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re: What's the secret to delicious, crispy fried chicken?
Posted on 2/17/15 at 2:25 pm to sleepytime
Posted on 2/17/15 at 2:25 pm to sleepytime
quote:
If you fry chicken at 350, the crust will burn before it is fully cooked. Fry at 275 until it's barely done, remove the chicken, crank the heat up to 375 and finish frying it until it's nice and golden. The skin is perfect and the crust isn't burnt.
This. I'm always amazed at how few people know about the double fry.
0
Posted on 2/17/15 at 2:26 pm to LouisianaLady
quote:
Definitely brine.
Nah. Makes the chicken like a soggy sponge.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 2:39 pm to Mo Jeaux
I've never had soggy buffalo wings 
Not saying I don't believe you; just never had brining affect frying chicken for me personally.
Not saying I don't believe you; just never had brining affect frying chicken for me personally.This post was edited on 2/17/15 at 2:41 pm
Posted on 2/17/15 at 2:41 pm to LouisianaLady
Posted on 2/17/15 at 2:56 pm to LouisianaLady
The reason I said that about the brine is I literally don't have time. This is for tonight. Is a few hours sufficient? If so, what do you use?
Posted on 2/17/15 at 3:02 pm to GRTiger
quote:
Help me, please
No
Posted on 2/17/15 at 3:02 pm to fatboydave
Instead of an egg/milk wash, which tends to get too dark in the fryer in my opinion, mix some of your seasoned flour with water until it's the consistency of heavy cream. Dip your chicken in that and then roll it in the dry seasoned flour. Beyond that, make sure you have a grease thermometer to maintain the proper temp (325 to 350 for chicken) and Don't overcrowd your pot. Overcrowding your pot makes the temp drop too much and then your chicken absorbs more grease. I put a sheet pan with a mesh baking rack on it in my oven at 175 to keep the batches warm but crispy while the rest cooks. Crisco is also a good tip as the grease "sets up" on the chicken as it cools instead of staying liquid.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 3:15 pm to GRTiger
quote:
The reason I said that about the brine is I literally don't have time. This is for tonight. Is a few hours sufficient? If so, what do you use?
If it is cut up chicken an hour or so will be fine. One cup salt, one cup sugar to one gallon of water. stir until dissolved, put chicken parts in and refrigerate. when ready rinse under cool water, pat very dry and go about your business of frying however you decide.
My wife fries the chicken here, once a month-which is why I never eat it anywhere else, unless it's someone else's homemade, and she only brines for an hour.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 4:20 pm to Martini
I wish I had seen your post earlier. I used the popeyes link and have them marinating in buttermilk and hot sauce now. Will update thread a little later. Thanks to all who posted except for that clown tiger ham.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 4:33 pm to GRTiger
I tried for a long time and finally had success when I got a good deep fryer. IMO, that's the key. It's electric so any batter that does fall off goes below the element, which makes the grease last longer (not burn).
Fryer I Use
My best results came from brining four hours, rinse, season with salt, pepper, cayenne, celery salt, garlic powder, La Hot Sauce and black pepper (also season the self-rising flour w/same…minus hot sauce of course). I only batter it once and go right into the grease. Some will wash off but chicken still has a nice crispy batter. Fry at 325. Let 'em cool on wire rack.
Fryer I Use
My best results came from brining four hours, rinse, season with salt, pepper, cayenne, celery salt, garlic powder, La Hot Sauce and black pepper (also season the self-rising flour w/same…minus hot sauce of course). I only batter it once and go right into the grease. Some will wash off but chicken still has a nice crispy batter. Fry at 325. Let 'em cool on wire rack.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 5:30 pm to GRTiger
quote:
What's the secret to delicious, crispy fried chicken?
Buy it from a professional. Honest to God, I love fried chicken, but cooking it at home is a pain in the arse. Plus, it never turns out perfect.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 5:53 pm to GRTiger
Just to clarify, that recipe isn't close to what Popeyes does
Make sure and take a pic when your done
Make sure and take a pic when your done
Posted on 2/17/15 at 6:34 pm to GRTiger
I fry in Crisco and only put about an inch worth of it in the skillet. As I understand it, when you submerge the entire piece it doesn't let the moisture that needs to escape, escape. So you end up with soggy chicken. I know popeye's and other places submerge and theirs is crispy but I am also sure that popeyes adds a bunch of shite to their chicken that isn't found in your average kitchen.
For battering, i cut the chicken into 8 pieces then season and let sit while I get the grease warming. Then i dip in seasoned buttermilk then dip in plain AP flour and let sit til grease is up to 335. Fry in batches not crowding the pan and flip several times to keep it from burning.
