# Frying Chicken



## crewsk (Dec 30, 2004)

I have 4 split chiken breasts that I want to fry for supper tonight. I am going to try out my new deep fryer & according to the manuel, it takes 15-20 min. @ 360F for bone-in chicken pieces. Does this sound about right?(It's a GE 4 liter Profassional Style Deep Fryer) Also, how do you like to prep & bread your chicken for frying?


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## Erik (Dec 30, 2004)

I use a seasoned flour (flour, season salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme)flour once, then marinade in buttermilk for an hour, then flour again, then let sit in refrigerator for about an hour, before frying.

15 to 20 minutes at 360 degrees is about right...I usually deep-fry at 350.


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## crewsk (Dec 30, 2004)

Thanks Erik!!


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## Erik (Dec 30, 2004)

Your welcome, crewsk!!!
If you use my method...let me know how it turned out!!!!

Also, the reason why I refrigerate the breaded chicken an hour before frying....






The flour makes less mess in the deep fryer!!!


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## crewsk (Dec 30, 2004)

I'll let you know how it turns out.


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## chez suz (Dec 30, 2004)

My chicken sits in buttermilk overnite, I add Franks Hot Sauce (the mixture looks pink) granulated garlic, granulated onion, kosher salt and pepper....Since you dont have overnite..I would let it soak as long as possible.  Or you can "brine" your chicken in salt..no sugar..as it will burn when you fry. The idea is to get a good crust but not dry out the meat.. buttermilk or brining and cooking time will help you to achieve this.

I season my flour w/ kosher salt, pepper, paprika, granulated garlic, granulated onion, cayenne and or dry mustard powder, cumin, thyme...bottom line is I make a very seasoned mix! Use your favorite spices...if your family likes curry turn it into curry fried chicken!
I then flour the chicken pieces and let them rest on a rack for up to an hour..as long as they are in a cool place.

I heat my oil to 350 and put dk meat in first as they take longer to cook..about 18-20 min at the most...I then add my white meat in to cook approx 15 min..the pieces are then ready at the same time...I put them on a rack when they are cooked..w/paper towels underneath.

Enjoy!


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## crewsk (Dec 30, 2004)

Thanks chez! I put the chicken in buttermilk as soon as I got up this morning.


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## AllenOK (Dec 30, 2004)

Hi Crewsk.  Here's the recipe I use for my Fried Chicken.  I always called it a "marinade", but now I know it's actually a brine.  Very flavorful.  I usually fry chicken legs for 15 - 20 minutes.  Depending on the size of the chicken breats, you might want to let it go 20 minutes, then pull them and probe them with an instant-read thermometer.  If it doesn't read 165°F or higher in the thickest part, back into the oil for another 5 minutes or so.  If you're only going to fry the 4 pieces, you might want to cut the recipe down a bit.

Fried Chicken
Yields:  12 pieces

12 pieces of chicken
For the marinade:
3 eggs
3 ¼ c cold water
-or- buttermilk
-or- milk
1 ½ T meat seasoning
1 ½ T seasoned salt
For the seasoned flour:
1 ½ T meat seasoning
1 ½ T seasoned salt
3 c flour

	Combine the marinade ingredients.  Place the marinade and chicken pieces in a mixing bowl or gallon ziplock baggie.  Stir the chicken around to coat it.  Marinate for several hours or overnight, turning once or twice.
	Heat a deep-fryer to 350°F, or heat an inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet.  Sift together the seasonings and the flour.  Remove the chicken from the marinade, and dredge through to the flour.  This may be easier if you do the “shake and bake” style, by placing the flour into a bag and dropping a couple pieces of chicken in and shaking it.  You may want to dip the chicken pieces back into the marinade and repeat the breading, for a thicker breading.  Deep-fry the chicken pieces until done, about 15 - 20 minutes.  When done, remove to a wire rack over a sheet pan to drain.


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## crewsk (Dec 30, 2004)

Thanks Allen but I didn't get this until after supper. I'll try it next time.  

Erik, your method worked great! The chicken was perfect, thanks again!


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## Erik (Dec 31, 2004)

Very cool!!! Glad you enjoyed it, and it worked out well!!!


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## Lifter (Dec 31, 2004)

Erik, could you recommend an "oil"?

Comments on "peanut" "safflower" "canola", olive", "sesame", "corn", et al?

Thanks for the posting!

Lifter


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## Erik (Dec 31, 2004)

I'm partial to canola...I think it holds up well. If I could afford it, olive oil would be my frying oil.

