In just a couple of days it will be the 4th of July! What could be more American than apple pie and fried chicken for the 4th of July feast. With this posting you will not get the apple pie recipe...but more importantly you will get the fried chicken recipe! And...although I do not have an apple pie recipe on this blog...you can find a delicious blueberry pie recipe as well as a delicious strawberry pie recipe. Both are guaranteed to complement your feast.
This recipe comes from Courtney...originally from Charleston, South Carolina. So trust me when I say this is a good old fashioned southern recipe. I met Courtney in NYC...she was at the time the lover of one of my closest friends. They were bothy studying music at the Manhattan School of Music. Courtney was and is a soprano. Over the years I've lost contact with her but wherever she is I know she is doing well. Here is not only her recipe but her email to me on September 12, 2004:
"Hey John, It was such a pleasure to speak with you the other night. I am glad to hear that you are picking the book back up to finish it. I loved the concept and I believe it will be a best seller. I hope you had a great weekend. I have been marinating some beef ribs in Holandia Beer for several days now. I had first put a dry rub on them, consisting of oregano, basil, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, parsley flakes and adobo. I will cook them tonight with some barbecue sauce...I am entirely too lazy to make my own, but if I were going to, I would still use a touch of pre-made barbecue sauce (Lea & Perrins is my favorite) and then add some Dijon mustard, honey, brown sugar, garlic powder and a touch of pepper.
Here is the recipe for "Southern Fried Chicken (triple dipped for a triple treat):
Chicken Soak -
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Bag One-Flour Mixture for dredging chicken
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
Bowl---Egg Mixture
3 eggs
2 tablespoons cream
Plate/Bag TWO---Flour mixture for 2nd chicken dreding
1 cup flour (might need a little bit more)
couple dashes of pepper
couple dashes of paprika
Canola oil
Black Skillet
Thoroughly clean the chicken and then marinate the chicken overnight (although it is better to marinate for 2 days) in a mixture of buttermilk, salt & pepper. I prefer to use wings, thighs, and legs when I am having tons of people over. However, for myself and one other I also add breasts to that. When using the breasts, make sure they are cleaned thoroughly and they are not too thick. Breasts can often fool you, white meat tends to cook quicker than dark meat, but if the breast is too thick it won't get cooked if you don't leave it long enough. I recommend cooking like pieces together and not to mix because of the density. You will of course need a well seasoned black skillet, but if you do not have one, any ordinary deep fry pan will do...you might want to consider using a mesh metal splatter cover during the times the chicken is not being cooked covered with a lid, as the chicken makes a bit of a mess as it fries.
So, you've marinated the chicken overnight and you are ready to cook it. Take the chicken out of the fridge as you prepared the following ingredients below. You do NOT have to rinse the chicken, just take it out of the buttermilk mixture and set it on a plate or tray, the excess will drain, but do NOT pat off the liquid, you can drain the plate after they have been remove so the chicken will not sit in a pool of buttermilk.
You will need 2 plats and one bowl. The plates are for the flour, although some people find using a plastic or paper bag to put the flour int, it is easier and less messy because the chicken can be shaken in the bag. Personally, I like to use the bags, they are easier and much cleaner.
Plate or Bag One---Take flour and mix it with some salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Depending on how much chicken you are making you will need more than 2 cups flours. Each ingredient to taste, you may want a little more than a teaspoon...however, as I said to you, I have NEVER measured I just dump until it looks right! Remember, I don't put much salt in the flour because sometimes it's better to just sprinkle a touch of salt as soon as it comes from the oil.
This recipe comes from Courtney...originally from Charleston, South Carolina. So trust me when I say this is a good old fashioned southern recipe. I met Courtney in NYC...she was at the time the lover of one of my closest friends. They were bothy studying music at the Manhattan School of Music. Courtney was and is a soprano. Over the years I've lost contact with her but wherever she is I know she is doing well. Here is not only her recipe but her email to me on September 12, 2004:
"Hey John, It was such a pleasure to speak with you the other night. I am glad to hear that you are picking the book back up to finish it. I loved the concept and I believe it will be a best seller. I hope you had a great weekend. I have been marinating some beef ribs in Holandia Beer for several days now. I had first put a dry rub on them, consisting of oregano, basil, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, parsley flakes and adobo. I will cook them tonight with some barbecue sauce...I am entirely too lazy to make my own, but if I were going to, I would still use a touch of pre-made barbecue sauce (Lea & Perrins is my favorite) and then add some Dijon mustard, honey, brown sugar, garlic powder and a touch of pepper.
