Southern Fried Chicken
By: Chef Don Messina
Published: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - 2:27am

Ingredients




Ingredients - 
1 whole Fryer Chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
2 quarts Chicken Brine- See Recipe
8 cups Shortening- USE DEEP FRYER IF AT ALL POSSIBLE HEATED TO 325 DEGREES
2 cups Buttermilk
2 Eggs, Beaten
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1/8 teaspoon Paprika
1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
2 1/2 teaspoons Salt
3/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 Quarts Vegetable Stock
2 Quarts Cold Water
3/4 Cup Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Rosemary, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Sage, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Thyme, Chopped

Preparation

1 Preparation:
Mix Brine Recipe as seen in the bottom portion of the recipe, and Marinade the Chicken for 1 hour per pound. 2 Preheat the shortening in a deep fryer to 325 degrees F. 3 Trim any excess fat and skin from the chicken pieces and marinate them for a couple of hours in the brine. 4 Mix the Buttermilk with the eggs in a bowl. 5 Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl. 6 Rinse, and drain the marinated chicken. Pat dry with a  paper towels. 7 Dip each chicken piece in the Egg and Milk, and then coat it in the dry Flour mixture. 8 Dip into the egg and milk mixture again then back in the flour. Make sure every piece is well coated. Allow all the Chicken to rest in the flour mixture 5 Minutes. 9 Drop the Chicken pieces into the hot shortening, one at a time. 10 Fry Chicken until golden brown, and an internal Temperature of 180 degrees has been reached 11 Allow the Chicken to rest on a wire racks for 5 minutes and serve hot. 12 Chicken Brine Recipe: 13 Tablespoon Thyme, Chopped 14 In a large pot combine vegetable stock, salt, sugar, and herbs over a medium heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the salt is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add cold water. 15 Place Chicken in a large non-reactive container( Glass or Plastic). Pour brine over top, cover and refrigerate. Brine for 1 hour per pound. 16 Thoroughly rinse all the brine from Chicken before cooking.

About


Unlike many Fried Chicken recipes you’ll see that this recipe calls for the Chicken to be brined. Brining adds moisture, and additional flavor to the Chicken that you cannot get any other way. The cooking temperature of 325 degrees allows your Chicken to cook completely without becoming to dark on the outside.