The Best Fried Chicken of Your Life

Give me credit. It’s been a while since I’ve declared something “the best ___ of your life.” There is, of course, the broccoli, which brought all of you to my blog in the first place. Then there’s the chili which, as far as I’m concerned, has never been topped. The brownies remain unrivaled and the curry is definitely the best I’ve ever made.

Now, into the pantheon, comes this fried chicken which–as you’ll soon discover–has nothing to do with a specific recipe and everything to do with a piece of equipment that costs a minimal amount of money ($33.31 on Amazon) but makes all the difference in the world.

What is it? You can just catch the corner of it in the lead picture of this post: a cast-iron skillet.

When I was writing my cookbook, I went down to Athens, Georgia where a very nice woman named Angelish Wilson taught me how to make her famous fried chicken at Wilson’s Soul Food. Like most restaurants that serve fried anything, Angelish had a deep fryer and when it was time to fry the chicken, she submerged it into the hot oil. It was a lot like the way I used to fry chicken at home, only a deep fryer maintains the heat better than a Dutch oven can.

IMG_5347

When it came time to shoot the fried chicken recipe for the cookbook, our food stylist, Leslie Stockton, didn’t fill a Dutch oven with oil the way I had. She whipped out a large cast iron skillet, filled it 1/3rd of the way with oil (using way less oil), cranked up the heat, and when the oil hit 350, she fried the chicken in there slowly, flipping it every so often, until it was crisp all over and everyone on the set rushed over to devour what she had made. It was some of the best fried chicken I’d ever tasted.

IMG_5350

There’s some mystical, magical mojo that happens in a cast iron skillet when you fry chicken in there. My theory is that, because it’s cast iron, it maintains the heat better than any large vessel (like a Dutch oven) can at home. It better replicates a deep fryer at a restaurant. And it’s important to maintain that heat because the lower the temperature of the oil goes, the more of it that gets absorbed into the chicken. If your fried chicken is greasy, it’s because your oil didn’t stay hot.

Hence the cast iron. Once you have that–and you’ll want to use a large one (I borrowed my friend Diana’s)–the rest takes care of itself.

Still, if you want it to be the Best of Your Life, you’d be wise to soak the chicken overnight in buttermilk spiked with a little Tabasco sauce. I bought two 4 pound chickens, cut them up into 10 pieces, put them in a large Tupperware that was filled with a carton of buttermilk whisked with 10 dashes of Tabasco.

The next day, I brought the chicken to room temperature and dumped a bunch of flour (3 cups or so?) into a large bowl and spiced it with some ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, whatever I could find. Salt too. A good tip here it to taste the flour mixture raw (gross, I know) just to get a sense of how flavorful it is. Just put a little on your finger and taste; you’ll be glad you did.

IMG_5340

A key step, I discovered, for truly excellent fried chicken is to season the chicken between the buttermilk and flour stage. So here’s how it went: I poured vegetable oil into Diana’s cast iron skillet until it came 1/3rd of the way up. Then, as it began heating on high heat, I lifted pieces of chicken out of the buttermilk, scraped off as much buttermilk as I could with my fingers, then I had Diana season each piece of chicken with a little salt before I dredged it in the flour mix. Then, when the oil hit 350, I began lowering chicken into the skillet (carefully!) watching the level of the oil. At the most, the hot oil should come halfway up the sides of the skillet when you have your first batch of chicken in there. Any more and you might have a grease fire.

Then it’s just a matter of watching the chicken, turning after 5 minutes or so, waiting another 5 minutes, and going and going until it’s dark brown and crispy all over and a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165. Then use clean tongs (not the ones you used to touch the raw chicken) to lift the finished chicken on to a cooling rack.

IMG_5353

Sprinkle those with salt, then repeat with the rest of your chicken.

What else is there to say? It’s a dinner that everybody loves but few people are brave enough to make. Turns out it’s not about bravery, it’s about equipment. So equip yourself with a large cast iron skillet and prepare yourself for the Best Fried Chicken of Your Life. Do it quick, before summer’s over! (You can take the leftovers on a picnic.)

IMG_5355

Recipe: The Best Fried Chicken of Your Life

Summary: For those too impatient to read the post, but you really should because it’s not about a specific recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 whole chickens (4 lbs each) cut into 10 pieces (2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 legs, the breast cut into 4)

  • 1 carton of buttermilk (about a quart)

  • 10 dashes Tabasco sauce

  • Salt

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

  • 1 tablespoon cumin

  • 1 tablespoon (insert any other spice you’d like here)

  • Vegetable, Canola, or Peanut oil

  • Honey (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Start, if you can, the day before (or at least a few hours ahead) by marinating the cut-up chicken in the buttermilk spiked with the Tabasco sauce and a few pinches of salt. Stir it all around with your hands, make sure the chicken is coated, and then refrigerate.

  2. An hour before you’re ready to fry, remove the chicken from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, make your flour mixture by whisking the flour with all of those spices.

  3. OK, it’s fry time. Pour oil into a cast iron skillet so it comes 1/3rd of the way up. Heat on high heat and begin checking the temperature with a thermometer; it’s ready when it hits 350.

  4. Meanwhile, get someone to help you: lift the chicken out of the buttermilk, scrape off any excess, and have your friend sprinkle the chicken with a little salt before you drop it in the flour. Repeat with a few more pieces of chicken. Then, coat the chicken in the flour mixture, shake off any excess, and careful lower into the 350 degree oil. Add chicken pieces until the oil comes 1/2 up the side of the skillet; any more, and things could get dangerous.

