Fried Chicken

Fried chicken doesn’t really need an introduction.  I don’t have to tell you how good it is – simply yet assertively seasoned, in its juicy and crispy perfection.  And later, as leftovers, the greatest picnic food of all time.  You know all this already.

You know what to serve with it, too:  coleslaw, baked beans or maybe potato salad, lemonade or iced tea, and strawberry shortcake or blueberry pie for dessert – hopefully on a picnic blanket or a gingham-covered table underneath a shady tree.

So all that’s left to talk about is how to make it.  Before we jump to the recipe, here are a few tips that will help you avoid some common pitfalls:

• The biggest challenge when frying chicken is getting the inside cooked through before the outside gets too dark.  Using smaller pieces of chicken helps with this.  I use dark meat only – not only are the pieces smaller but dark meat stays moist and tender.  Buy leg quarters and cut them through the joint into thighs and drumsticks – thighs that are packaged by themselves are often too large.  If you insist on using white meat, cut each breast into two pieces, removing the backbone.
• An overnight soak in buttermilk is essential for tenderizing the chicken.  Hot sauce in the marinade infuses the chicken with great flavor.
• Next, the coating.  It’s nothing fancy, just flour and few spices, including plenty of kosher salt.  I don’t pack the coating on too thick, because I like a light coating that makes a crust that’s crisp but not hard and crunchy.  But the recipe makes enough of the coating that you can go heavier if you like.  It’s up to you.
• Use a large, deep, heavy pot (I use an enamel-coated cast iron Le Creuset Dutch oven), and fill it with oil to a depth of 2 inches.  With my pot, that comes to about 6 cups of oil.  Yes it’s a lot, but don’t scrimp.  Most of the oil stays behind – if you’re frying at the right temperature, very little of it actually gets absorbed by the chicken.  (A word of caution:  don’t go deeper than 2 inches, or you’ll risk having the oil splatter out of the pot once you add the chicken.)
• Fry the chicken in batches and don’t crowd the pan.  It takes me three batches to cook chicken for six.
• Once the chicken has reached the perfect shade of golden brown, check it with an instant read thermometer to see if it’s fully cooked (165 degrees).  Unless you like your chicken very dark brown, chances are it won’t finish cooking in the oil and will need a few minutes in the oven to cook through – especially if your pieces are on the larger side.  There’s no shame in this.  In fact, any recipe that tells you to just “fry the chicken until it’s golden on the outside” is not telling you the whole truth.  A golden crust is lovely, but it’s absolutely not a reliable indicator that the inside is done.  The size of your chicken pieces and the average temperature of your oil are wildcards that no recipe can predict, so use the thermometer – and the oven if necessary – for fried chicken that’s perfectly cooked inside and out.

• Speaking of the oil temperature, try to keep it at a steady 350 degrees but accept that it’s going to fluctuate.  Use a deep fry/candy thermometer, keep an eye on it, and expect to be raising and lowering the burner temperature periodically in order to keep the oil temperature as even as possible.  I find that letting the oil get too hot is worse than letting it dip too low (this leads to a darker crust and underdone inside) so I’m careful not to overcompensate by turning the burner up too high.
• Once the chicken is fully cooked, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.  A short rest lets the crust settle down and all the juices distribute through the chicken, and the internal temperature will continue to rise to a perfect 175 degrees.  This is quite convenient actually, because while the chicken rests you have time to clean up the stove area and finish any last minute tasks needed to get other dishes ready to serve.

Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:

• The chicken must soak overnight in the buttermilk, so start a day ahead.
• Never reheat fried chicken.  If you plan to eat it hot, fry the chicken right before serving.  If you need start farther ahead and you want to hold the chicken for a bit, just let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours.  It will still be crispy and juicy.
• Leftovers are best at room temperature – and when I say “best” what I mean is “one of the best things you will ever eat.”  Take the leftover chicken out of the fridge an hour or two before you plan to eat it to let it come to room temperature.  If this isn’t convenient you can eat it cold, but I don’t condone reheating it for any reason.
• Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days.

To see this dish combined with others in a summery picnic menu, check out my post for Saturday June 13, 2020.  And for a different and delicious variation on fried chicken, try this Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken, in a sandwich or on its own.  

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