Fried chicken, also known as
southern fried chicken, is a very popular food. There are many
different recipes for fried chicken and you can cook it in
various ways too. Deep frying is a common way to make it but you
can also shallow fry it or even oven fry it, which is baking the
meat so it tastes the same but without the extra calories.
Insider Secrets to Fried
Chicken Cooking
If fried chicken is something
that you have never made before, do not worry because it is not
difficult. You do need to take care when handling the raw meat
and wash any surfaces touched by the raw chicken with hot, soapy
water afterwards. To make a fried chicken recipe, you need to
dip your pieces of meat into a batter and fry the chicken until
it is golden brown and white all the way through.
An easy way to coat your meat
is to put your dry ingredients into a Ziploc bag and shake the
chicken in the bag, a few pieces at a time. Then you can dip
them into liquid batter and fry them. This method also helps to
keep your kitchen clean, rather than getting flour all over the
place!
If you dredge your meat in
flour, then into an egg yolk and milk mixture before dipping it
into breadcrumbs, your chicken will come out really crispy and
crunchy.
Be very careful with hot oil
and never leave it unattended. Never have your face too near to
the oil because it can spatter. Use tongs to remove the meat
from the hot oil.
Not all chicken pieces cook at
the same rate so if you are using legs, wings, thighs and
breasts, you will need to add different pieces at different
times. The legs and thighs need to go in first and these cook at
165 degrees F. Next, turn the heat down to 160 degrees F., and
add the breasts. Finally, add the wings because these cook more
quickly than the other parts.
If your meat is done but the
rest of the meal is not, do not worry. Simply put some water in
an oven dish and roll some tin foil into balls. Lay a large
piece of tin foil over the balls, place the chicken on top, and
cover everything with a lid. Put in a 175 degree F oven. The
foil balls and foil layer work as a steamer to keep your chicken
tender and moist until everything else is done.
Serving Ideas for Fried
Chicken Cooks
There are lots of different
side dishes that go well with a deep fried chicken recipe
including French fries and corn on the cob or mashed potatoes
with green beans.
If you are making party food,
fried chicken is always a popular dish. Estimating how much food
for a party is the right amount can be hard but make too much
rather than too little because it is nice cold the following
day. Serve mayonnaise, catsup, and other dips on the buffet
table so people have something to dip their fried chicken into
if they choose too.
