If You Love Fried Chicken ....!

[ha_asfan]

I admit it...I've become addicted to Alton Brown and his show Good Eats. The other night he did his skillet fried chicken recipe and ofcourse, the next morning I was out buying a chicken. His recipe is very specific and I followed it to a T. There was one exception and that is the cook time. Seems with a Chambers Range and the beautiful daisy burners, the cook time is cut dramatically. His suggestion of ten to twelve minutes per side is dramatically reduced to about five minutes per side. The recipe can be found on Foodnetwork.com, use Alton Brown Skillet Fried Chicken in the search. The reviews were interesting too..most who did not like the recipe adjusted it before cooking...duh, and then complained the recipe was no good. Definitely use your cast iron skillet for this and, if you have never used kosher chicken, try it. If you have a Trade Joes in your area, they carry an excellent kosher chicken. If no TJ, try any kosher chicken you find, there is a huge difference in taste and texture. As a side, include the Chambers Soda Biscuits and edamame beans cooked for ten minutes in the Thermowell in salted water and allowed to sit for about a half hour before opening the pot. A great and delicious meal !

[Ms V]

Hi H,

Well, I did AB's fried chicken a year or so ago, probably when it was first broadcast. And,...I followed the instructions to a T...even to the time. Oh dear, here is the exception. I think I put too many pieces of chicken in the pan. Anyway...we had very DARK CRISPY chicken that night and I was easily defeated, I never have had success with fried chicken and always enjoyed eating someone else's ...V

[berlyn]

There's an "art" to frying chicken!!

[ha_asfan]

I took my time, was very gentle with every step and followed directions. When Peter saw a chicken on the counter yesterday morning, he exclaimed "yum ! more fired chicken !" Not so...I made Greek Roasted Chicken with 20 minutes of gas [cooking, not an after result] and an hour or so resting in the oven. Another super simple recipe which I'll send to Todd to go with the Spinach Pie and Beets recipes.

[berlyn]

Asfan,

I love Alton Brown and Ina Garten. They both do a great job explaining.

A cast iron skillet is a must for fried chicken!!

Do you soak your chicken and what is the batter and spices you used??

[ha_asfan]

Well Berlyn, You know I followed Alton's recipe to a T....it requires a 12 to 24 hour soak in lowfat butter milk, you drain that off and liberally season with 2Tbs Paprika [ I used smoked], 2 Tbs Garlic powder and 2 Tbs Kosher salt. Use Kosher because the large granules don't stick as readily as table salt grind and is less salty. After the seasoning, dredge in flour and shake off the excess. That's it right there. Now, Alton says to use Crisco so I used Crisco, one third inch deepin your cast iron skillet...and arrange the pieces with your breasts and legs on the outside of the skillet and your thighs in the center and cook for 10-12 minutes until you see liquid pooling up from the chicken then flip and cook another 10-12. That was way too long for the Magnificent Chambers Daisy Burners ! I believe five or six on each side is plenty and I'm telling you, I kept a close eye on the flame height maintaining just enough to keep that oil bubbling. Remove the chicken to a wire rack to drain.. DO NOT PUT ON PAPER OR INTO THE OVEN. The coating will keep your chicken beautifully warm for 20 minutes or so...longer in hot Texas ! Try it, you'll like it ! And remember, if you can find a Kosher chicken, well, you'll be amazed at the difference in taste !

[annnt]

What about free-range, organic chicken? I've never seen kosher stuff here. And what about something for those of us who prefer not to eat things with parents? Got any great tofu recipes?
annnt

[ha_asfan]

Annnt, Tofu recipes ? OK, let's start talking...I'm a believer in soft tofu over hard...the hard variety is nice to cook with for stir fries or dishes where you want a bit of chew..me, I'll take a soft tofu in a pepper sauce any day. The BEST recipe for that dish is called "Pock Marked Woman's Spiced Bean Curd". One of the best sources for that recipe and other true Szechuan recipes is The Classic Chinese Cook Book by Mai Leung...I don't know if it is in print but definitely worth finding. I have MANY Szechuan recipes for tofu and am happy to share...I haven't yet tried the wok on the Chambers but am eagerly awaiting Spring so I can do so. Without a vent hood, I try to do wok cookery only in open window weather !

[annnt]

Hi Ha!
Yes indeed tofu! And the chewier the better (well maybe not quite like beef jerky, but firm and chewy is the way I like it). I love to add it to all sorts of dishes to make for a heartier meal, so there's no need for meat. Although soy beans are far from guilt-free (so long former southern hardwood forests and ivory-billed woodpecker habitat, see ya later tropical rainforests in Brazil). Sometimes eating can be quite a conundrum.
annnt

[annnt]

ps I just looked on amazon for the classic chinese cookbook. They have the New Classic Chinese Cookbook by Mae Leuing or the Classic Chinese Cookbook by Yan-Kit. Are either of these the one you are recommending, Ha?