# My first deep fried chicken experience



## GB

My brother brought a turkey frying rig the other day so that we could finally do fried turkey for Thanksgiving. Since none of us has ever done this before we decided a dry run was in order.

Saturday he brought the rig over to my house. I had picked up a 7ish pound chicken which was to be our test subject. I dry rubbed the chicken and then we went outside to set up the rig. It was very easy to do. We decided to set it up on my lawn (level spot and a decent distance from the house or anything else).

We had previously measured how much oil we needed using the water displacement method so once the rig was set up we filled it with peanut oil to the spot that we marked. We lit the burner and placed the pot on top. The oil temp started to climb right away. Within 15 minutes we were at 350 degrees so the chicken went in (slowly). The sound it made was like Pavlovs bell. We all started drooling immediately. It sounds and smells were amazing. We learned that we had to monitor the temp very closely so that it stayed between 325 and 350. It was not a lot of work, but it did require constant attention.

I had read that chickens actually take longer to cook this way than turkeys 9because of the size of the cavity) so the one website I saw talk talked about that suggested 9 minutes per pound. That would have been about 60 minutes for our chicken which seemed like a long time to all of us. We decided to check it after 45ish minutes. I am glad we did because it was already overcooked. We took two temp readings. the first read 180ish and the second about 3 seconds later read 190ish. Well this is exactly why we did this dry run. We don't want to make this mistake with the Thanksgiving day turkey. Of course we will go with the 3.5 minutes per pound for the turkey, but we will check it before the time is up.

The chicken was definitely overcooked and dry, but not horrible. I had some gravy in the freezer so we used that and the dryness was not too bad. The flavor was great. We considered this dry run a huge success even though the bird was overcooked. I can't wait to do this again on Thursday.

It also just so happens that 6 weeks before I had done my first canning experience. I had made pickled green tomatoes from my garden. They needed to sit for 6 weeks before we could open them and the 6 week point just happened to be on Saturday. They were delicious and went great with the fried chicken.


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## CharlieD

Love pickled tomato, do it every year.


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## TomW

*More Btus!*



			
				GB said:
			
		

> ... The oil temp started to climb right away. Within 15 minutes we were at 350 degrees ...


Aren't those turkey fryer burners something else?   While I have never deep fried a turkey, I bought one of those burners to fire my 15 quart pressure fryer.  In addition to heating the oil quickly, it makes a really cool sound while doing it.  

And, the burner is not just for frying - I took mine to the campground this past weekend for use as a heat source for my wok.  Outstanding results!  I will definitely do that again. 

Tom


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## GB

Yeah Tom the sound was awesome!

I actually have been wanting to get a rig specifically for wok cooking, but I can't talk the wife into letting me spend any more money on toys right now so I will just have to borrow my brothers


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## Andy M.

So how did the chicken taste?  

I'm curious about the rub.  Did its flavor make it past the skin of the chicken?


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## ronjohn55

GB said:
			
		

> Yeah Tom the sound was awesome!
> 
> I actually have been wanting to get a rig specifically for wok cooking, but I can't talk the wife into letting me spend any more money on toys right now so I will just have to borrow my brothers


 
GB, what type of burner was it? 
Was it sort of like a larger version of a gas stove/rangetop burner? I've got a couple of those, and they can make some noise, but they pale in comparison to the big boy I have.

It's a 100,000 BTU jet burner (Basically a tube with a gas jet at one end and the flame at the other). That sucker sounds like an F-16 on takeoff!  

It will also bring 13 gallons of water from about 65F to 180F in about 25 minutes!

John


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## GB

Andy M. said:
			
		

> So how did the chicken taste?
> 
> I'm curious about the rub.  Did its flavor make it past the skin of the chicken?


The meat of the chicken tasted like plain chicken. The rub did not penetrate at all. The rub was an afterthought though and only went on about 30 minutes before it took its oil bath. You could really taste it on the skin though. Fantastic flavor! With the turkey the rub will be going on at least 24 hours before cooking (and maybe closer to 30 hours) It will be applied to the skin, but also under the skin wherever we can.


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## GB

ronjohn55 said:
			
		

> GB, what type of burner was it?
> Was it sort of like a larger version of a gas stove/rangetop burner?


The burner looked like a multi pointed star, maybe 10 or 15 points. The flame shot up and was dispersed by the points of the star. I am not sure how many BTU's, but I am sure it is a lot less than your monster. It did sound like a jet engine though. It had a sort of roar, that is the only way to describe it.


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## Andy M.

Have you considered adding a liquid to the rub and injecting it into the flesh?


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## GB

Yea we had considered that, but decided that for this first turkey we would not do it. There were a few reasons for that decision. One was that my inlaws are used to doing things a certain way. They love my cooking and always try everything I make, but it is hard for them to change from the usual way of doing things. The fried turkey is a big enough change for them that I do not want to start injecting flavor. The rub had a decent kick to it too and I want to make sure that there are parts of the bird that are not super saturated with the rub flavor. My guess is that the rub will penetrate the meat, but not super far so they can still have turkey that is unaffected if they want. Another reason we decided to not do it is because we have never injected anything before and since this is our first fried turkey, we wanted to limit the number of unknowns so that we don't mess it up. Mom put a lot of pressure on us this year. She is nervous that the bird won't be as good as one that she would make in the oven. I am sure she will be happily surprised though 

We definitely will inject in the future though (and the near future at that I am sure ).


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## BigDog

I've never tried fried poultry, but I have heard it is delicious. My problem is I like the stuffing that comes out of the bird from the oven (assuming it was stuffed) just as much, so I can't justify frying a turkey and losing out on stuffing.

Maybe a chicken I'd try, cause I'm not one to stuff a chicken. Hmmmmmmmm, something to look into . . . . . . . .


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## mudbug

Hey, geebs.  Congrats on your first adventure in mega-frying.  Best of luck on the turkey.  

Now don't go havin' no 'splosion, hear?  We want you back in one piece to tell the tale next week.


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## GB

There will be no 'splosions here. Well at least not that type


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## mugsy27

GB... your posts MIRROR to what i did last year...word for word.  trust me, get yourself a "mild" marinade and inject it.  something like butter creole would be perfect...it adds a buttery flavor but doesnot overwhelm it in anyway.

dru rubs are useless...the burn off the second they hit the oil no matter how long u leave em on b4 hand.

u gotta inject the turkey or it will come out dry and flavorless.

dunno if you have a bass / pro shop near you...but there marinades are awesome!!

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.SearchResults?cmid=TOP_SEARCH_GO


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## mugsy27

ehh...linky no worky.  just type marinade into the search engine.


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## Andy M.

BigDog said:
			
		

> I've never tried fried poultry, but I have heard it is delicious. My problem is I like the stuffing that comes out of the bird from the oven (assuming it was stuffed) just as much, so I can't justify frying a turkey and losing out on stuffing.
> 
> Maybe a chicken I'd try, cause I'm not one to stuff a chicken. Hmmmmmmmm, something to look into . . . . . . . .


 
There's no reason why you can't make stuffing and cook it in a pan in the oven.  That's what I do.  I cook my turkey empty so it will cook faster and not dry out.

If you want it moist, cover the pan.  If you want it crispy, leave the cover off.


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## jtluvsjl

We're deep frying the turkey this year too.  My brother in law is doing it.  Hmm...I think I'm glad that frying that huge turkey in that giant pot of oil is a mans job in our house, all the hot oil scares me haha.  Anyway, I hope it turns out good!


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## GB

jtluvsjl said:
			
		

> all the hot oil scares me haha.


We wanted to haul it up on the roof of the house and look for an invading army to pour it on


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## Andy M.

Invading armies are taking the long weekend, look for neighbors you don't like.


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## GB

Lucky for them I like them all


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## jennyema

Cooking stuffing outside the turkey ....

Using unsalted giblet broth instead of water makes it taste more like it was inside the bird.


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## TomW

Hey *GB*!  Feel free to post a picture of your finished turkey!

Tom


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## GB

I certainly plan on it Tom


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## GB

OK I posted pictures here.


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## TomW

GB said:
			
		

> OK I posted pictures here.


Your turkey looks wonderful!  And Rachael is certainly a cutie.  

If you plan to keep the used cooking oil for a while, you can extend the shelf life by keeping it in a freezer.  My turkey cooking buddy does that with great results.  Just be sure to schedule thawing time because it will only be liquid at room temperature. 

Tom


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## mycusinvinny92

I have the fryer and use it all the time. I want to try frying chicken, but I want to fry individual wings and drumsticks and whatnot. If anyone knows the proper cooking times and oil temperature for this type of "procedure" that would be a big help.


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## hambone1955

*deep fried*

Have a friend in Gonzales Tex that deep fries deer hind quarters. Says they are tasty.


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## Mama

Here's my recipe along with the time and temperature:  *Fried Chicken*


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## Bcooper

GB said:


> The meat of the chicken tasted like plain chicken. The rub did not penetrate at all. The rub was an afterthought though and only went on about 30 minutes before it took its oil bath. You could really taste it on the skin though. Fantastic flavor! With the turkey the rub will be going on at least 24 hours before cooking (and maybe closer to 30 hours) It will be applied to the skin, but also under the skin wherever we can.


 
I had a deep fried turkey a year ago and the skin to me was over cooked and had more of a burned taste but the meat was good and not over cooked. I found out they had brined the turkey in a solution that included sugar. Which I think was what burned in the process. Did the rub you put on the chicken have sugar in it??


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## GB

Yeah the rub I used with the chicken has some brown sugar. I have since decided that when deep frying birds I like them better without a rub.


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## blissful

Andy M. said:


> There's no reason why you can't make stuffing and cook it in a pan in the oven. That's what I do. I cook my turkey empty so it will cook faster and not dry out.
> 
> If you want it moist, cover the pan. If you want it crispy, leave the cover off.


 
Yes, make the stuffing separate. Oil your hands and make stuffing balls (the size of muffins) on a sheet pan. Bake and let the outside get crispy. It makes for a nice presentation and portion size. ~Bliss


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