My Own Fried Chicken Food

HOW TO MAKE FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Delicious fried chicken starts with the bird. You can cut a whole chicken into parts for frying, but if you want all dark meat, or vice versa, or just to save time, you can buy the parts. Maybe you're feeding a bunch of children who prefer drumsticks, or someone who will only eat white meat. Buying parts lets you tailor the meal to their tastes. For dark meat aficionados, go for a mixture of drumsticks and bone-in thighs. For those who prefer white meat, a pack of bone-in breasts will do just fine. Figure on two or three pieces per person, plus leftovers because cold fried chicken eaten the next day is fantastic. A whole chicken of 3 or 4 pounds can be cut into 10 parts for frying: two drumsticks, two thighs, two wings and the two breasts each cut in two, with the backbone discarded. This will feed four people nicely. (Here's a video demonstrating how to do that.)Buy the freshest chicken you can at the store, organic if possible.
• To brine a chicken means to submerge it in a solution of salt and water, sometimes flavored with other ingredients, in order to add moisture and flavor to the meat. You can certainly fry chicken without brining the parts, but we recommend against that. It's very little work, and adds tremendously to the finished flavor.For a basic chicken brine, simply dissolve 4 tablespoons kosher salt in 4 cups lukewarm water. Add the chicken to the solution, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight. (You might add a few tablespoons of sugar to the mixture, along with some fresh herbs or chopped garlic.)For many fried chicken aficionados, the only acceptable brine is made with buttermilk. To make one, dissolve 2 tablespoons kosher salt in 4 cups fresh buttermilk, along with a healthy grind of black pepper. Add the chicken to it, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight.Put 2 cups pickle juice into a large bowl and add the chicken to it. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight, turning a few times along the way. The result is shockingly flavorful, juicy meat.Combine 2 cups cola in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 4 cloves chopped garlic, 8 sprigs fresh thyme, and a tablespoon or more of hot sauce. Add the chicken, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours, turning a few times along the way. The cola adds a caramel hue and distinctive sweetness to the meat, but after more than a few hours it begins to degrade it, too. Proceed with caution!Cider brine: For a sweet, almost autumnal fried chicken, dissolve 4 tablespoons kosher salt in 2 cups apple cider. Add the chicken to the solution, cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight.
• A shatteringly crisp crust is a hallmark of great fried chicken. You achieve that by covering the exterior of the meat and skin with starch before cooking.The easiest method for dredging chicken is simply to place the parts in a big paper bag filled with flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper and occasionally paprika or hot pepper; close the bag; shake it a few times, and then carefully remove each piece and shake off the excess flour before frying. You can of course use a large bowl in place of the bag. Just dredge the chicken pieces through the seasoned flour and proceed as directed. You'll want to dredge the chicken right before frying; leaving the chicken to rest in its coating will gum up the flour, reducing its chances of crisping up in the cooking oil. Not all cooks use all-purpose flour to coat their chicken. Alternative starches include gluten-free flours, bread crumbs, the larger Japanese bread crumbs known as panko, cracker crumbs and potato starch. (Other coatings include - really! - crumbled Cheetos and Doritos.)Whatever starch you use, the precepts remain the same: dredge the chicken in it, then shake off the excess, then fry.
• Once your chicken pieces are coated, you'll gently place them in hot oil and fry them until golden brown and gloriously crunchy. A few tips: Use tongs to turn the chicken a few times while it cooks. And, crucially, do not crowd the pan. You want plenty of oil surrounding each piece of chicken, but not so much that it spatters everywhere. (In warmer months, if you don't want to mess up your kitchen, cook outside, using a gas grill and a pan set on the grate above the burner.)Time was, people fried chicken in shortening. Some fry in lard, others in oil, or in a combination of the two. What you want is an oil that has a high smoke point, which means that it can be heated to a high temperature without burning. Olive oil and butter have low smoke points. Do not use them for fried chicken. Instead, try peanut, canola or vegetable oil. You can deep fry the chicken in a lot of oil, or you can shallow fry it in a little less, but if you go the less-oil route, the fat should rise to at least halfway up the pieces to ensure even frying. As the oil heats on the stove, you might slide a single slice of bacon into it to perfume the fat, but this is hardly a requirement. If you do that, remove the bacon before frying the chicken.The ideal temperature at which to fry chicken is a steady 350 degrees. Monitor that temperature by using a candy thermometer. And, especially if you're new to the chicken-frying game, use a meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the chicken. It's done when it reaches 165 degrees. Make sure that you've brought the oil back up to 350 degrees before you add the next batch of chicken.After you remove your chicken from the skillet, you should let it rest before serving. Some people do so by placing the hot chicken on a paper bag, or on paper towel. This method, however, can lead to soggy skin, particularly on the side that's in contact with the paper. A better technique is to rest the chicken on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet, sprinkling a little salt on it when it's hot for extra flavor.
• Once you've mastered our basic recipe, explore these fried chicken styles. Adobo fried chicken will take you to the Philippines, while Nashville-style hot chicken will simply set your mouth on fire. (Worth it.) This adobo fried chicken takes its vinegary cue from the braised national dish of the Philippines. It starts with a cooked broth of 2 1/2 cups white vinegar, 3 minced garlic cloves, 4 bay leaves, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, in which you'll simmer the chicken pieces for 15 minutes. Dredge the chicken pieces in a mix of 2 cups buttermilk, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon paprika and some black pepper, then fry. Serve with a dipping sauce of 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 sliced Thai bird chilies.Korean fried chicken, or yangnyeom dak, takes its deep flavor and rich heat from an oniony marinade and a coating made with gochujang, the Korean chile paste, and other spices. It's dredged in a mixture of flour and cornstarch coating, which gives the crust an extra dose of crunch. To make Korean fried chicken, smear the pieces with a mixture of 1 grated onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and let sit for about an hour. Dredge the pieces in a flour-cornstarch mix, then fry. Mix together 3 tablespoons gochujang, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and the juice of half a lemon. Brush the chile sauce liberally on the fried pieces while the chicken is still hot, and serve.Nashville-style fried chicken is hot - so hot that watery eyes and a burning mouth are commonly accepted side effects of eating it. The searing heat comes ghost-chile powder and a generous amount of cayenne pepper. To make it, add 2 tablespoons hot sauce to your buttermilk brine. Then, before you dredge the chicken pieces in flour, dust them in a coating of 3 tablespoons cayenne, 1 tablespoon ghost-chile powder and 1 tablespoon sugar. After frying, dust the pieces once more with cayenne. Serve with sliced white bread and a cold beer.This Persian fried chicken is redolent of saffron and paprika, and is best made with boneless chicken thighs, which speeds up the cooking time. First, make a marinade by combining 1/2 teaspoon saffron with 1 tablespoon water and let soak 10 minutes; purée in a food processor with 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt and 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. Marinate the chicken pieces in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. When it's time to fry, dredge the chicken in a mixture of 2 1/4 cups flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1 1/2 tablespoons dried mint and 1 tablespoon salt. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped walnuts.

CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, hot sauce (optional, for added flavor), salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add in chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours.
• When ready to cook, pour the vegetable oil in a skillet until it is about 3/4 inch deep. Heat to 350 degrees.
• Prepare the breading by combining the flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt in a gallon sized resealable plastic bag or shallow dish. Mix it thoroughly.
• Working one at a time, remove chicken pieces from buttermilk mixture. Shake it gently to remove the excess. Place it in the breading mix and coat thoroughly. Tap off the excess.
• Place the breaded chicken into the 350 degree oil. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time. The chicken will drop the temperature of the oil so keep it as close to 350 degrees as possible. Fry each piece for 14 minutes, turning each piece about half way through, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
• Remove from the oil and place on paper towels. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the chicken in a bowl and pour over the milk. Tip the flour and spices into a large plastic bag and add a large pinch of salt and a good grinding of pepper.
• Heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Take half of the chicken out of the milk, shake off any excess and put in the bag of seasoned flour. Hold the top closed and shake well. Lift the pieces out and shake off any excess, but don't do this too hard or you'll end up with no coating. Lower the pieces into the oil and fry on each side until golden and crisp - don't overdo it as the chicken is being baked next and will brown further. Use tongs to turn the chicken and try not to tear the coating. Transfer to a rack set in a roasting tin. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
• Bake for 30 mins until cooked - check one drumstick and one thigh with a skewer - cook for longer if you need to.

FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine first four ingredients. With paper towels, pat chicken dry; add to bag, a few pieces at a time. Seal bag and shake to coat. , In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 in. of oil; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear, turning occasionally. Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels.,