Brian has become quite the fan of making fried chicken. We've come to an agreement that he's allowed to take this on, IF it's within one week of our house keepers next visit :) Cause let's be honest.. this makes a mess!! The first time we ever did it... and I'm saying WE... I watched. HE burned a hot oil hole in the kitchen rug. It scared me to death and I'm so glad it wasn't his leg. Let's just say...we move the kitchen rug out of the way these days. And he's basically a pro now ;)
So we fried chicken on Saturday evening and it was delish! The recipe is actually called, "Sunday Fried Chicken," but we switched it up a little! It was super crispy this time, Brian says he burned it, I think it had extra good flavor. We paired it with Memphis Coleslaw (See below) and store bought homestyle potato salad. I WAS going to make this. But Brian said just buy.. I didn't argue.
Dredged and ready to fry!
Fry time!
Getting golden.
INGREDIENTS
One (3- to 4- pound) chicken, whole or pre-cut into pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 dashes Louisiana hot sauce
1 cup buttermilk (either low-fat or full-fat), shaken well
3 cups lard, vegetable shortening, mild vegetable oil, or bacon drippings
3 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS
1. Pat the chicken dry. Ask your butcher to cut the chicken into 10 pieces instead of the usual 8 or do it yourself. All you need to do to create the extra two pieces is cut the breast off the backbone and then cut each breast in half crosswise, which will give you 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 4 pieces of chicken breast. [Editor’s Note: You really must try this nifty little trick.] Place the chicken in a large bowl and season with the salt, pepper, cayenne, white pepper, garlic powder, and hot sauce, and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. The longer the better as the seasonings will more thoroughly permeate the meat with more time.
2. Remove the chicken from the dry spices, allowing any liquid to drip back into the bowl. Place the chicken in a clean bowl and pour the buttermilk over the top.
3. Heat the lard, vegetable shortening, or bacon fat in a large cast-iron skillet until it registers 350°F (176°C) on an instant-read thermometer or until a pinch of flour sizzles when it’s dropped in the fat.
4. While the oil heats, remove the chicken from the buttermilk, allowing any excess liquid to drip off, and transfer the chicken to yet another clean bowl. (We know. Yet another bowl to wash. But the end result is worth the dirty dishes. We swear.) Sprinkle the chicken with the flour and toss to coat.
5. When the oil is ready, add the chicken pieces to the skillet in batches, shaking off any excess flour before adding them to the oil and being careful not to overcrowd the skillet. For the crispiest results, you want ample room around each piece in the oil. Start with the larger pieces. Cook the chicken, using tongs to turn the chicken occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes on each side. Keep an eye on the temperature of the oil, making sure the oil does not get too hot. The oil should have a mellow sizzle, not a raging boil, or it will make the outside of the chicken too dark before the inside is cooked. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels or to a brown paper bag that you’ve cut open. Return the oil to 350°F before frying each subsequent batch of chicken. The smaller pieces will take about 6 minutes on each side.
6. Don’t be in such a rush to eat the fried chicken right out of the fat. It’s too hot, for one thing. And if you let it sit for a few minutes, the juices will settle and it will be more pleasurable to eat. Swear.
Yes, the above recipe said lard. We used oil and you know what.. YOLO.
The coleslaw was a recipe I found on pinterest and it was really good. I used 1/3 of the sugar it called for and next time, I'll use at least half of the celery seed. I also just had red bell pepper so I subbed that and I didn't realize I didn't have yellow mustard so I used dijon. It all tasted fine.
Memphis Mustard Cole Slaw
For the dressing:
1/4 cup yellow mustard (I THOUGHT I had this, didn't.. used dijon and tasted great)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ cups sugar (Used 1/3 of this amount)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
1 bag (16 ounces) Classic Cole Slaw blend
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons celery seed (I'd use less!)
Hot sauce, to taste
For the dressing:
In small bowl whisk together the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the salad:
In a large salad bowl toss together the slaw, green bell pepper, and celery seed. Add the dressing to taste and gently toss until well combined. Season with the hot sauce to taste.
Enjoy! XOXO
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