Fried Chicken




Fried chicken is the favorite of all. Fried chicken can be made in many ways. The chicken can be battered or floured and deep-fried in hot oil. Today I made the floured fried chicken by using various herbs and spices.  Koreans make their fried chicken by frying the chicken twice which makes the chicken's coating even crispier. (well, my fried chicken pieces  were crispy enough when fried for once) Koreans also saute their fried chicken in a special sauce. Today I'm making fried chicken without the coating of any sauce on the outside. The cooking procedure is based on KFC style. You can season the chicken with a dash of salt, pepper, chili powder, etc, which makes the chicken even tastier. So, shall we begin? 

To Make This Recipe, You Will Need : 

Chicken  (With Skin)
As required ( No picture)
Dried and Ground Oregano
1 Teaspoon
Dried  and Ground Basil
1 Tablespoon
Dried  and Ground Sage
1 Tablespoon
Black Pepper Powder
½ Tablespoon
White Pepper Powder
2 Teaspoons
Chilli Powder
1 Teaspoon
Paprika
½ Teaspoon
Salt
2 Teaspoons
M.S.G (Mono sodium glutamate) (or) China Salt
½ Teaspoon (optional)
Onion Powder
½ Tablespoon
Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon
All purpose flour
2 cups
Milk + Egg (or) Buttermilk + Egg
½  cup milk + 1 egg (beaten)
Oil
As required for deep frying ( No picture)

                        

                       

                       

                       

Chicken & Oil


Before, getting to know about the method to prepare the Fried Chicken, there are a few important steps to follow when you want the Fried chicken to be juicy and tender.

To get juicy, tender chicken, you need to brine the chicken.  Brining is a process where meat is submerged in the solution of water and salt. Sometimes even aromatics are added for extra flavor, and sugar for sweetness.  The top reason to brine the meat is 

1. Chicken is lean meat. That means it does not contain a high amount of fat when compared to other meats like lamb, beef, etc. When you fry the lean meat in the hot oil, there are possibilities to have a dry fried chicken which we don't want. We get dry fried chicken because of the less moisture (which we get from fat) present in it. 

2. When we brine, the salt alters the protein structure in the meat. This change in the cell structure, allows meat to absorb and to retain moisture. (this is how the meat remains tender and juicy because it has got enough moisture during the brining process) 



To Prepare Brine Solution: Take enough water which is enough to submerge the chicken pieces. 
For 1 liter of water, add 30 grams of salt. Stir until salt gets dissolved. Add the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. 



If you're not interested in brining, then add the chicken pieces to the buttermilk (instead of using milk + egg mixture, use buttermilk + egg) Let the chicken pieces rest in for about 1 hour and continue to bread the chicken with the flavored flour (which you'll be knowing in the "Method" section).

Method : 

Now, let's make a flavored flour breading for our chicken! 

Take a big bowl and add flour to it, followed by all the spices. Mix well. 

Take the brined chicken pieces and pat dry them (it's important to pat dry). 

After pat drying them, add the chicken to the milk and egg mixture(1/2 cup milk + 1 beaten egg), next coat them with the flavored flour.

*If you've brined your chicken in Buttermilk + Egg then directly coat your chicken with the flavored flour and later re-coat it when you're about to add the chicken piece to the hot oil. 

Heat the oil on medium flame, when the oil is ready, quickly re-dip the chicken piece in the milk and egg mixture and re-coat it with the flavored flour and fry them on medium flame for about 10 to 15 minutes. 

If you're adding many pieces at once, it will take longer time obviously because every single piece needs heat.



Completed first coat. 

(Re-coat the chicken pieces which you are about to add to the hot oil. Do not re-coat all pieces at once)





And fry the chicken pieces. 

Serve with Tomato Ketchup!! 




Enjoy!! 

NOTES :
1. If you want to add aromatics to your brine solution, add Peppercorns, thyme sprigs, curry leaves, crushed garlic pods, etc. 
2. If you're using Buttermilk + egg as your brine, then you no need to pat dry the chicken after brining. But pat drying after cleaning and washing the chicken is a must.
3. You could prick the chicken pieces and season with a slight touch of salt and pepper.
4. For even coloring, keep flipping the chicken pieces while frying. 
5. If the flour happens to end up and you are left with chicken pieces? simply take 2 cups of flour and add all the spices to it and you are ready for the next batch.
6. I bought all the herbs and spices at 'Brown Tree'.



Please give it a try and let me know in the comment section below. If you happen to make fried chicken in another way, do let me know in your comments. Thank you for visiting Blessy's Kitchen :)..


Love eating chicken?? Check out other Chicken Recipes on Blessy's Kitchen : 












4 comments: