Awesome Pan Fried Chicken From Cooks Illustrated Food

AWESOME PAN FRIED CHICKEN FROM COOKS ILLUSTRATED

Steps:

• Wash chicken. Pat dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add chicken skin side down. Cook for 6-8 minutes.
• Carefully flip chicken in pan, using tongs. (I find that a rolling motion, as opposed to a pulling or pushing, helps to get the chicken up without pulling off the skin.) Reduce heat to medium low. Add chicken broth. Cover pan and cook 15 minutes.
• Remove chicken from pan. Pour off broth into a bowl or saucepan for use in gravy. Carefully wipe out pan with paper towels.
• Add remaining tbsp of oil in pan. Place chicken pieces back in pan skin side down. Cook another 5 minutes.

THAI-STYLE CHICKEN WITH BASIL (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 1-second pulses, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed (turn off processor first!).
• Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.
• Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate 1/4-inch pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. [ NOTE: I used a blender and it started to make the chicken mushy, which was *not* what you want here. I stopped immediately and ended up hacking away at the remains with a cleaver. :o) ] Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1 1/2 minutes; if it doesn't, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
• Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute.
• Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar separately.

PAN-FRIED GLAZED CHICKEN WITH BASIL - WW

Steps:

• Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn chicken, and cook 6 minutes or until chicken is done.
• Stir in vinegar, honey, and basil; cook an additional 1 minute.

AWESOME GOLDEN OVEN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Wash chicken and soak in salt water for about 20 minutes.
• I use a large bowl and 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Place oil and butter in a shallow baking pan and set in the oven to heat and melt.
• Combine the flour and seasonings and dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
• Remove hot pan from the oven and arrange the chicken in the pan skin side down,but do not crowd.
• Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, turn chicken so that the skin side is up and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes more, until nicely browned and juices run clear.
• Remove onto a platter and let cool at least 10 minutes.