Ah, fried chicken. The culinary embodiment of the American South. Who doesn’t love fried chicken?
Crazy people, that’s who.
OK, and vegetarians. But that’s it. Crazy people and vegetarians.
And maybe people who try to avoid fried food. Crazy people, vegetarians and people who are slavishly watching what they eat.
Everybody else, read on. This one’s for all y’all.
Why you need to learn this
Excellent fried chicken is a great addition to your repertoire. Moreover, the skills required to create a good-tasting crust will go a long way toward teaching you how to season properly with salt and add flavor with spices.
The steps you take
Let’s be clear upfront: This may just be the best fried chicken you’ve ever tasted. Or not. Fried chicken is like a lot of dishes — spaghetti, beef stew, mashed potatoes — in that everybody has their own method, their own secret ingredient, their own preferences. I’ll guarantee you this, though: If you start here and practice and practice some more, repeating and fine-tuning, before long you’ll have something you’d be proud to serve to the Queen of the South.
Let’s look at the process, then, the method.
Lots of people start by soaking the chicken pieces in buttermilk for anywhere from a few minutes to overnight, before flouring and frying. Others brine the chicken for an hour or two. Some even combine those ideas, seasoning the buttermilk before adding the chicken.
Brining in itself is a wonderful treatment, and if you’re a regular Prep Schootrix, you’ll know why: The meat gets juicier from the water it soaks up while osmosis draws the salt from the brine into the meat, seasoning it inside and out.
The buttermilk bath accomplishes two things: First, the lactic acid helps tenderize the meat, though chickens will be tender pretty much no matter what because they generally are slaughtered young, at around 13 weeks. The other thing buttermilk contributes is its consistency. Its thickness gives the flour a nice bed to cling to, yielding a more substantial crust.
About that crust: A luscious, golden brown crust contributes both texture and flavor to your fried chicken. At the same time, it helps keep the bird beneath moist and tender. Here’s how:
The flour/buttermilk coating is in direct contact with the very, very hot fat. Those high temperatures cause the crust to brown because of a chemical process known as the Maillard reaction. While the crust is browning at whatever high temperature the fat is reaching, the moisture inside the meat is vaporizing, which occurs at 212 degrees, steaming the meat, keeping it nice and juicy.
One more thing about the coating: Remember, there are a gajillion ways to do this. Some people season the bird, then dust it in flour. I prefer to add the seasonings to the flour, then put it all in a paper bag, add the chicken, close the top and shake. This encourages a more even distribution of salt and spices within the flour. It also keeps the mess inside the bag, making for easier cleanup.
We’ll start with 2 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of table salt or a tablespoon of kosher salt. You can also add up to a tablespoon (or more or less, to taste) of things like black pepper, paprika, oregano, garlic powder or your favorite spice mix. (Check the ingredients; if there’s salt in the mix, cut down accordingly on added salt.) Whatever you do, after you’ve mixed everything together but before you add the chicken, moisten your finger, dip it in the seasoned flour, and taste. It’ll taste like raw flour, of course, but it should also taste properly seasoned and have a nice flavor of whatever spices you’ve added. If something’s not quite right, add salt, spices or flour to adjust the ratios.
The method
1. Cut your 2 1/2-to-4-pound chicken into 8 or 10 pieces — 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breasts.
(I cut the breasts into two pieces each.)
2. If you’re brining, dissolve 1/4 cup sugar and either 3/8 cup of kosher salt or 1/4 cup of table salt in
1 quart of water. Add the chicken; let it soak, refrigerated, in a plastic bag or nonreactive bowl for an hour.
3. Drain the chicken and put it in buttermilk, just enough to cover.
4. Put 2 cups of seasoned flour in a large paper bag. Pull the chicken from the buttermilk and let the excess drip off, then add it to the bag. Toss to coat, then shake off any excess flour, and you’re ready to start frying.
5. Heat a heavy, straight-sided skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add enough oil to cover the bottom by about 3/4 inch. When the oil gets hot (350 degrees), add the chicken pieces, making sure they’re not touching. When the cooked side is a beautiful golden brown, flip them with tongs and brown another side. Repeat until all sides of the chicken look awesome and the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Now you can eat.
