Monday, November 3, 2008

Yummy Fried Chicken!

See how nice and crispy it turned out? How could you resist?

The other night T. and I were both wanting some fried chicken. Seeing as we don't eat meat that is from a CAFO it really limits us on where we can eat out when we do. I usually follow a vegetarian diet when eating out. Solves the ethical issues I have. But this was different and very hard. I mean, I wanted fried chicken badly!!!!

We ended up buying 2 "happy" chickens from Costco and cutting them up and making a whole slew of fried chicken! We needed enough to feed 2 extra children and then have some leftovers. It went over well and yes, we still have a bunch of leftovers. Nothing quite like cold fried chicken is there???

Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

whole chicken cut up (or just pieces of your favorite parts)
1 carton of buttermilk
Peanut or Canola Oil
5 cups of flour
1 Tbsp cayenne
2 Tbsp onion salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp garlic salt

Directions
  • In a pan or a bowl soak the chicken in enough Buttermilk to cover for about 15 - 20 minutes (or longer if you have more time).
  • Heat a cast iron skillet (or any other deep skillet) with about 1.2 to 1/4 inches of peanut or canola oil. It is hot enough when you drop a small piece of food in and it bobs right to the surface. If you have a thermometer you can place that in the oil and when it reaches 365° your oil is at the right temperature.
  • * Mix together all of the dry ingredients and take the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and place it in the flour to cover.
  • Remove the chicken from the flour and remove any excess flour and place in another bowl or pan and allow to sit until the oil is up to the right temperature.
  • * Place each piece of chicken in the oil gently turn only when the chicken is a golden brown. Turn and cook the other side.
  • You can test the chicken the old fashioned way (by cutting into it) or you can use a meat thermometer to check and ensure that it has reached 170 degrees.
  • Allow to drain on a rack for several minutes and then serve immediately!
The french fries ended up incredible too. We like them nice and crispy and to acheive that with homemade ones you need to fry them twice. Do the initial fry in small batches and then toss them all back in in the end and fry them for another minute or two and they will end up nice and crispy!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

14 comments:

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I remember the days well of "extra" kids at the table. Having a young child is how you get to know your neighbours. Fried chicken is a perfect choice to feed the masses:D

Peter M said...

From the photo, I can see this recipe is a win-win...home made, crispy batter and you avoid KFC or any other chain using Franken-birds.

Sarah said...

MMM, Yummy! Love me some fried chicken! Thanks for this recipe. I am always a bit scared to do this cause of the hot oil and my clumsiness!

Patsyk said...

My husband has been asking for fried chicken for awhile... yours looks so good, I might have to cure his craving for it soon!

Jennifer said...

I lurve Fried Chicken but it never turns out right. I will give this a try next time I am craving it!

Jennifer said...

p.s. what is CAFO?

Dharm said...

I just love Fried Chicken and this looks superb! Freeze some and send it over now!

Judy@nofearentertaining said...

Hi Val-Between the dogs and the kids we do know everyone!!! And yes Fried chicken works well!

Hey Peter-No Franken-birds for us! It was nice and crispy!

Hi Sarah-The hot oil part is fine. Just use a deep enough pot.

Hey Patsyk-He will love you for this!

Hi Cheryl-This recipe can't fail. Make sure your oil is hot enough!

And CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Google CAFO for some scary info on what you eat!

Hey Dharm-It's on it's way. LOL!

Mrs Ergül said...

I have a weakness for fried chicken. Pls invite me over and serve me thisssssssss

Laura Paterson said...

Love fried chicken! Though never tried making it myself - not sure why!

The photograph shows how perfectly cooked it is!

Thistlemoon said...

DROOL! That looks awesome. I haven't had fried chicken in eons!

Darius T. Williams said...

This looks good. There's a pic of fried chicken in my latest blog post too...the secret in really crispy chicken? A bit of cornstarch mixed in with the flour!

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

Núria said...

Mmmmmm Judy... so good! Can you believe I never made it at home? I must do it soon, that picture makes me drool, looks awesome :D

Melissa said...

Oh yeah Judy, this one's a keeper. That piece of chicken looks awesome. Hubby is going to kill me if I don't make him fried chicken one of these days.

And you're right about the double frying. Mmmmm crispy fries.