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Southern Fried Chicken

Keyword: Comfort foods, Poultry
Skill: intermediate
Servings: 1

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 whole chickens (3-5 pounds each) cut into 10 pieces
  • 1 ½ gallon of buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce (original)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
  • ¾ gallon Vegetable oil
  • Kosher salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk with Tabasco and a pinch of salt in the Cuisinart 5 quart mixing bowl for 12-24 hours. Combine the ingredients, and with your hands mix, making sure the chicken is evenly coated, refrigerate, cover with the air tight lid.
  2. An hour before you’re ready to fry, remove the chicken from the fridge and bring to room temperature. In the 3 quart Cuisinart mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. About 1 hour before cooking, remove the pre-marinated chicken from the refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature.
  3. Add the oil to the Cuisinart CastLite dutch oven, the oil should be 1/3 full in the pan cold.
  4. Slowly bring the oil temperature from room temp to 350 degrees, maintain this temperature through the frying process.
  5. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, and wipe off the excess buttermilk. Lightly salt all sides of the chicken. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture, and shake off the excess, carefully lower the chicken into the oil. Cook all the wings together, breasts together, thigh together etc… this allows for even cooking for the entire pot of fried chicken.
  6. Do not add too many pieces of chicken, the cool chicken will reduce the temperature of the oil and foul-up the frying process. Add two or three pieces, use the thermometer and maintain the 350 degrees. If you can add more, add a few more pieces. Make sure when adding the chicken the oil doesn’t exceed ¾ of the pot full.
  7. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes, then turn it over, until the chicken is a beautiful burnished brown all over and insert a thermometer into the chicken. Do not remove from the oil until 165 degrees of internal temperature has been reached. Remove the chicken to a cooling rack with clean tongs and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  8. Repeat these steps with the rest of your chicken and then serve.