Every now and then I get a real craving for fried chicken. There are plenty of reasons not to make fried chicken.
It is high in fat, sodium, and carbs, the cooking process necessitates standing for a lengthy time over a hot, splattering skillet while tending to the chicken, and you are usually left with a greasy floor, greasy stovetop and greasy skillet (and possibly more than one skillet) to clean since you may decide to use an extra skillet to cut back on the time it takes to cook all that chicken.
BUT, and this is a big but, chicken fried properly tastes sooo good that sometimes it is just worth all of the above.
Once in awhile you can find a favorite fried chicken take out or eat in place that you love. Our son turned us on to one in Los Angeles which we adore but that is a 3 hour trip from our home.
So on rare occasions I make fried chicken.
Here is a link to a buttermilk fried chicken recipe I made in 2011. It is excellent, but a good deal more complicated than the one I have featured in the photo above. So if you find yourself with a lot of time on your hands you may want to try it.
Parker’s BBQ Fried Chicken was featured on the cover of Saveur Magazine, which I noticed recently while sifting through one of my baskets of food magazines.
I immediately opened to the recipe pleased to see that it was a simple old fashioned recipe from Parker’s BBQ, a restaurant in Wilson, North Carolina.
It is famous for its Family Platter with shatteringly crisp fried chicken. They apparently go through seven to eight thousand chickens a week.
This is a super-simple recipe which lets the flavor of the chicken shine.
Parker’s BBQ Fried Chicken ( Saveur Magazine, May, 2015)
(serves 2 very hungry people)
Canola oil for frying
1 cup flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, backbone discarded
Heat 2 inches oil in a 6 -quart saucepan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350 degrees.
Place flour in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Generously season chicken all over with salt and pepper.
Dredge chicken pieces in flour, shaking off excess. Place in oil and fry, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and dark brown, 15 minutes for white meat, 20 minutes for dark meat.
Drain on paper towels and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
I like my fried chicken with a little honey on the side. Enjoy!