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Fried Chicken

fenderx55

fenderx55

Jan 15, 2005
2,109
9
NYC/Queens
www.chriscona.com
#1
After my roommate announced he was making Mashed potatos wednesday, I decided that we're gonna do it up right and make fried chicken as well. Besides soaking in buttermilk overnight, any other tips you guys can impart upon me?

How can I tell if the oil is hot enough without a thermometer? What kind of oil do you guys use?

Thanks!
Chris
 
#4
After you soak in the buttermilk brine let the chicken sit in the fridge for an hour or so elevated on a drying rack type thing (with a pan under it) where it can dry. This will help the batter stick.

As far as no thermometer...I read in a magazine or something somewhere that you can put an unlit match into the oil and when it hits 350 the match will light. I guess the oil puts the match out <?>. I would think it would catch on fire but according to that little tip it won't. So if you're willing to take the risk of trying that I would wait until 350 and then a few minutes to get up to 375.

I'm not an expert and I take no responsibility if you're house goes up in flames.

bc
 
#8
My tips:

1. Don't try to fry too many pieces at once, maintaining oil temp is THE KEY to a good fry. I'd recommend springing the 5 bucks for a themometer at the grocery store. They are cheap and then you will always just have one in the drawer. The match idea sound too stupid to even try.


2. If you are going to be making a lot, every few batches wait a few minutes in between to let the water evaporate out of your oil. The moisture changes the flash point for when you drop a piece in. If that oil isn't hot enough, your batter won't get crisp fast enough, and your bird will soak up a lot of oil leaving all it's juicy goodness in your fryer.


Good luck!



Fried chicken rules.
 
#9
ok as far as the oil goes.........you can see bubbles coming up from the bottom(tiny ones) also you can put your hands above the frying pan and feel the heat or drop a little bit of the bread crumbs and if it sinks is not hot enough..
As for the chicken(if you want it breaded) you need..
flour,eggs,bread crumbs or crackers(i prefer crackers)
in one plate or pan put some flour(step 1)
in a small bowl put some eggs
in another bowl put crackers and grind them
so you roll your chicken in the first plate(flour)
then on the next plate (egg) and then to the one with crackers make sure it covers it really good, then to the frying pan. btw before you do step one you can sprinkle some pepper or anykind of seasoning on your chicken.
that's the way i do it(mostly with cube steaks instead of chicken)
 
#11
I know a guy who had a oil fire on the stove, he tried to take the pan out side and spilled it on his arms as he got to the back porch. Then in a panic to get a way from the flames he fell over the porch rail, caught an arm in the rail and broke it as he fell, then broke the other when he landed. Burns, broken arms, extreme house damage, all sadly true.
 
#12
Best is a thermometer.

375 is the ideal temperature for fried foods. Chicken, because
of its thickness, will take a long time. If you get to 325 or lower,
the oil absorption of the coating increases and you get 'greasy' instead of 'crisp'.

With no thermometer, drop a drop of water from your finger into
the oil, if it sizzles you are ready to go. If it starts to smoke,
back it off, it is too hot and you will burn the crust and ruin the oil.

I usually 'sautee' as opposed to 'deep fry'. When you deep fry,
you have a deep pan and the product gets immersed in oil.
This is more the traditional 'Southern Style' method. Peanut oil
is the best but it is expensive, use a peanut oil blend or canola
oil if you can. Fully hydrogenated vegetable or soy oils
like a Crisco are least desirable because of trans-fat content.

When I sautee, the method I prefer, I use 1/2 butter and
1/2 Olive oil. The oil increases the temperature tolerance
of the butter so it doesn't burn as easily. I use this method
with boneless chicken breast meat sliced so it is not thicker
than 3/4" or so.

I then dredge the chicken in an egg wash (a couple of eggs
beaten with a fork with a small amount of milk added) and
then dredge through a bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs
(or unseasoned crumbs I season myself with pepper and salt).
You can also sub cornmeal for that for a more Southern
feel, y'all.

Heat the olive oil and butter in the pan, watching carefully
you don't burn it. Throw in the breaded chicken pieces and
sautee both sides till golden. Put aside on a serving plate as
the peices get done. Do a panful at a time. Refresh the oil in
the pan each time so it doesn't get burnt.

Put all the browned chicken on the serving plate in the oven
at 350 degrees for 20 mins or so to keep it warm and crispy
and cook through. Then finish your other dishes, salad and
side dishes. By that time all is ready to go, the chicken should
be perfect.

Sub codfish, haddock or tilapia if you are in the mood
for lightly fried seafood.

Enjoy.

:)
 
#13
Thor said:
Best is a thermometer.

375 is the ideal temperature for fried foods. Chicken, because
of its thickness, will take a long time. If you get to 325 or lower,
the oil absorption of the coating increases and you get 'greasy' instead of 'crisp'.

With no thermometer, drop a drop of water from your finger into
the oil, if it sizzles you are ready to go. If it starts to smoke,
back it off, it is too hot and you will burn the crust and ruin the oil.

I usually 'sautee' as opposed to 'deep fry'. When you deep fry,
you have a deep pan and the product gets immersed in oil.
This is more the traditional 'Southern Style' method. Peanut oil
is the best but it is expensive, use a peanut oil blend or canola
oil if you can. Fully hydrogenated vegetable or soy oils
like a Crisco are least desirable because of trans-fat content.

When I sautee, the method I prefer, I use 1/2 butter and
1/2 Olive oil. The oil increases the temperature tolerance
of the butter so it doesn't burn as easily. I use this method
with boneless chicken breast meat sliced so it is not thicker
than 3/4" or so.

I then dredge the chicken in an egg wash (a couple of eggs
beaten with a fork with a small amount of milk added) and
then dredge through a bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs
(or unseasoned crumbs I season myself with pepper and salt).
You can also sub cornmeal for that for a more Southern
feel, y'all.

Heat the olive oil and butter in the pan, watching carefully
you don't burn it. Throw in the breaded chicken pieces and
sautee both sides till golden. Put aside on a serving plate as
the peices get done. Do a panful at a time. Refresh the oil in
the pan each time so it doesn't get burnt.

Put all the browned chicken on the serving plate in the oven
at 350 degrees for 20 mins or so to keep it warm and crispy
and cook through. Then finish your other dishes, salad and
side dishes. By that time all is ready to go, the chicken should
be perfect.

Sub codfish, haddock or tilapia if you are in the mood
for lightly fried seafood.

Enjoy.

:)
Click to expand...


You sir, are the man. I was sitting in class thinking about sautee-ing instead, just because I don't have a heavy pot big enough to completely immerse more than probably 1 or 2 pieces at a time. I do, however, have a cast iron skillet... figure i'll use that. Thanks guys!
 
#14
That is exactly the vehicle I use, a cast iron skillet. They
have good mass and retain and spread the heat evenly.
Also they are cheap, often available at yard sales for next
to nothing, easy to condition, and if you know how to
maintain them right, virtually non stick.

To season a new pain, coat it with oil and bake it in the oven.
To clean a used used on, remove any rust and dirt, wash gently
in soap, dry and wipe it with a thin film of oil, wiping away any excess.

When done frying, hit the pan while still very hot with a slug of
cold water which will deglaze the pan, scrub away any
food stuck gently with mild soap and take a quick wipe with
oil. Put away. Do not ever soak an iron pan in the sink or
scrub it heavily, it should not be necessary if you clean it right
away.

Thanks for the compliment, yeah, I am the relief cook at home,
I usually do one weeknight and the weekends.
 
#15
fenderx55@yahoo said:
How can I tell if the oil is hot enough without a thermometer?
Click to expand...


A drop of water. I take my finger and get it wet under running water, then "flick" aprox 1 drop of water into the hot pan. I use the flick method so that I can stand back a step. If the pan starts talking when the water hits the oil, then it's hot enough. No fireworks, not hot enough.
 
#16
Another key to the battering process is to let the chicken sit for a while after the second coating of flour.

A lovely little twist is to take a sauce pot and dump a bottle of honey in it. Then add about 1/2 cup of bourbon or whiskey, and a couple pinches of red pepper flakes. Heat this over medium heat. The honey actually gets thinner. As soon as the chicken comes out of the oil, hold it over the honey pot and spoon some of the mixture over it, letting it drain the excess, then set it on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. The breading and honey mixture become one and the chicken rocks the house!!!!
 
#17
There's absolutely NO danger from floating a wood match in the grease until it lights. I've done this for the better part of 30 years frying fish and my grandfather before me. It won't work with safety matches just the general strike anywhere type.

Think about it - if the grease is only hot enough to light the match, how in the world would it be able to ignite itself at that temperature.
 
#18
Cooking oil flash point (le DANGER) is 600 degrees.

To ghetto test the temperature, put a cube of bread in the oil. If it rises to the top and crackles, you're golden. If it takes a minute to turn brown, your temperature is about 350F. If it takes 30 seconds, you're at about 375F. If it takes 15 seconds you're close to 400F.

If the oil boils or emits smoke, you are in bad territory.

If you're over 400F you're probably in bad territory (depends on the oil though).
 
#20
Hambone said:
There's absolutely NO danger from floating a wood match in the grease until it lights. I've done this for the better part of 30 years frying fish and my grandfather before me. It won't work with safety matches just the general strike anywhere type.

Think about it - if the grease is only hot enough to light the match, how in the world would it be able to ignite itself at that temperature.
Click to expand...
I was worried about the match lighting the oil when it lights itself!
 

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