Fried Chicken
Can you believe that the year is half over and that the Fourth of July is next week??? I cannot! I feel like this year is racing by, and now it is time to start planning the first summer holiday. Didn’t summer just arrive?
Regardless of the year being half over, it is time, to start menu planning for the Fourth. I don’t know about you, but, when I think of stars and stripes, a few items come to mind. For instance, grilled burgers and hot dogs, sticky ribs, and platters of cold, fried chicken. As well as mounds of potato salad, corn on the cob and a classic, creamy macaroni salad. One can not forget dessert; who is bringing the apple pie?
This year, we will be attending a friend’s wedding. If, we were entertaining, I would be serving platters of fried chicken. I love cold fried chicken served along side a big bowl of creamy macaroni salad. Complete heaven. But, there is nothing that I dislike more than fried chicken that has been over fried and is soggy.
This recipe is completely the opposite. It is crispy, crunchy and full of texture. It was inspired from the buckets of chicken wings that we like to eat when we are at airports. It is sort of our thing, icy cold beer and spicy chicken wings while we wait for our flight. The ultimate chicken wings are made with Frank’s Hot Sauce, so I decided to use this secret sauce with this recipe. After letting the chicken marinade in a mixture of tangy buttermilk and very spicy Frank’s Hot Sauce, I coat each piece in cornmeal and flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. The chicken has been marinading for 24 hours, and the flavor of Frank’s has really penetrated the meat, while the buttermilk makes the meat ultra moist.
When I am doing a little deep frying, I always use safflower oil has it can withstand high heat, up to 425, before smoking. As well, I like the clean taste of this oil, and it doesn’t interfere with the flavor of my chicken. Starting with the largest pieces first, simply fry the chicken until it is golden brown and crispy. The temperature of the meat should register 160 before removing it from the oil. Pretty simple isn’t it? All that is left is a couple summer-time side dishes, icy cold beverages and a some patriotic celebrating!
Denise Woodward believes anything can be made at home as long as you have a little patience, and time. All of her recipes are made using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her recipes have been featured on Eat Boutique, the Mushroom Channel, Saveur.com, Foodies of the World, PBS and Fine Cooking.
Denise also creates the recipes on the popular food blog Chez Us. Saveur has featured Chez Us as one of 50 Food Blogs You Should Be Reading as well as one of the Sites They Love. Be sure to read more about what they are cooking up over at Chez Us.