Why would you need to brine something you are going to fry? Isn't the oil going to keep it juicy?
For battering, i cut the chicken into 8 pieces then season and let sit while I get the grease warming. Then i dip in seasoned buttermilk then dip in plain AP flour and let sit til grease is up to 335. Fry in batches not crowding the pan and flip several times to keep it from burning.
Why would you need to brine something you are going to fry? Isn't the oil going to keep it juicy?
Posted on 2/17/15 at 7:20 pm to 8thyearsenior
Today's super sized enhanced chickens are more difficult to fry due to the large size of the pieces. It's difficult to get the meat done with out screwing up the crust.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 7:33 pm to weadjust
Which is why we buy the smaller, air chilled fryers. I also have a friend in West Feliciana that I get yard chickens from which are incredible but only when he calls and is ready. He doesn't sell them.
And my wife uses crisco in an electric skillet that was her grandmothers and cooks them as the post above you. My mother does fried chicken in a cast iron skillet on the stove with a glass lid but she is getting too old to do it. I have cooked it her way many times but it's just something I struggle with like jambalaya so I defer.
About 2 years ago when my wife's grandmother died she decided the fried chicken wasn't going to die with her. Thank god. So we have a deal. She fries chicken once a month, I eat all I want, as do the kids, and we don't buy it anywhere else.
It's a good compromise because I get homemade every 30 days, which is phenomenal, but can't eat Popeyes or any other so I can claim a health benefit.
Only exception is if we visit friends or family that make it themselves. And wouldn't you know it a lot of our friends are inviting us over for wine and fried chicken. And a big arse cab goes well with it.
And my wife uses crisco in an electric skillet that was her grandmothers and cooks them as the post above you. My mother does fried chicken in a cast iron skillet on the stove with a glass lid but she is getting too old to do it. I have cooked it her way many times but it's just something I struggle with like jambalaya so I defer.
About 2 years ago when my wife's grandmother died she decided the fried chicken wasn't going to die with her. Thank god. So we have a deal. She fries chicken once a month, I eat all I want, as do the kids, and we don't buy it anywhere else.
It's a good compromise because I get homemade every 30 days, which is phenomenal, but can't eat Popeyes or any other so I can claim a health benefit.
Only exception is if we visit friends or family that make it themselves. And wouldn't you know it a lot of our friends are inviting us over for wine and fried chicken. And a big arse cab goes well with it.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 7:45 pm to Martini
Chicken is in process and a few notes...
I used non-trans fat crisco shortening. I didn't see 8th's post before starting, and don't know if it's right, but I filled the small fryer so that the chicken was fully in.
It's coming out very crispy, but due to the small size of the fryer, I've had to do it one piece at a time, adding them to the rack in the 175 oven when done. I think the oven is killing some of the crisp, just based on touch at this point.
2 more to go, will update. They do look and smell incredible. The bald spots and shell issues are gone, and I think the double flour is the reason.
Teaser
I used non-trans fat crisco shortening. I didn't see 8th's post before starting, and don't know if it's right, but I filled the small fryer so that the chicken was fully in.
It's coming out very crispy, but due to the small size of the fryer, I've had to do it one piece at a time, adding them to the rack in the 175 oven when done. I think the oven is killing some of the crisp, just based on touch at this point.
2 more to go, will update. They do look and smell incredible. The bald spots and shell issues are gone, and I think the double flour is the reason.
Teaser
Posted on 2/17/15 at 7:51 pm to GRTiger
quote:
Teaser
That looks real nice.
I'll take the 2pc dark, a small side of red beans and a biscuit.
This post was edited on 2/17/15 at 7:53 pm
Posted on 2/17/15 at 8:26 pm to Btrtigerfan
So it came out great. Definitely crispy, great flavor. There is a slight mush after the initial crisp and I'm pretty sure that's due to keeping it in the oven while the other pieces cooked and the broil right at the end (I'm weird about chicken and temp). Don't do the broil, probably didn't cook the chicken anymore and reheated the shortening which probably caused the mush.
Moderately messy, but worth it.
Moderately messy, but worth it.
Posted on 2/17/15 at 8:32 pm to GRTiger
Posted on 2/17/15 at 8:36 pm to GRTiger
quote:
Moderately messy, but worth it.
My mother fried chicken every other week. We had a large family but she still fried probably 5 whole chickens cut up "country" style which was the standard 8 piece with the wishbone being the 9th. Sometime cutting the breasts in half to make it 11.
She always said if she was going to make a mess she might as well cook a bunch. We ate cold fried chicken the next day all my years around her.
Yes. From a man who grew up in the South it is worth it.
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