AUTHENTIC Southern Fried Chicken
Super juicy, crispy perfection on a plate.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- One Whole Fryer Chicken cut up
- 1 lb All Purpose Flour
- Solid Crisco
- Kosher Coarse Ground Salt
- 1 Quart Whole Buttermilk
- 2 Brown Paper Bags
Seasoning
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Red Pepper
- Black Pepper
- Louisiana Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Wash and cut up chicken.
- Wash again and drain well in a colander in the sink.
- Meanwhile, pour All Purpose Flour in to large brown paper bag and set aside.
- Place washed chicken into a large flat bottomed container with high sides and pour on Kosher Salt , covering pieces well on both sides.
- Place into refrigerator for one hour.
- Remove chicken and shake off excess salt, place into a large deep bowl or zip lock bag.
- Add in seasonings to taste and cover in buttermilk.
- Return to refrigerator, covered for one hour.
- Remove from refrigerator and pour off all of the buttermilk.
- Place chicken on a wire rack (with paper toweling underneath to catch the drips) and allow to come to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, add the solid Crisco to your iron skillet and bring to 350 degrees
- Drop chicken pieces one at a time into the brown paper bag of flour until all pieces are inside.
- Fold over edges and shake. (The chicken is already dead, just shake until the chicken is well coated with flour)
- Slowly place the chicken carefully into the hot oil so that it doesn't splatter.
- Cook on each side approximately 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and the internal temperature is right at 165 degrees in the thickest area of each piece.
- Remove from oil and drain well on brown paper bag.
- Place on platter and move to 200 degree oven until ready to serve
Notes
Oil temperature is everything (solid Crisco-end of story).
1) Bring the temperature up slowly versus cranking to high. That way the skillet will get just the right amount of heat and you won't have to drop the temp when it keeps shooting past where you want it. You would think the chicken would help cool the oil but it doesn't. So if you heat it up fast the temp will keep rising and the chicken will cook too fast at first, then too slow.
2) make the depth of the oil between halfway and 3/4ths up the chicken after you have filled the skillet. You want to cook on both sides once instead of all the way in the oil.
3) This is how you get the temp right-assuming you are heating the oil real slow, the temp is right when you see the VERY FIRST wisps, just hints, of smoke. If it is smoking solid, its too hot.
Another trial and error way to tell, the chicken should be bubbling all around the edges, but very little. When you get the right temp it really looks like you are cooking too slow, but you are not! If a regular chicken thigh can't go a full 15 minutes on each side without getting too brown or even burned, you are cooking too fast. If the bubbles aren't coming up all the way around a piece, then you are too slow. Cover the skillet for a couple of minutes to bring the temp up a bit before you turn up the fire, you want to change the temp slowly.
1) Bring the temperature up slowly versus cranking to high. That way the skillet will get just the right amount of heat and you won't have to drop the temp when it keeps shooting past where you want it. You would think the chicken would help cool the oil but it doesn't. So if you heat it up fast the temp will keep rising and the chicken will cook too fast at first, then too slow.
2) make the depth of the oil between halfway and 3/4ths up the chicken after you have filled the skillet. You want to cook on both sides once instead of all the way in the oil.
3) This is how you get the temp right-assuming you are heating the oil real slow, the temp is right when you see the VERY FIRST wisps, just hints, of smoke. If it is smoking solid, its too hot.
Another trial and error way to tell, the chicken should be bubbling all around the edges, but very little. When you get the right temp it really looks like you are cooking too slow, but you are not! If a regular chicken thigh can't go a full 15 minutes on each side without getting too brown or even burned, you are cooking too fast. If the bubbles aren't coming up all the way around a piece, then you are too slow. Cover the skillet for a couple of minutes to bring the temp up a bit before you turn up the fire, you want to change the temp slowly.