grease-splattering mess in my home kitchen and I never cooked in a restaurant where fried chicken was on the menu.)

I marinated the chicken in hot sauce and buttermilk for 4 hours. I dredged it in a simple 3 to 1 mixture of seasoned flour and cornmeal and fried it at about 375 degrees in canola oil.

It was good..very good in fact, but not great. I want to someday make fried chicken that myself, my friends and my family crave.

Any good tips out there? I know there are wet batters out there to try, but I really enjoy the "barely there" crispy shell, so I'd prefer to stick with a dry coating.

Thanks in advance for your kind suggestions.

[Mark Slater]

I have a small home deep fryer. The single most important thing about frying chicken correctly is maintaining the consistently proper temperature. Too much chicken at once will lower the temperature.

[zoramargolis]

375 sounds too high. I've heard that oil should be at 350 before adding chicken, and then maintain 325 to cook. A recent episode of America's Test Kitchen suggested marinating in salted buttermilk overnight, then adding some buttermilk to the dredging flour before breading the chicken. Also they recommending covering the frying pan for part of the frying time. I haven't tried that method--usually frying until crisp and brown, then finishing in the oven on a rack. The most important element is to start with a really good chicken, of course.

[brian robinson]

300 to 325 is the best temp, add a little cornmeal to your dredging mix. and put a tsp of adobo in there as well, It's magic stuff

[brian robinson]

sorry, add a little panko, with the corn meal and, if you want, dried oregano in the marinade

[Flavortown]

Maybe Keller's recipe in Ad Hoc at Home could offer some useful ideas. It calls for a heavily seasoned brine (salt, honey, Turkish bay leaves, tons of garlic, black peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and lemon peel + juice) that the chicken sits in for 12 to 24 hours. He pats it down, then dips it in buttermilk and double dredges in a combo of flour, garlic power, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. He lets it sit to dry, then fries it at 330 degrees in peanut oil, and finishes it with some coarse salt.

Also, he suggests starting with a whole chicken, then cutting it into pieces after removing from the brine.

Haven't gotten a chance to try it yet myself, but the picture looks awfully delicious.

[Dave Pressley]

375 sounds too high. I've heard that oil should be at 350 before adding chicken, and then maintain 325 to cook. A recent episode of America's Test Kitchen suggested marinating in salted buttermilk overnight, then adding some buttermilk to the dredging flour before breading the chicken. Also they recommending covering the frying pan for part of the frying time. I haven't tried that method--usually frying until crisp and brown, then finishing in the oven on a rack. The most important element is to start with a really good chicken, of course.

Sorry...I should have clarified better. I started the oil at 375 and it lowered on its own after adding the chicken to about 325 where I kept it for the remainder of the cooking time. Salted buttermilk and adding a little panko to what I did yesterday will be happening in round two.

[southdenverhoo]

Sorry...I should have clarified better. I started the oil at 375 and it lowered on its own after adding the chicken to about 325 where I kept it for the remainder of the cooking time. Salted buttermilk and adding a little panko to what I did yesterday will be happening in round two.

IMHO, you are at the threshold, and any changes from this point will be in the nature of putting your own personal stamp on it.

My wife's is the best I've had recently, and she's been tweaking it for 4-5 years since she saw me demolish some of Gillian Clark's back in the Colorado Kitchen days. Here's a link to a WaPo article featuring Ms Clark's recipe; however we have always thought there was a typo in the cookbook, repeated here, as this amount of salt was too much for us and made a far saltier bird than what we remembered from CK. (and we're not afraid of the salt shaker):

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2009/07/01/gillians-fried-chicken/

[johnb]

. Also they recommending covering the frying pan for part of the frying time. I haven't tried that method--usually frying until crisp and brown, then finishing in the oven on a rack. The most important element is to start with a really good chicken, of course.

My mama's fried chicken always was the best, of course (she's still with us at 95 but hasn't fried much chicken lately, tho i did recently get her to help me do some chicken and dumplings). She used an electric skillet mostly. But the important thing is she always kept the chicken covered pretty much the whole time. Worked great. So there you are.

[Soup]

I love fried chicken. At home I always pan fried because I just don't want to waste all the oil required for deep frying. As for the skin peeling off more on deep fried, it doesn't bother me at all.

The real issue for me alway is (in either pan or deep fry), what do you do with all the oil. Seem very wasteful to throw it away. However, I have not figured out a good way to store and use again. Any suggestions?

[zoramargolis]

The real issue for me alway is (in either pan or deep fry), what do you do with all the oil. Seem very wasteful to throw it away. However, I have not figured out a good way to store and use again. Any suggestions?

Keep an empty oil bottle the next time you finish one, instead of discarding it. Set a small, fine mesh strainer into a funnel. Put the neck of the funnel into the opening of the bottle. Once the oil has cooled down some, pour it through the strainer into the bottle. Mark "used oil" on the outside of the bottle and keep it in a dark cabinet. Any particulate that made it through the mesh strainer will drop down to the bottom of the bottle. Next time you fry chicken or potatoes, use the "used" oil. It can be used two or three times, assuming that you haven't heated it beyond a moderate temperature or used it to fry fish.

[teddyk]

The Keller recipe has become my go to.

The key is that he uses a very small (no more than 3lb) chicken. You break it down into legs, thighs, and cut breasts in half. The pieces are small enough that the coating gets crispy in the same time it takes the pieces to cook. The brine also provides insurance against overcooking -- the meat won't dry out quickly.

Unlike his recipe, I deep fry at the temps he suggests and I find the time/temp (different times and temps for white v. dark) he suggests produces perfect results every time.

For the poster above who ends up with a burnt exterior, are you using fresh oil? I also recommend leaving the chicken at room temp for an hour before brining. If the bone isnt as cold, you don't need to cook the chicken as long to reach 165. As always a good meat thermometer helps. I use the thermapen.

[Soup]

Keep an empty oil bottle the next time you finish one, instead of discarding it. Set a small, fine mesh strainer into a funnel. Put the neck of the funnel into the opening of the bottle. Once the oil has cooled down some, pour it through the strainer into the bottle. Mark "used oil" on the outside of the bottle and keep it in a dark cabinet. Any particulate that made it through the mesh strainer will drop down to the bottom of the bottle. Next time you fry chicken or potatoes, use the "used" oil. It can be used two or three times, assuming that you haven't heated it beyond a moderate temperature or used it to fry fish.

How long does the oil last?

[zoramargolis]

How long does the oil last?

weeks. months. can't really give you anything exact. smell it and if it doesn't smell good, don't use it is the best advice I can give you.