Through my food distributors, I get a canola/olive blend that is fantastic.

Peanut oil is another good one, vegetable oil...not bad.

Sesame oil...very good for Chinese cooking, Safflower, very expensive,  not practical, unless you are on special diets, or really enjoy using it.

Corn oil, is just okay...for every day cooking, but at the bottom of the list. Seems to me that it isn't very good for you


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## Psiguyy (Jan 4, 2005)

I've deep fried a lot of chicken and the best way to tell if it's cooked is you watch for it to float.  When it floats and the bubbling oil calms down, it's cooked, but I usually leave it in a few minutes longer because I like a darker and crispier coating.  I fry at 375 degrees.


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## choclatechef (Jan 4, 2005)

The best fried chicken IMHO is fried in lard with a bit of bacon grease.  

Failing that, Crisco, or peanut oil.


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## marmalady (Jan 4, 2005)

Peanut oil is great for frying, but please be careful if you're planning on serving to anyone with a peanut allergy.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 5, 2005)

For a while, I used Canola oil a lot.  But then, a freind of mine told me about her son, who worked in a factory that made Canola oil.  He had told his mother (my freind) not to use the stuff, and that it was unhealthy.  I looked up various articles on Canola oil, both pro and against, on the internet and found that there was a great deal of discussion from both sides.  The oil is controversial at best.

I now use Sunflower oil when I need a neutral, high-temp oil.  There is no controversy with this product, and because it's the second most widely produced cooking oil on the planet, it's cheap when you can find it.  I've used it for some time now.  It's a mainly a polyunsaturate and is pretty much neutral in flavor, and in how it reacts with the body.  It has little if any nutritional falue, except maybe to help carry fat soluble vitamins from foods, but doesnt' affect cholesterol levels, good or bad.

If the other flavors will work with it, EVOO is still my oil of choice.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## marmalady (Jan 5, 2005)

Goodweed - what'd you find on canola oil?  I always thought it was one of the 'okay' oils?


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 6, 2005)

marmalady said:
			
		

> Goodweed - what'd you find on canola oil?  I always thought it was one of the 'okay' oils?



The controversy cones from the fact that the same plant from which canola oil is derived (rapeseed) is used to make mustard gas, or so I'm told.  Also, canola oil tends to stick around in the body as it is a very stable and pernacious oil.  If you ever splatter cothing with the stuff, it is nearly impossible to get the stain out.  That's not true with most cooking oils.  They imulsify readily with products such as Dawn Dishwashing liquid, and other household cleaners.  I have shirts that have had canola oil stains in them for years.

It is also suggested that the FDA was bribed to hurry the product through screening and be given a clean bill of health in spite of various testing that showed it to be harmful to the human body.

On the other side, canola oil does contain heathy Omega-3 fatty acids, and is high in polyunsaturates.  It does hold up well when heated.

Again on the con-side, the precurser to canola oil is and industrial oil used for lubrication of machinery.  That oil is not safe for human ocnsumption.  Further processing turns it into canola oil.

But then again, witergreen oil is safe for human consumption, and is used where a high quality, light machine oil is needed.  Various applications of Wintergreen oil were used by Lockheed Missiles and Space when I worked for them.

So, you really have to do a bit of research on this one and make up your own mind.

For me, I don't know which camp is correct, so I'll take the safe side and use Sunflower oil, which is not controversial, and get my Omega-3's from other sources such as fish and flax.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## marmalady (Jan 6, 2005)

Tx!


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## fried fish (Jan 8, 2005)

Erik said:
			
		

> I use a seasoned flour (flour, season salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme)flour once, then marinade in buttermilk for an hour, then flour again, then let sit in refrigerator for about an hour, before frying.
> 
> 15 to 20 minutes at 360 degrees is about right...I usually deep-fry at 350.


hey erik.. just wanted you to know what I used this on wed night, it was great.. ty!!!


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## Erik (Jan 8, 2005)

Thanks...glad you enjoyed it.


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## Audeo (Jan 8, 2005)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> marmalady said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I can't imagine our dear FDA hurrying a product through the approval process!  And yes, I am being VERY facetious here!  Suffice it to say that I am in agreement with this suggestion, based upon a rather professional view of recent blunders...

Goodweed, thank you for yet another well-conceived response that we can all learn from.  And I, too, am a fan of Sunflower Oil for its taste, its inexpensiveness and, indeed, its lack of controversy!


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## Audeo (Jan 8, 2005)

PS:  Erik, thank you for a delicious recipe!!


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