What's the Secret to Great Fried Chicken?
Art Smith's fried chicken. [Photograph: Erin Zimmer]
Fried Chicken Recipes
Art Smith's recipe »
The Lee Brothers' recipe »
Paula Deen's recipe »
Edna Lewis' recipe »
Chefs are paying more attention to fried chicken—the seasonings, 36-hour brines, air-drying techniques, and fancy bread crumbs. There really doesn't seem to be a downside of a fried chicken boom. But at the end of the day, is it really any better than Popeyes?
We asked a few Southern food gurus for their secrets to classic fried chicken.
"Salt. And using grapeseed or canola oil." —Art Smith, chef of Table Fifty-Two in Chicago and Art and Soul in Washington D.C.
"Hot sauce. Egg. Frying it up in peanut oil. It's more money but worth it." —Jamie Deen, son of Paula Deen
"Time and temperature." —Ted Lee, co-author of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook and the new The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern
"Buttermilk brine. It tenderizes and seasons the chicken through and through so that the flavor is not just in the crust and the chicken is moist and juicy! And, you have to shake the chicken in a brown paper bag of seasoned flour, just like my grandmother did. That's where the love and tradition comes in." —Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef of Hill Country
Related
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16 Comments:
I've done my share of experimenting to find what I would consider the best fried chicken going. Granted, perfection is often found in the mouth of the beholder but among the alternatives offered here, I have settled on Edna Lewis' recipe and technique. My epiphany came when I learned to turn the heat down on the oil and cook the chicken at between 320 and 350F. Prior to that, I always tried to maintain a scaldingly hot oil and ended up with burnt skins and red at the bone.
The two significant changes that I have made to Edna Lewis' recipe are to add liquid hot sauce to the buttermilk soak and to substitute a heal of bacon for her ham. If I only ate that version for the rest of my life, I would pass on a happy eater.
czken at 2:43PM on 10/14/09
This recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Deviled-Fried-Chicken-5623
It's marinated in spiced buttermilk and breaded in flour with more spices. It's the only fried chicken I'd eat over Popeye's.
emgroff at 2:59PM on 10/14/09
I can't lie. Popeye's is delicious and cheap. I'm still trying to figure out their red beans & rice recipe.
FlavorCountry at 3:41PM on 10/14/09
Learned this trick from the Test Kitchen - add a liitle buttermilk to the seasoned flour mixture before breading. You want a bit of texture to add crunch. Fantastic every time.
inblackink at 4:28PM on 10/14/09
My secret is brining in buttermilk, salt and pepper for 12-24 hours, draining, dipping in spiced flour, dipping in buttermilk, dipping in spiced flour and deep-frying at 325 in peanut oil. Really delicious. Double dipping makes the difference.
pebregman at 5:03PM on 10/14/09
I don't fry chicken that often but when I do, I follow Chris Kimball's recipe from Martha's old show. He incorporporates what's already been suggested: buttermilk, brining, peanut oil, etc. And he also suggests letting the chicken dry out in the fridge after it's been dredged in flour. It comes out crispy and moist but not super crunchy. He also plays with cooking it covered and uncovered at different points. I've also found in a side by side comparison that frying in my Le Creuset Dutch oven had no hot spots like my cast iron skillet did.
Otabenga at 5:38PM on 10/14/09
The chicken in the accompanying photo looks like mine, and mine isn't great. It's not bad, it's just not Popeye's. I'm going to try again this Sunday--I try at least two or three times a year--and will do Kimball's recipe and technique. Fingers crossed.
betteirene at 7:05PM on 10/14/09
The best fried chicken I've ever had...not that I'm an expert...is that served at Michel Richard's Central in D.C. Even my friend who doesn't eat fried food will rave over it.
chanterelle at 9:05PM on 10/14/09
I like Popeye's, when they do it right. The one store that cooked it right consistently closed down. Very upsetting as the one in my neighborhood sucks.
QueenAlli at 11:38PM on 10/14/09
Cut up your chicken. Put flour and season salt into a bag. Shake one or two pieces of chicken at a time in the seasoned flour. Shallow fry in oil in a cast iron skillet on medium low, browning all over (it takes a while) - by the time you have a nice brown crust on the outside, the inside is moist and delectable.
Likeswords at 1:09AM on 10/15/09
@flavorcountry: I have a great red beans and rice recipe that I adapted to taste like Popeyes. I know for a fact that they use hamhock to flavor their beans, but since we don't eat pork, I found that using hot dogs, yes hot dogs, gives it a wonderful flavor, along with some chopped up (turkey) bacon for smokiness. Here is the link to my recipe: http://4hatsandfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/07/red-beans-and-rice-hot-dog-double-agent.html
I also have a fried chicken tutorial on my blog as well. I find that a brine is important but it doesn't matter if it's a buttermilk one or not. Being the granddaughter of a southerner, I know that it's all in the technique. If you know to brine, drain, dry, egg and flour, you are on the right track. Add in whatever you want to that equation. Also, being the grandkid of a southerner, I know to give away a recipe that is my "second string" and keep the first string to myself. Ha!
amiyrah18 at 1:57AM on 10/15/09
Thighs, no buttermilk brine, no flour, no spices, no nothing. Just drop those thighs with the skin on in a fryer of hot oil and give them about 12-15 minutes. Man are they delicious.
dmcavanagh at 6:09AM on 10/15/09
I wish I knew Willie Mae's[ in NOLA] recipe . That's the best. If you fry chicken and you and your's like it then don't cluck around wit dat recipe. It's yours because as you see everybody'd got there own .
jfitz at 6:29AM on 10/15/09
The best answer is to fry fine local chickens.The true answer is msg. Ever try Sazon powder in your coating? Yeah baby, its all msg, and so tasty!
Genius trick: boil water in your frying pan/pot, then drain, and dry. It evenly heats up your pan, for evenly heated oil, and evenly fried chicken.
Cantaloupe Alone at 10:56AM on 10/15/09
it is all about the flour in the brown paper bag. that's how my grandma does it, and she knows! She also insists on buying whole chickens and cutting them up herself. Then the pieces go for a roll in the flour, a dip in egg batter, another roll in the flour, and a shallow fry in a cast-iron pan. And adding paprika to the flour mix doesn't hurt either.
itsdelux at 11:53AM on 10/16/09
If you Googel Willie Mae's fried Chicken recipe you will find a link to John Currance's version of Willie Maes chicken form the New Orleans Times Picayne.
NOLA_Pam at 1:06PM on 10/16/09