Death by Fried Chicken

I finally get it. I finally see what the big WHOOP is over fried chicken. This Yankee girl got down the the real work of learning to fry chicken this week, and it was AMAZING. Messy, yes. Unhealthy, yes. So, so delicious.

The following instructions are from a real southern boy, transplanted in Seattle for the time being. A legacy worthy of his Kentucky roots.

Here's the brine that I use for fried chicken:

3 lemons, halved
6 bay leaves
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of thyme
1/4 cup of honey
1 head of garlic
1 cup of salt (I use kosher)
1 gallon of water

This will brine about 5 lbs of chicken. Combine all the ingredients, bring to a boil for about a minute. Let the brine cool, chill, then add the chicken.

To season the chicken I use:

2 tblsp kosher salt
2 tblsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper

I don't use any kosher salt in the seasoning if I brine the chicken. I sometimes just soak the chicken (I prefer legs and thighs) in buttermilk overnight instead of bringing it, drain the excess buttermilk, sprinkle on the seasoning, roll in all-purpose flour, then fry away. I still let brined chicken soak in buttermilk for about an hour before frying if I go that route. I use Crisco to fry with in a cast iron skillet. I use a thermometer and start frying when the shortening gets to 320 degrees and monitor the temperature throughout cooking. I cook about 10 minutes per side or until the chicken has an internal temp of 180 degrees. If the chicken doesn't cook all the way through for some reason, I microwave on high for 2 minutes and that usually does the trick.

Jalapeno Coleslaw

Not bad for a Yankee

Amazingly enough, Champagne goes REALLY well with friend chicken.