The Best Fried Chicken Ever?

Name: The Best Fried Chicken Ever?
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper; 946 milliliters buttermilk; 1 three-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces; 2 Tbsps cornstarch; 118 milliliters country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham cut into 1/2-inch strips; 237 milliliters all-purpose flour; 118 milliliters kosher salt (do not use table salt for brining); 1 teaspoon salt; 118 milliliters (1 stick) unsalted butter; 2 liters cold water; 454 grams lard

You can never have too many Southern recipes, so give The Best Fried Chicken Ever? a try. One serving contains 523 calories, 15g of protein, and 34g of fat. For 89 cents per serving, you get a main course that serves 4. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 45 minutes. A mixture of kosher salt, cornstarch, flour, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so scrumptious. To use up the buttermilk you could follow this main course with the Buttermilk Pie as a dessert.

Instructions

To make the brine: Stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved.

Ingredients you will need

Kosher Salt

Brine

Water

Place chicken parts in a nonreactive bowl or pot; add enough brine to cover completely. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.

Ingredients you will need

Chicken Pieces

Brine

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Pot

Drain the brined chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in. Return chicken to the bowl, and pour the buttermilk over. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.

Ingredients you will need

Buttermilk

Whole Chicken

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.

Ingredients you will need

Buttermilk

Whole Chicken

Equipment you will use

Wire Rack

Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying by putting the lard, butter and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the country ham is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat.

Ingredients you will need

Ham

Butter

Lard

Equipment you will use

Slotted Spoon

Frying Pan

Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees. Prepare the dredge by blending together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper. Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove all excess flour.

Ingredients you will need

Salt And Pepper

Chicken Pieces

Corn Starch

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Wax Paper

Bowl

Using tongs, slip some of the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the heated fat. (Do not overcrowd the pan or the cooking fat will cool. Fry in batches, if necessary.) Regulate the fat so it just bubbles, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.

Ingredients you will need

Chicken Pieces

Cooking Fat

Whole Chicken

Equipment you will use

Tongs

Frying Pan

Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled paper towels, and serve.

Equipment you will use

Paper Towels

Wire Rack

Fried chicken is delicious eaten hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Chicken

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

1teaspoons

freshly ground black pepper 946milliliters

buttermilk 1

three-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces 2Tbsps

cornstarch 118milliliters

country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham cut into 1/2-inch strips 237milliliters

all-purpose flour 118milliliters

kosher salt (do not use table salt for brining)1teaspoon

salt 118milliliters

(1 stick) unsalted butter 2liters

cold water 454grams

lard

Recommended wine: Riesling, Sparkling Wine, Zinfandel

Southern can be paired with Riesling, Sparkling Wine, and Zinfandel. In general, there are a few rules that will help you pair wine with southern food. Food-friendly riesling or sparkling white wine will work with many fried foods, while zinfandel is great with barbecued fare. The Gunderloch Estate Riesling Dry with a 4.3 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 15 dollars per bottle.