The Art and Soul of Fried Chicken

My mother's family has long had a reputation for producing fine fried chicken. The recipe evolved from the kitchens of our Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors and was passed down to us with refinements and modifications occurring only to factor in new-fangled technology (like electric ranges rather than wood-fired or gas-fired stoves). It reached its zenith with my great-aunt Thelma, a gentle woman whose fried chicken was so famous in southwest Ohio that truckers used to go out of their way to stop for it at her little diner near Lumberton.

The recipe and technique were passed from mother to daughter through hands-on tutorials usually given in summer-steamy kitchens before family gatherings. It took practice to produce a version acceptable enough to present to the rest of the family. I remember my first successful batch of chicken and the relief I felt at watching my older uncles and aunts eat it -- and enjoy it!

The most important thing you'll need to fry chicken is patience. It's common to want to poke and prod at the pieces as they're frying but this just dislodges the batter and decreases the quality of the final product. Be patient. Trust your eyes, and wait!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into parts, about 4 lbs.
2c all purpose white flour
1c milk
2 eggs
1TBS plus 1tsp seasoned salt
1TBS plus 1tsp black pepper
1TBS plus 1tsp granulated garlic powder
1tsp dried thyme leaves
dash hot sauce sauce
approximately 2c vegetable oil (not canola or other oil)
2TBS bacon grease (optional, but tasty)

Directions:

In a cast iron skillet, heat vegetable oil and bacon grease over medium low heat.

Mix together flour, 1TBS measures of seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1tsp dried thyme in a large resealable container.

In a separate bowl, mix milk, the 1tsp measures of seasonings, plus the dash of hot sauce. Thoroughly beat the eggs into the mixture.

Check oil in pan by drizzling a bit of the milk/egg mixture into it. If it gently sizzles and bubbles, it's ready to fry chicken. If it doesn't, increase heat and wait. If it snaps and pops like crazy, decrease heat and wait. In five minutes, try again and keep trying until the oil makes it sizzle gently.

Soak chicken parts in the milk/egg mixture, rolling to coat thoroughly. Remove one piece from the milk/egg mixture, tapping excess from it on the side of the bowl, then place in the seasoned flour mixture. Bury it in the seasoned flour (or place resealable lid on and shake!) then retrieve and place carefully in oil along rim of the frying pan.

Repeat last step until pan is full of gently frying chicken. Keep an ear perked toward that pan as it fries -- if it starts to fry too hard, you'll need to decrease the heat.

Here is where "patience" is so important. It will take fifteen to twenty minutes for your chicken to be ready to turn. Watch the line where the battered chicken sits in the oil -- when it turns a deep golden brown, it's ready! Most fried chicken comes to misfortune during this step, so be willing to wait for it and you'll be rewarded.

After the chicken is turned, it will be another ten to fifteen minutes before it's ready to come out of the oil. After ten minutes, carefully lift one piece by stabbing it with a fork. Is the crust crispy, its color a deep, golden brown? Do the juices run clear from the fork points? If so, then it's ready.

Remove cooked chicken from oil and place on a platter with several layers of paper toweling to drain. Replace with fresh pieces of battered chicken to start the process over again, continuing until all pieces are done cooking and are cooling and draining on the platter.

Do's and Don'ts:

DO remember that frying chicken is something of an art, and it is every bit as much "technique" as "ingredients" that contributes to the final product.

DON'T try to hurry the process. Good fried chicken takes time. Keep it at a slow, gentle sizzle as it's cooking.

DO feel free to play with the seasonings until you get a result that pleases you and your family.

DON'T use canola or a "blended" oil as the heating points are different and the chicken comes out greasy rather that crispy.

DO budget the proper amount of time for this dish -- remember, it's going to take 45 minutes to an hour to prepare one whole chicken.

DO take care not to burn yourself as you place the chicken in the pan. Wear an apron or something similar to protect your clothing from hot oil spatters.

DO use a spatter screen, if you like, to prevent oil stains on walls and other appliances.

DON'T worry if the sizzling noise decreases when you put in fresh pieces of battered chicken -- you've just cooled off the oil and it will come back up to proper temperature in minutes.

DO use a cast iron frying pan if you can -- cast iron heats evenly and therefore cooks evenly. If cast iron isn't an option then use the heaviest aluminum or steel frying pan you can find.

DO save some chicken for leftovers the next day! Cold fried chicken packs well in lunches and is just as tasty as the hot version you had the night before.