Fried Chicken – Round 2

There are some many different recipes to fry chicken, and a handful of ways to go about it, however I typically stick with the two I know, and they are both delicious. I have written about my fried chicken once before, however this post is going to focus on the second batch, which in turn reminds me a lot of something you would get from Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is a process that can take some time, as you want to let the chicken soak in a couple of baths; one being a salted water bath, and the other, preferably overnight, a buttermilk bath.

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken, cut up (legs, wings, breasts, thighs)
• One quart of buttermilk
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil
• Flour
• Eggs
• Seasonings

In a large bowl, fill about 80 percent up with water and add about a 1/4 cup of salt. Add the chicken and let it soak for nearly one hour. After the soak, remove the chicken and give it a quick rinse, then add these to a large ziplock bag. Add the buttermilk, seal, and place in a large bowl to refrigerate overnight.

The next day, do the following in advance:

Get 3 large ziplock bags. Add two cups of flour to two of the bags. To this flour add whatever seasoning you see fit for tasty chicken. I use onion powder, garlic powder, season salt, and black pepper. In a separate bowl, crack six eggs and whisk, then add to the third ziplock bag. Drain the buttermilk from the night before. Now we are ready to begin the coating process. This part can be messy, hence why I use ziplock bags and tongs for this process.

Using your tongs, grab a piece of the chicken and place it one of the bags of flour. Coat well, then add to the bag of eggs, toss to coat, then use the tongs to place it in the third bag of flour. Toss to coat well; I use my hands outside of the bag to massage it a bit. Transfer this to a wire rack and let sit until you are ready to fry. Repeat this process until you are completed.

In a deep fryer, add your oil. I use canola oil as my daughter is allergic to peanuts, otherwise I would fry with peanut oil. Heat on medium-high heat for a five minutes or so. Once the oil is heated through, begin to add the chicken, careful not to overcrowd. You will want to watch the temperature as you do not want to burn the chicken, and you also want to use new tongs to move the chicken around from time to time. The fry process can take nearly fifteen minutes, if not longer for each batch. When the chicken become golden brown, remove from the oil, drain any remaining oil (I used a strainer lined with paper towels), and hit the chicken with seasoning. Serve hot, or heck even cold.

This one is awesome for chicken tenders as well. Enjoy.