Here is the recipe for "Southern Fried Chicken (triple dipped for a triple treat):
Chicken Soak -
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Bag One-Flour Mixture for dredging chicken
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
Bowl---Egg Mixture
3 eggs
2 tablespoons cream
Plate/Bag TWO---Flour mixture for 2nd chicken dreding
1 cup flour (might need a little bit more)
couple dashes of pepper
couple dashes of paprika
Canola oil
Black Skillet
Thoroughly clean the chicken and then marinate the chicken overnight (although it is better to marinate for 2 days) in a mixture of buttermilk, salt & pepper. I prefer to use wings, thighs, and legs when I am having tons of people over. However, for myself and one other I also add breasts to that. When using the breasts, make sure they are cleaned thoroughly and they are not too thick. Breasts can often fool you, white meat tends to cook quicker than dark meat, but if the breast is too thick it won't get cooked if you don't leave it long enough. I recommend cooking like pieces together and not to mix because of the density. You will of course need a well seasoned black skillet, but if you do not have one, any ordinary deep fry pan will do...you might want to consider using a mesh metal splatter cover during the times the chicken is not being cooked covered with a lid, as the chicken makes a bit of a mess as it fries.
So, you've marinated the chicken overnight and you are ready to cook it. Take the chicken out of the fridge as you prepared the following ingredients below. You do NOT have to rinse the chicken, just take it out of the buttermilk mixture and set it on a plate or tray, the excess will drain, but do NOT pat off the liquid, you can drain the plate after they have been remove so the chicken will not sit in a pool of buttermilk.
You will need 2 plats and one bowl. The plates are for the flour, although some people find using a plastic or paper bag to put the flour int, it is easier and less messy because the chicken can be shaken in the bag. Personally, I like to use the bags, they are easier and much cleaner.
Plate or Bag One---Take flour and mix it with some salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Depending on how much chicken you are making you will need more than 2 cups flours. Each ingredient to taste, you may want a little more than a teaspoon...however, as I said to you, I have NEVER measured I just dump until it looks right! Remember, I don't put much salt in the flour because sometimes it's better to just sprinkle a touch of salt as soon as it comes from the oil.
Bowl--Several eggs, again this depends on how much chicken you are cooking, but it's easy enough to add more eggs if necessary. Crack the eggs into a bowl and add in several teaspoons of CREAM...this will thicken up your egg wash mixture. DO NOT use skim milk because it will change the consistency of the eggs and make them watery and thin.
Plate or Bag THREE--Take flour and put a couple of dashes of paprika and pepper. Again, remember, you have already soaked your chicken overnight and the first flouring had the spices in it.
During this time you need to have the skillet filled about 1 1/2 inches with oil. You do not want to SUBMERGE the chicken in the oil, because you will want to be able to flip (turn) the chicken over. Put in enough oil to cover halfway. While you are preparing the chicken you want to heat the oil. Remember, cast iron skillets get VERY hot and the oil WILL BURN, so keep the heat (hopefully gas burners) at a steady medium to medium high consistency. You want the oil to bubble and sizzle, but NOT to scorch the chicken, because the outside will cook and the inside will remain raw. The oil should be probably about 350 (F) degrees!
So, take your chicken and dip each one into the 3 bases, plate one, then the bowl and then plate 3. Before you put your first piece of chicken in, take a 1/4 teaspoon of flour and throw it in your oil, if it pops and bubbles the oil is ready...but please remember do NOT have the heat on high or you will run the risk of uncooked chicken.
The chicken will take somewhere between 20-25 minutes to cook total. Each side should cook no less than 10 minutes a piece alternating between covered and uncovered. So 6 minutes covered and 9 minutes uncovered, or until it is the crispness and color you like, then turn it over and repeat the same for the other side. Then for the last 3-4 minutes, keep turning it to get it browned evenly. Not sure if I mentioned this, but the dark meat takes longer to cook than white! All of the timing is a guess, sometimes it takes a little longer, or obviously wings wouldn't take nearly as long.
Take the chicken out with tongs and drain on paper towels.
You can keep it warm in the oven at around 200 (F) degrees, but don't cover it or it will get mushy!
I hope this helps. I will have to work on the gravy recipe!
Courtney
Sorry it's so long, but that's how I talk, can't just write a straight forward recipe! Also some people like to put oregano and basil and stuff in their seasoning...but truthfully in the South we just like it plain and simple...back to the roots and basics...remember that so many poor in the south did not have access to such spices nor did they really use them even if they could afford them. It was salt pepper and garlic...simple and not overdone is always the best for fried chicken."
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