Popeye's Fried Chicken Copycat

By cnash

Popeye's Fried Chicken started in New Orleans in 1972. They sold "traditional" mild fried chicken but business was just O.K. They realized they'd have to sell a spicier alternative to their standard chicken recipe if they wanted to impress flavor-seeking New Orleanians.

*Note - This is a copycat recipe, to expect it to be "exactly" like Popeye's is a little unrealistic.

Ingredients

• 1 frying chicken, with skin cut up
• 6 cups vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons white pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 eggs

Preparation

Step 1

1 Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep fryer or in a wide, deep pan on stove. 2 In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, peppers, and paprika. 3 Break the eggs into a separate bowl and beat until blended. 4 Check the oil by dropping in a pinch of the flour mixture, If the oil bubbles rapidly around the flour, it's ready. 5 Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, then coat generously with the flour mixture. 6 Once the chicken is coated, it should be placed on a rack to allow the pieces to dry, which may take 20 to 30 minutes. Allowing the pieces to dry will provide for more even browning of the chicken. 7 To fry, heat oil in a heavy skillet over a medium-high burner until the oil is very hot. Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil, skin side down, one piece at a time. Leave enough space between pieces so that they are not crowded. This allows the pieces to cook and brown more evenly. 8 Continue to cook over a medium heat, turning until all sides are golden brown and the meat is cooked thoroughly. 9 As the pieces finish cooking, they should be removed from the pan and placed on a paper towel to allow grease to drain.