Southern Fried Chicken
There are a lot of recipes that claim to be “traditional” or “authentic” Southern Fried Chicken. I cannot honestly make any arguments to support the claim that this recipe is the real thing, but I can tell you that it is used a lot, both in the Southern United States and elsewhere in the world.
Before I get into the ingredients and preparation, first let me state that there is no way to make this recipe any healthier and still taste the same, so if you are trying to cut fat or calories or cholesterol, altering this recipe is not the way to do it. To begin with, you simply won’t get the same result, and you will be cheating yourself of the full tasty goodness that is fried chicken. Also, no matter what you do to the recipe it is still going to have some amount of oil, fat or carbs that you may be trying to avoid. If you want to cut these things down, go for a different meal altogether. Fried chicken is about indulgence, not dietary control!
The first step in making this dish is to marinate the chicken in buttermilk. This does three things for us: by soaking the chicken for two hours (longer if the chicken is frozen to start), the acid in the buttermilk has a chance to tenderize the meat. This creates a very moist, tender, luscious-tasting chicken. The second thing it does is to add more flavor to the chicken. Buttermilk itself is a bit tart, sort of like a liquid version of yogurt or sour cream. But you can also add more flavor to it, such as salt, pepper, paprika (also adds color) ad onion powder. The last, and potentially most important thing that buttermilk does is create a moist, sticky layer to which we can adhere a layer of flour. By dredging the buttermilk-covered chicken in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, and any other spices you want to add), you are essentially creating a batter on the chicken, and this is what turns into that crispy coating that you get on really good fried chicken!
After marinating and dredging, the next step is frying. A good frying oil is one that will withstand a high heat for a long time. Oils that are used in salad dressings are generally not good as frying oils, including olive oil and grape seed oil. The best oils for frying are the heavier oils, such as peanut, canola and sunflower oil. All of these have their own flavor, and you should try more than one of them to see what you prefer.
Frying must take place at a high temperature, preferably around 375 degrees. Anything lower simply boils the chicken, and lets the oil soak into the chicken. This makes for a greasy taste, and no crispiness on the outside. If you don’t have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil (a candy thermometer can double as an oil thermometer), then use this easy test: drop a cube of bread in the oil. If the oil is the correct temperature, the bread should turn golden brown in about 30 seconds. Take the time to get this perfect, as it will make all the difference.
How much oil should you use? I don’t like to submerge the chicken, so I use enough oil to come up just above the halfway point on the chicken pieces. Anything less will simply have you sauteeing the chicken; also, less oil means the chicken can reduce the temperature of the oil as soon as you put it in, and that will make the chicken simply boil instead of fry. For the same reason, I only put two or three pieces in to fry at the same time. Yes, it takes longer, but the result is worth it.
Ten minutes will be enough time to fry one side, and then you can flip the chicken pieces over and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the other side. The second side needs less time, as the meat inside was already cooking due to the heat of the oil that was nearby, even though it was not touching it.
After pulling the chicken out, place it on a plate lined with paper towels to draw off the excess oil. Saeson with a bit of salt, drizzle with a bit of honey (this is a really nice touch!), and place in a warm oven (about 200 degrees Fahrenheit) to keep while you cook the rest of the chicken.
I think you will be amazed at how tender this turns out, as well as how crispy the outside is. But here is the really cool part: you can use the buttermilk and flour combination for some side dishes too! My favorite thing to add is onion rings, and these are ridiculously easy to make. Take a large onion or two, trim off the top and the bottom, and make large slices in the same direction as you sliced the top and bottom. Submerge the onion rings in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the flour as before. If you want a really crisp coating, return the rings to the buttermilk, and back again to the flour. Single coated rings will take 5 minutes to fry, double coated will take 7 to 8 minutes.
Another great food to fry this way is chicken wings. Yes, I know, this is no great stretch from chicken pieces, but you can add different flavors to the flour and the buttermilk for different effects. These make great snacks or finger food for parties, too. In fact, almost any meat or veggie of snack size will be great: zucchini, yams, oysters (remove pearls first), chicken strips all benefit from a good dredge-and-fry treatment. Just avoid anything with a lot of moisture, as it can spatter when you put it in the oil (so no southern fried ice cubes!).
Once thing to remember when frying is to season your food right away after removing it from the oil. A good pinch of salt will make the difference between bland and tasty, no matter what flavors you use in your buttermilk and flour.
I am looking forward to lots of good comments on this recipe. As I said before, I can make no honest claim that this is “authentic” Southern Fried Chicken, but I do know that you will enjoy it if you try it. However, I really want to hear about other people’s ideas too, so feel free to comment!
Yours in Good Taste,
Erik Christensen