Fried Chicken

Don’s Fried Chicken

Sometimes you just need to bite into some fried chicken.

So over the years (every six months or so) when I get the hankering for Fried Chicken. I play around with a fried chicken recipes. Tonight was PERFECT. So I’m going to post it…just don’t tell her. I think I finally nailed the perfect Fried Chicken recipe (for me).

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs (the new new white meat…or pick or own)

Wet Stuff

2 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

Oil

Two or three cups of canola oil.

Dry Stuff

1 cup of flour

Dash or two of cayenne pepper (depending on taste). I like two to three dashes.

Black pepper to taste (two teaspoons makes it zesty)

Salt (we usually don’t use salt…but fried chicken needs it. One teaspoon)

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon Tony’s Cajun

1 tablespoon Emeril Essence (buy it or make it, recipe somewhere here on Foleyisland and on the web)

Directions

In a tall sauce pan (about 10″, big enough to cook 4 thighs at one time) fill with canola oil about half the height of a chicken thigh. Maybe a little higher. Heat oil on medium high, so when you put a drop of water in it, it pops. NEVER  put chicken in oil that isn’t to heat. Also, never put chicken in oil that is smoking.

Line up 2 bowls. In the ‘wet bowl’ put the egg and milk. Whisk.

In the ‘dry bowl’, put everything else. Stir with a spoon.

Take your chicken thigh, put it in the wet bowl and coat.

Transfer to the dry bowl and coat.

Stick in HOT oil. If you are wimpy on the hot oil, when you add more it all cools off. Don’t add more until it will immediately begin to fry, as each addition cools it off a bit.

Repeat.

If you can pull it off, move the wet to the dry and coat again (before putting it in the hot oil). This makes it extra crispy.

With all 4 thighs in the pot cooking, wait till you have a really crispy bottom…about 5 minutes, before flipping.

Keep repeating until cooked through. Could be 4  times at 5 minutes, totaling 20 minutes.

The result should be a REALLY crispy golden brown crust. It should NEVER look soggy. If it does, your heat is low.

Put out a dinner plate and put two layers of paper towel down. Transfer the chicken to the plate and let rest about 5 minutes.

Serve with salad, mashed potatoes and peas.  I like mine with just a salad most of the time.