Should i cover fried chicken

Suggested tweaks: Let the chicken come up to room temperature before battering and frying it or at least let it sit out for a while to lose the chill from the fridge. This will help with temperature loss. If you don't want to use shortening as the main fry oil, you can use any refined vegetable oil or peanut oil. But don't skip the butter. Copyright Published by Gibbs Smith. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold. Pour the buttermilk and salt into a nonreactive container or a plastic ziplock bag.

Add the chicken pieces. Close the bag and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk brine, lightly shake, and move to a colander over a bowl or sink so that the excess buttermilk drains off yet leaves the skin moist enough for the flour to adhere. Larger chickens take longer to cook, so they should be rinsed to prevent burning. If there is not time to brine, sprinkle the damp chicken lightly with salt, then add salt, freshly ground pepper, and hot red pepper to the flour.

Meanwhile, melt shortening in a 9- to inch heavy-bottomed or cast-iron skillet. Add the butter in increments to the melted fat, making sure that the melted mixture will go only halfway up the chicken and that the skillet is no more than half full. While the fat is heating, pepper the chicken on both sides with the two peppers. Spread flour on a rimmed baking sheet and lightly add a bit of black pepper.

Pat the still damp chicken in the flour on both sides. Knock off any excess flour by lightly tapping the bone-edge of the chicken on the counter and arrange around the sides of the colander in a single layer. Chicken Casserole Recipes. Chicken and Rice Casserole. Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup. Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Chicken Wing Recipes. Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice. Grilled Chicken Thighs. Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetables.

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Recipe Search. Seasonal Recipes. Our Newest Recipes. Recipes A to Z. Grilling Cooking Tips and Advice. Seasonal Cooking Tips. Seasonal Cooking Videos. Cooking Tips Index. Find similar Mistake: Frying the breasts whole. Cutting each breast in half crosswise will prevent the white meat from drying out and help all of the pieces cook at the same rate.

Mistake: Skipping the brine Brining helps tenderize and flavor the meat. You can use a simple mix of salt and water 3 quarts water to 1 Tbsp. An eight-hour soak is ideal. Be sure to drain and rinse the brine when you're ready to fry to prevent overly salty chicken. Mistake: Not patting it dry This is a small step, but be sure to thoroughly dry the chicken with paper towels before you dredge it. If the chicken is too wet, you won't get a nice, even coating of flour.

Mistake: Not seasoning your flour You can flavor your flour with any spice you like, but for a classic fried chicken, stick to salt and pepper. Whatever you do, be sure to add some seasoning to your flour, otherwise you'll end up with a bland crust. Then, you dip it in flour again. This process is teamwork at its best: the initial flour dip helps the wet mixture stick, and the wet layer helps the second coating stick. Not every type of oil is suitable for frying, and it basically boils down to smoke point.

Frying chicken requires maintaining a fairly high temperature of around degrees F, and not every type of oil can withstand this heat without scorching. This guide details the smoke points of various oils. Even with a high smoke point, some oils, such as walnut oil, are prohibitively expensive for frying chicken. For the best results at the most economical price, stick with a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as canola oil or peanut oil.

On the flip side, if the heat is too low, it can take too long for the chicken to fry, and it will become over-dense, oily, and leaden. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, avoiding bone. To keep your crust but banish excess oil, set your chicken on a wire cooling rack perched above paper towels. Conclusion: As you can see, by following a few simple guidelines, making perfect fried chicken is attainable for anyone, right in their own home with minimal supplies.

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