A Fry By Night Scheme

If you follow Joanne's tweets you'll know that frying can be a very dangerous ordeal. Perhaps that's why we never made our own fried chicken at home. That and the fact that fried foods tend to be a little unhealthy. Frying was absolutely reserved for latkes at Chanukkah.

Which is not to say we never had fried chicken. But when we did, it was the kind that came in a bucket and made with 11 magical herbs and spices.

I haven't lived at home in (mumble mumble mumble) years and in that time period I've experimented with many different kinds of fried chicken. Because all fried chicken is not created equal. For instance the fried chicken most of us are familiar with is the southern fried chicken - covered in gravy and served with biscuits. And those biscuits and gravy certainly make a wonderful day after breakfast.

But I also adore a beer battered fried chicken. Think fish and chips, but with chicken instead of yucky fish. This might be Thatboy's favorite type of fried chicken too. And probably the most unhealthy because this is a nice thick batter.

If you're not in the south, a lot of us Yankees add some breadcrumb into the flour coating for a nice crispy crust.

Since it's summer, it's the perfect time to experiment with different kinds of fried chicken. Picnic season, lunches on the beach, and no oven heating up your house. So what do you think, what's YOUR favorite type of fried chicken?

Southern Fried Chicken
4 pieces chicken (you can pick your favorite. I like breast, Thatboy likes drumsticks)
milk
a little over 1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
canola oil

1. Rinse the chicken and dry thoroughly. You want the chicken as dry as possible. Put them in a pie pan and cover with milk. Refrigerate for an hour.
2. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a brown paper bag. Add the chicken and shake shake shake senora.
3. Pour a 1/2 inch of oil into a skillet (cast iron would be best) and heat to 375.
4. If you're cooking anything other than breasts, put them in first and put in the breasts 5 minutes after (dark meat takes longer to cook).
5. Fry 25 minutes, turning often.
6. Drain on paper towels before serving.
   

Beer Battered Chicken
1/2 cup flour
1 egg white
1/2 Tbsp melted butter
salt
1/4 cup beer
4 pieces chicken (see above recipe)
canola oil

1. Combine flour, egg white, butter, salt and beer in a blender until smooth. Let batter stand for 4 hours to get nice and thick.
2. Rinse and dry chicken pieces getting them as dry as possible.
   
3. Pour 3 inches of oil into a skillet (cast iron would be best) and heat to 365.
4. Dip the chicken in the batter and submerge in the oil.
   
5. Fry 15 minutes.
6. Drain on paper towels before serving.
   

Crumb Coated Chicken
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg white
4 pieces of chicken (pick your favorite parts)
canola oil

1. Mix flour with salt and pepper and place on a shallow dish. Place bread crumbs on another shallow dish. Place the egg white in a shallow bowl with a tablespoon of water.
2. Rinse and dry the chicken pieces, getting them as dry as possible. Roll the chicken in the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
3. Pour a 1/2 inch of oil into a skillet (cast iron would be best) and heat to 365.
4. Fry chicken for 20 minutes, turning often.
5. Drain on paper towels before serving.