Fried chicken techniques
Lindsey Nair/The Roanoke Times
I’m back to writing about fried chicken because, really, who can think enough about fried chicken? Last night, I tried out Paula Deen’s fried chicken recipe to great success. You can see that the end product was quite golden and crispy. The inside was cooked through but was still juicy. I expected this chicken to be spicier because of the half bottle of hot sauce that I added to the egg mixture, but it wasn’t. I guess the brief swim through the egg before hitting the flour wasn’t enough to impart much of the hot sauce flavor.
The only complaint I have about my fried chicken was that it was a tad bit greasy. I know anything fried is a tad bit greasy, but I can’t help but wonder whether hotter oil in my cast iron Dutch oven would have made a difference. I don’t fry foods very often, but I’ve always heard that if your oil is hot enough without reaching the smoking point, the food fries without a lot of grease soaking into the food.
How to tell if the oil is hot enough? Well, it called for an oil temperature of 350 degrees. Various sites suggested various methods of testing the oil if you don’t own an oil thermometer, which I do not. One method was to flick a drop of water into the oil and see if it dances around and pops. Another is to toss a cube of bread into the oil and if it browns nicely in one minute, the oil is ready. A third is to toss in a pinch of flour. I used the first two methods.
Cook large pieces, like breasts, first.
Lindsey Nair/The Roanoke Times
Here’s another tricky part: Paula Deen said to cook the dark meat pieces for about 13 to 14 minutes and white meat for 8 to 10 minutes. Well, if your chicken breasts are the size of the ones I cooked, it’s going to take a LOT longer than 10 minutes. I even think her times on the other pieces is a bit low. Maybe 10 minutes per side, but certainly not 10 minutes total. If you are lucky enough to have a big enough pan to accommodate all of your chicken at once, remember to start cooking the biggest pieces first.
Finally, a wonderful tip: When you are frying chicken in batches like I did last night, set the oven to warm and place wire cooling racks in a cookie sheet. Then, as you finish frying pieces, put them on the racks. Not only will excess grease drain off, but the bottom of your chicken pieces will not get soggy and the chicken will stay warm until you are ready to serve it.
I have found that every fried chicken recipe I see is different in some way. Does anyone out there have a special fried chicken recipe that differs from the Paula Deen recipe? Any other practical tips to help out newbies like me when it comes time to fry up some chicken?
July 20, 2009 - 12:14 PM
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That looks GREAT!
i use the fried chicken recipe from pam anderson’s “the perfect recipe,” which has never led me astray. i soak my chicken in buttermilk overnight, then dredge it in seasoned flour and fry it in cast iron. i use an oil thermometer, and would not be without it. they’re cheap and worth having and can be had at kroger.
Kroger fresh deli fried chicken
deli fried chicken with the homemade taste
Kroger fresh deli fried chicken
taste like grandma used to make
Um, I really like Kroger chicken but it doesn’t taste like my grandma’s. I don’t know how she made it though. Wish I did. Your pictures look awesome. OK, now I’m off to get me some fried chicken for lunch. We need a place downtown that sells fried chicken!
OG, what about that new place, Rodney’s Fish & Chicken, up on Orange Avenue? I blogged about it just last week, I think. It’s owned by the guy who runs Blues BBQ. Not too far from downtown and I’ve been waiting for someone to tell me they ate there and let me know how it was!
Also, when Little Chef has fried chicken it is usually pretty good. Not sure if it’s on their regular menu but they have it on special sometimes. And then there’s Thelma’s Chicken & Waffles on the corner of Orange and Williamson.
Seth, is an oil thermometer the same thing as a candy thermometer, or can they be used interchangeably? That’s what I’ve been wondering, and I know you like to bake and make sweets so maybe you know.
What? No leftovers for co-workers?
Try substituting rice flour for the A/P flour. You can also go with a mixture of equal parts A/P, cornstarch, and rice flour. The rice flour will give you a crisper, less greasy coating.
Nona, you will have to fight Howard for the leftovers.
yeah, i believe they are interchangable. it’s that fat, glass-encased thermometer with the clip. i think the real selling point is that is has a very high temp range.
oh, also, maintaining the right temp will make the chicken less greasy. too cool= greasy. too hot= burned outside, raw inside.
OK-I don’t recommend putting any water in hot oil-even a drop will splatter. I can tell the oil is ready when it shimmers. I usually put a pinch of damp flour in the oil to see if it sizzles. (Use a blob off the chicken you are coating.) My secret recipe is simple-I use seasoned flour. It has the right amount of seasonings I prefer. I don’t remember the brand but the bag has a string tied around the top instead of being glued. Its good for fish, country-fried steak and venison cutlets.
Now I have no more secrets, Lindsey! You’ve stolen them all!
Oh Lindsey, that looks great. I’m sitting here drooling.
Yes, Mom, I guess that’s what happens when your daughter writes a cooking blog and learned most of what she knows from you! But my readers have you to thank for many of the wonderful recipes here. Besides, I’m pretty sure you have other secrets up your sleeve.
Seth, I thank you for the info about the thermometer. I thought the issue with my chicken could be that the oil could have been just a teensy bit hotter.
i have a vintage stove which has push button electric controls= nightmare to fry on. no way could i do it without a thermometer.
also, re: cooking time: i cover my pan when after i flip the chicken, which helps it cook faster.
Frying under pressure will make the chicken less greasy. A fry cook (yes I knew one) always told me that the secret was hot oil and full immersion. He checked the temp of the oil before he cooked.
Sandy, I know the flour you’re talking about. I want to say it’s Big Spring Mill, which is in Elliston. I use it for all of the ways you described, plus have used it with frying squash and tomatoes (mixed with some corn meal).
I use the same seasoned flour to fry up venison cube steak, but I can’t remember the name right now. Have to look when I go home. If seasoned flour is too salty, you can mix it with regular flour.
Good tip on covering the pan. And Henry, I’m sure in Kroger and KFC and places like that they probably have a huge pressure-fryer or something.
Are you guys talking about Virginia’s Best flours? My mom uses that brand all the time for pretty much everything, and it comes in a bag that’s twisted with a string tied around it.
I use the seasoned flour to fry pork chops also. When my dad fried chicken he always put a few pats of butter or margarine in the grease and fried it in a cast iron skillet and covered the pan while cooking.
Brown leftover seasoned flour in the grease after cooking and mix with diluted evaporated milk for gravy. Yum Yum
I like to use Big Spring Mill Spiced Flour. It gives it a good taste to the crust.