I noticed that the way I make fried chicken is different than any of the recipes currently on here, so I wanted to throw this out here. It was passed on to me from my granddad's housekeeper, and I've gotten nothing but positively glowing reviews. Secret's in the breading! No photos right now, sorry, but next time I fry some up I'll snap some.
You will need:
enough oil or lard to submerge chicken
chicken -- I always use boneless breasts cut into nuggets or strips, but any portion will do
1 egg, beaten (or several tablespoons butter)
1 cup approximately of instant mashed potato flakes
1 tablespoon salt
Pepper to taste
any other spices you feel like adding -- I'm fond of oregano, but sage, paprika, cayenne, anything is fun, experiment!
First, if using breasts, chop into whatever portion you prefer. I usually chop one breast into three or four strips. Rinse them and pat dry.
Then, go ahead and prepare your breading in either a 1-gallon Ziploc container, a medium bowl, or any comparable container. Mix the potato flakes and any spices thoroughly, and set aside.
Take each strip/portion and dip into the beaten egg (or butter). If using egg, make sure to shake off any dramatic excess -- you want it coated but not dripping.
After dipping, immediately dredge the chicken in your breading mixture through whatever means you prefer -- shaking in a Ziploc bag, shaking, stirring, mixing with your hands, whatever ;D. Remove, press breading onto chicken to work it in, and place it on a plate. Repeat for all chicken.
If you wanna get really fancy, you can repeat the last two steps and double-bread you chicken! But that's optional.
Heat your grease to be moderately hot, as the smaller portions will cook faster and lead to a much crisper breading, and slower heat will "boil" a lot of the tasty flakes off. Submerge and cook until golden brown-orange, about a few minutes.
Brown paper is good for grease absorption afterward, but paper towels will do, too. But only let them sit on the paper towels a short while on each side, or else the chicken will begin to sit in it's own grease and reabsorb it and get gross and soggy. If still too hot to eat, let continue draining on a wire rack.
Serve and enjoy, and see if anyone in your family can stomach KFC ever again ;D!
You will need:
enough oil or lard to submerge chicken
chicken -- I always use boneless breasts cut into nuggets or strips, but any portion will do
1 egg, beaten (or several tablespoons butter)
1 cup approximately of instant mashed potato flakes
1 tablespoon salt
Pepper to taste
any other spices you feel like adding -- I'm fond of oregano, but sage, paprika, cayenne, anything is fun, experiment!
First, if using breasts, chop into whatever portion you prefer. I usually chop one breast into three or four strips. Rinse them and pat dry.
Then, go ahead and prepare your breading in either a 1-gallon Ziploc container, a medium bowl, or any comparable container. Mix the potato flakes and any spices thoroughly, and set aside.
Take each strip/portion and dip into the beaten egg (or butter). If using egg, make sure to shake off any dramatic excess -- you want it coated but not dripping.
After dipping, immediately dredge the chicken in your breading mixture through whatever means you prefer -- shaking in a Ziploc bag, shaking, stirring, mixing with your hands, whatever ;D. Remove, press breading onto chicken to work it in, and place it on a plate. Repeat for all chicken.
If you wanna get really fancy, you can repeat the last two steps and double-bread you chicken! But that's optional.
Heat your grease to be moderately hot, as the smaller portions will cook faster and lead to a much crisper breading, and slower heat will "boil" a lot of the tasty flakes off. Submerge and cook until golden brown-orange, about a few minutes.
Brown paper is good for grease absorption afterward, but paper towels will do, too. But only let them sit on the paper towels a short while on each side, or else the chicken will begin to sit in it's own grease and reabsorb it and get gross and soggy. If still too hot to eat, let continue draining on a wire rack.
Serve and enjoy, and see if anyone in your family can stomach KFC ever again ;D!
