Real Fried Chicken
8 pieces bone-in chicken (whatever your family likes...I made 3 breasts & 5 drumsticks)
Cold salt water (about 1 tbsp salt)
1 c. flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. pepper
1 &1/2 tsp. salt
A good shake of cayenne
Oil for frying (you'll need enough for about 1 & 1/2 inches of oil in each of 2 12" skillets. To be
honest, I ran out of oil and tossed in lard to make up for the rest. Never said it was
heart-healthy!)
In large bowl, cover chicken with salt water and soak overnight. If you forget to soak it overnight, though, you can do what I did and start soaking it in the morning for cooking around 7. Drain. Mix flour and seasonings in a pie plate. Coat the chicken thoroughly in the flour. Pour about 1 & 1/2 inches oil into each of 2 12" cast iron skillets. If you haven't got cast iron, go get a couple! Seriously, you should have at least one cast iron skillet in your kitchen. But, if you have very good non-stick skillets, they will work, too. Heat on medium-high until very hot. Add chicken (tongs are helpful here), being very careful not to spatter yourself! Make sure the chicken isn't crowded in the pan. Cover and turn heat to medium. Make sure the chicken keeps sizzling. If you can't hear it sizzling, you'll want to turn up the heat a bit. Check after 15 or 20 minutes to see if the chicken has browned. If so, turn it over and continue cooking with the lid on until all of it is nicely browned, probably another 15-20 minutes but perhaps not as long for the breasts. After checking carefully to make sure the chicken is cooked through, drain on paper towels and then serve.
Cold salt water (about 1 tbsp salt)
1 c. flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. pepper
1 &1/2 tsp. salt
A good shake of cayenne
Oil for frying (you'll need enough for about 1 & 1/2 inches of oil in each of 2 12" skillets. To be
honest, I ran out of oil and tossed in lard to make up for the rest. Never said it was
heart-healthy!)
In large bowl, cover chicken with salt water and soak overnight. If you forget to soak it overnight, though, you can do what I did and start soaking it in the morning for cooking around 7. Drain. Mix flour and seasonings in a pie plate. Coat the chicken thoroughly in the flour. Pour about 1 & 1/2 inches oil into each of 2 12" cast iron skillets. If you haven't got cast iron, go get a couple! Seriously, you should have at least one cast iron skillet in your kitchen. But, if you have very good non-stick skillets, they will work, too. Heat on medium-high until very hot. Add chicken (tongs are helpful here), being very careful not to spatter yourself! Make sure the chicken isn't crowded in the pan. Cover and turn heat to medium. Make sure the chicken keeps sizzling. If you can't hear it sizzling, you'll want to turn up the heat a bit. Check after 15 or 20 minutes to see if the chicken has browned. If so, turn it over and continue cooking with the lid on until all of it is nicely browned, probably another 15-20 minutes but perhaps not as long for the breasts. After checking carefully to make sure the chicken is cooked through, drain on paper towels and then serve.
No comments:
Post a Comment