Fried chicken is a dish known and loved by everyone, young and old. It can be enjoyed hot, with your favorite sauce or with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon, or cold, during a picnic or as a quick snack. Fried chicken is so widespread that it is almost never missing from restaurant menus and is present in almost all fast food restaurants in the world. If prepared and fried properly it is practically irresistible.
Preparing fried chicken at home has several advantages and allows you to keep the quality of the ingredients under control. You will be able to choose a chicken that is always very fresh and, perhaps, even organic to obtain an even more intense and natural flavor. Chicken meat is cheap and satisfies the palates of all family members, in one go, and with little work in the kitchen, you will make everyone happy. Read on to discover the most common recipes that will allow you to prepare a tasty, crunchy and delicious fried chicken.
Ingrediants
Chicken cutlet
- 1 Chicken weighing about 1.5 kg, skinless, boned and cut into 8 pieces
- 1 Loaf of old bread (must be at least 2 days old)
- 1 tablespoon of mustard
- 1 Teaspoon of chopped fresh aromatic herbs
- 2 beaten eggs
- Quality peanut oil
Southern Fried Chicken (United States)
- 2 Skinless and boneless chicken breasts
- 2 Boneless and skinless chicken legs
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 Teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 150 ml of Buttermilk
- 4 Thin slices of pork loin
- 150 g of breadcrumbs
- Quality peanut oil
The Original Fried Chicken
- 1 egg
- 750 ml of milk
- 200 g of flour
- 600 g of breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon unsalted garlic powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon unsalted onion powder
- 1 Teaspoon of Paprika
- 4 teaspoons of black pepper
- 2 young chickens cut into pieces
- 1-2 Teaspoons of chili powder (optional)
- Quality peanut oil
Fried chicken
- 1 young chicken (3-10 months old)
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 Clove of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of parsley very finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (optional)
- Bread crumbs
- Lemon wedges to decorate
- Quality peanut oil
Stuffed fried chicken
- 115 g unsalted butter left to soften
- 1 Lemon, both the juice and the zest
- 2 tablespoons of chopped tarragon
- 4 Large boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- 1 large egg
- 115 g of breadcrumbs
- Quality peanut oil
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Chicken cutlet
This recipe involves frying in a pan.
Step 1. Prepare the chicken
Remove any excess fat, cartilage, and skin residue from the chicken. Arrange each piece of meat between two sheets of kitchen film, or parchment paper, and flatten the chicken with a rolling pin trying to obtain a uniform thickness of about 1 cm.
Step 2. Prepare the breadcrumbs
Using a food processor or blender, cut the bread into coarse pieces and blend until smooth. Arrange it in a bowl or plate.
Step 3. Season the chicken steaks
Brush them with mustard, season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with the chopped herbs.
Step 4. Pass all the cutlets in the beaten egg
Make sure all sides of the meat have been soaked in the egg, this is a vital step for the breadcrumbs to stick tightly.
Step 5. Bread the meat very carefully
Pass both sides of the cutlet in the breadcrumbs, press it gently, but firmly with the open palm of your hand. In this way the breadcrumbs will adhere perfectly to the meat becoming crunchy and delicious after cooking.
Step 6. Pour the oil into the pan and heat it
Add oil to get about 1cm thick in the pan.
Step 7. Fry the cutlets
Cook both sides for about 4-5 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Step 8. When the chicken is ready, remove it from the oil and pat it dry with paper towels
Step 9. Your chicken cutlets are ready to serve
If you cook them one at a time, you can keep the meat warm in the oven.
Method 2 of 6: Southern fried chicken
This recipe involves frying in a pan.
Step 1. Cut each chest and thigh diagonally to divide them into 4 pieces
Step 2. Season the mustard with the salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper
Brush all the chicken pieces with the sauce.
Step 3. Place the meat in a bowl that you have previously poured the buttermilk into
Make sure each piece of chicken is completely wrapped in a layer of buttermilk.
Step 4. Prepare the loin
In a pan, pour about 1 cm of oil and put it on the stove to heat. Cook the loin slices until crispy. Remove them from the oil and let them cool, then, with the help of a knife, chop the loin into small pieces.
