Fried Chicken

Alright.

I did something that I haven't done in almost a year.

I prepared a meaty dish.

And not just any meaty dish.  It was fried chicken.  Meat.  Fried.  Two things that rarely enter my cooking arsenal these days.



But here's the thing...It was requested.  And I hate not fulfilling food requests.  So they asked for fried chicken...they got fried chicken.  As well as some tater tot/fritter things, gravy and biscuits...go big or go home right?

If you hadn't caught on already, I don't eat meat.  But I couldn't make fried chicken and not try it.  So I did.  And oh my.  It was tender.  And juicy.  And crispy.  And perfectly seasoned.

KFC, move over.

Meat eaters - you should try this.  It's delicious.  And actually really fun.  Who doesn't love frying things?  Non-meat eaters - I hope this doesn't make you salivate too much.



from the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl

Makes: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (but an overnight buttermilk soak is ideal!)
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients
2 cup-up fryer chickens
1 quart plus 1/4 cup buttermilk
5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup milk
canola or vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. In a large bowl (or 2 freezer bags) add the chicken with 1 quart buttermilk.  Refrigerate overnight if possible.  (I didn't have this much time so I let it sit on the counter for two hours and it turned out just fine!)  If refrigerating, remove chicken from bowl and let sit on counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Stir together the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme, old bay and cayenne in a very large bowl.  In a small bowl combine the 1/4 cup buttermilk and milk.  Pour milk mixture into flour and use a fork to mix until there are little clumps throughout.
4. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat to 365°F.  Working in batches, thoroughly coat each buttermilk-soaked chicken piece with the flour mixture, pressing to adhere the breading.  Add the chicken to the oil 3-4 pieces at a time.  Cover pan and fry 5-7 minutes, checking to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown.  Turn, cover and cook an additional 3-5 minutes more.  Make sure to periodically check the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken won't burn.
5. Place chicken on a baking sheet and continue frying the rest of the chicken.  When it is all done, bake the chicken for 10-15 minutes.  Cut into one of the pieces to ensure it is cooked all the way through.