Step 5. Mix the breadcrumbs and crispy loin together
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and carefully bread each piece on both sides.
Step 6. Add more oil to the pan where you previously cooked the loin if needed
You must have a thickness of about 1 cm. Return the pan to medium heat.
It is important that the oil temperature is not too high so as not to risk having the outside of the chicken well cooked and crispy and the inside still raw. If you notice smoke, it means that the oil is burning, immediately lower the heat and add more oil to the pan to lower the temperature
Step 7. Place the chicken pieces in the pan
Let it fry for about 10 minutes. Flip each piece of chicken on both sides for an even crunch. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the meat, in any case, when they take on a nice golden color they will be cooked to perfection.
Step 8. Remove the chicken from the oil
Place the chicken pieces on paper towels and sprinkle them with salt.
If you need to fry chicken in large quantities, you can keep ready-made pieces warm in the oven
Method 3 of 6: The Original Fried Chicken
This recipe involves deep frying in a deep fryer or pot.
Step 1. Prepare the batter by beating the egg and milk in a bowl
Step 2. In a second bowl mix together the flour, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and paprika (if you love spicy add the chili powder as well)
Step 3. Dip each piece of chicken first in the flour and breadcrumb mixture, then in the egg and milk batter, and again in the flour
Arrange the breaded chicken pieces on a plate.
Step 4. If you have a deep fryer, use it for an optimal performance of this cooking, otherwise you can opt for a pan of the appropriate size
Pour the required amount of oil and bring it to temperature. If you are using a deep fryer, select the recommended temperature for frying chicken. If you use a saucepan use medium heat to heat the oil, to see if it is ready dip the tip of a toothpick in the hot oil, if you see bubbles forming it means that the oil is ready.
Step 5. Remove the chicken from the oil as soon as it turns golden on all sides
Step 6. Place it on some paper towels to drain the excess oil
Step 7. Bring to the table
You can accompany the fried chicken with fresh salad or steamed vegetables.
If you are going on a trip, or a picnic, let the chicken cool and then place it in a closed container, it will be ready to go into your basket along with the rest of your lunch
Method 4 of 6: Fried chicken
This recipe involves deep frying in a deep fryer or pot.
Step 1. Prepare all the utensils and ingredients you will need for this recipe on the work surface
Step 2. Cut the chicken into 6 pieces:
2 wings, 2 thighs and divide the chest into two halves.
Step 3. Mix two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with the lemon juice
Season with salt and pepper to your taste and add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Step 4. Add garlic, parsley and, if desired, ginger to the marinade
Step 5. Place the chicken pieces in an appropriately sized bowl and sprinkle with the marinade
Leave to flavor for about 30 minutes.
Step 6. Drain the chicken pieces from the excess marinade
Step 7. Carefully bread the meat in the breadcrumbs on all sides
Step 8. Heat the peanut oil in a saucepan, or directly in a deep fryer, to a temperature of around 180ºC
Step 9. Fry the chicken
If you use a saucepan, do not fry too many pieces of chicken at the same time so as not to lower the temperature of the oil too much. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken pieces have turned a golden color.
Step 10. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oil and let it dry on absorbent paper
Step 11. While the chicken is still very low, sprinkle it with a little salt and serve it accompanied by lemon wedges
Method 5 of 6: Stuffed fried chicken
This recipe involves deep frying in a deep fryer or pot.
Step 1. Prepare all the utensils and ingredients you will need for this recipe on the work surface
Step 2. Pour the softened butter, lemon zest and tarragon into a bowl
Stir to get a thick and smooth cream.
Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to your taste
Step 3. Pour the buttercream onto aluminum foil
Wrap everything up, trying to give it a rectangular shape, and place it in the freezer. The butter will be ready as soon as it has taken on a solid consistency.
Step 4. Process the chicken breasts to make steaks about 1cm thick
(Refer to the Chicken Cutlet recipe to understand how to do it).
Step 5. Remove the butter from the freezer and divide it into four parts
Step 6. Stuff each chicken steak with a piece of butter and wrap the meat into a stuffed roll
Step 7. Using toothpicks, secure the ends of the wrapper so that it can no longer open
Step 8. In a small bowl, break an egg and beat it carefully
Dip all the chicken rolls into the bowl, taking care that the entire surface of the meat is wet with the egg.
Step 9. Coat each roll in breadcrumbs
Using the open palm of your hand, gently press the chicken to make the bread adhere firmly to it.
Step 10. Place the breaded rolls in the refrigerator to cool
In this way the breading will adhere perfectly to the meat, moreover the temperature difference during frying will make it immediately crispy.
Step 11. Heat the peanut oil in a pan suitable for deep frying
The ideal temperature for this recipe should be around 190 °. Do not let the oil exceed this temperature or the outside of the chicken will be ready before the inside has had time to cook properly.
Step 12. Fry one roll at a time, or a maximum of two if size allows
Otherwise the temperature of the oil would drop too much and you would no longer have the possibility to make the breading crispy. Fry for about 10 minutes. The chicken will be ready when it has a nice golden color.
You can keep cooked rolls warm in the oven
Step 13. Dry the ready rolls with paper towels
Step 14. Before serving, remove the toothpicks from the meat
As soon as your diners cut the chicken the melted butter filling will season the meat giving it a delicious flavor.
Method 6 of 6: Keep the fried chicken warm
In all of the above recipes it is recommended to fry the chicken in small quantities to obtain adequate crunchiness and optimal cooking. This means that the ready-made chicken will be kept warm in the oven. Here is a sure way to avoid serving a soggy and greasy fried dish.
Step 1. Pour a small amount of water and aluminum foil balls into an ovenproof dish
Step 2. Arrange the balls in the baking dish so that they can support a larger sheet of foil with which you will wrap the cooked chicken.
Step 3. Cover the dish with the special lid and place it in the oven at a temperature of 65 ° -95 °
You just built yourself a homemade steamer.
Step 4. Keep the chicken warm in the oven until ready for serving
Advice
- Cook the chicken with care and attention so as not to risk food poisoning, chicken is one of those meats that must be served well cooked. Respect the temperatures and times indicated in the recipe and you will have a crispy chicken cooked to the right point that you can enjoy in complete tranquility
- When you have to fry large quantities of chicken, do it several times to always maintain the correct oil temperature and the right cooking time. Keep ready-made chicken warm in the oven.
- For crispier fried chicken, don't mix the flour with the breadcrumbs. First pass the chicken in the flour and remove the excess to prevent the breading from coming off during frying. The second step is to dip the chicken in the egg and milk mixture and finally bread it carefully in the breadcrumbs, fry it using a deep fryer. Follow the instructions above for cooking or make sure the core temperature reaches 73 ° for the thighs and 71 ° for the brisket and wings.
- To fry the chicken always use an oil that has a very high smoke point (temperature at which the oil burns) and that does not taste too strong not to cover the flavor of the chicken. An oil such as peanut or sunflower oil is suitable. Do not use refined or hydrogenated oils.
- If you want a crispy, well-cooked chicken, once the oil has reached the right temperature, turn the heat down to medium.
- If you are frying in a pan, such as for cutlets, change the oil between frying and the other, otherwise the residues of the breading left in the pan will burn.
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Fried_chicken_15 A simple method of breading chicken is to pour all the dry ingredients into a quick-lock food bag, add a few pieces of chicken at a time and shake carefully to make the breading adhere to all of the meat. Repeat this step with all the chicken pieces, and once you're done breading, start frying.
Warnings
- Always fry respecting the correct oil temperatures, an oil that is too hot would risk burning the food, or worse, cooking only the outside without giving the time to cook also inside.
- Always use extreme caution when using hot oil. While you are frying, do not allow children or pets to come near, the oil could splash and cause serious damage by coming into contact with delicate parts such as eyes and face.
- Always use kitchen tongs when frying chicken.
- When you remove the chicken from the oven to bring it to the table, avoid the risk of burning yourself by using an oven mitt.
- Make sure the chicken inside is not pink. To avoid food poisoning and diseases, such as salmonella, chicken should only be eaten if well cooked.