  5. Fry the chicken in there for a few minutes, then flip over, watching and flipping every so often, until the chicken is a beautiful burnished brown all over and a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165. Remove the chicken to a cooling rack with clean tongs and sprinkle with salt.

  6. Repeat with the rest of your chicken and then serve with some honey, in case people like honey with their fried chicken. I know that I do.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

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I’m Adam. I’ve been writing about food since 2004. Two letters a week — what I’m cooking, and where I’m eating.

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Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Please do not read this as disdain for Cast Iron. I love my Cast Iron cookware, but never use it for Fried Chicken. My Fried Chicken Recipe is basically the same as yours, but I use an Electric Skillet or, sometimes, my Deep Fryer. I find it difficult with my ceramic top electric stove (or any electric stove) to maintain the temperature of the oil. Of course, when I fry chicken, I do fry two-four chickens, so the ability to put an entire cut up chicken in an Electric Skillet is a major plus to me.

Jill Donnelly
Jill Donnelly
12 years ago

Awesome! I know I would like that chicken. Tell me the truth, did your place stink like fried oil for a week afterwards? That’s always my reason to never start with deep frying…

Matt
Matt
12 years ago
Reply to  Jill Donnelly

I agree. The whole house and every piece of clothing…

Brenda
Brenda
11 years ago
Reply to  Jill Donnelly

I plug my electric Skillet in outside to fry chicken. It seems rather tacky and I try to “dress the part” but it does prevent the fried smell staying in the house for days. (and I do it in the backyard, where I’m less likely to be seen”

Sean Townsend
Sean Townsend
9 years ago
Reply to  Jill Donnelly

It will if you use the not-fit-for-human-consumption vegetable oil. Use lard and never look back. The myth that saturated fat is bad for you has been disproven 100 times over.

Sean Townsend
Sean Townsend
9 years ago
Reply to  Jill Donnelly

It will if you use the not-fit-for-human-consumption vegetable oil. Use lard and never look back. The myth that saturated fat is bad for you has been disproven 100 times over.

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Please do not read this as disdain for Cast Iron. I love my Cast Iron cookware, but never use it for Fried Chicken. My Fried Chicken Recipe is basically the same as yours, but I use an Electric Skillet or, sometimes, my Deep Fryer. I find it difficult with my ceramic top electric stove (or any electric stove) to maintain the temperature of the oil. Of course, when I fry chicken, I do fry two-four chickens, so the ability to put an entire cut up chicken in an Electric Skillet is a major plus to me.

Brenda Johnson
Brenda Johnson
12 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I’ve done both, and adore my cast iron as well, but I have to agree that my old-school electric skillet does a consistently better job of frying things like fried chicken and catfish (are my southern roots showing?) because I have better control of the heat. I don’t think I’d do it with any of the newer electric skillets, though, because they’ve all got that abominable nonstick surface that I hate.

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago
Reply to  Brenda Johnson

I have two old West Bend skillets (one is quite old and the other is nearly 20 years old. Basically all I use either one for is Fried Chicken, and caramelizing onions for French Onion Soup. I do fry my chicken fried steaks in cast iron, and cast iron makes a great vessel for roasting chicken (with an extra one on top of the chicken, instead of a brick, to flatten it).

Brenda Johnson
Brenda Johnson
11 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Roast chicken in cast iron– definitely! Great minds think alike.

leonor sousa
leonor sousa
11 years ago

ola eu sou uma rapariga viciada em computadorsou maria leonor maia de sousa esta foto que eu tenho a dias é de gary sinise no banho

Susan Griesse
Susan Griesse
12 years ago

Thanks for posting this! I’m curious what you do with the oil afterwards. I made donuts a few weeks ago and basically discarded the oil after I was done because I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Adam Amateur Gourmet
Adam Amateur Gourmet
12 years ago
Reply to  Susan Griesse

You can strain it and save it if you plan to fry more savory foods in the near future. Otherwise, get rid of it.

David
David
12 years ago

This is always the main reason I don’t do this sort of thing. Anyone have any tips for dealing with the oil? How does one “get rid of it”…………………..?

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago
Reply to  David

Used oil can always be poured back into the bottle it came in and disposed of in the garbage. If you would rather recycle the bottle and have a good relationship with a local restaurant, they may allow you to dispose of it in their oil tank. Most states do not allow used oil from restaurants to end up in the garbage, but rather into vats where it can be recycled into things like cheap soap and bio fuel.

Brenda Johnson
Brenda Johnson
11 years ago
Reply to  David

If I have relatively small quantities (like the amount you’d have left after frying some chicken) and no spare bottle to put it in, I let it cool, then sop it out of the pan with paper towels and put the paper towels in a plastic bag, such as a leftover grocery bag, and then tie the bag off and toss it in the garbage.

David
David
11 years ago
Reply to  Brenda Johnson

Thanks cjayosburn and Brenda for your suggestions.

duyan
duyan
11 years ago
Reply to  David
Maru Mado
Maru Mado
11 years ago
Reply to  David

We store used oil at home for maybe seven more uses, or until it becomes too cloudy.

Debra Williams
Debra Williams
11 years ago

I always use the oil twice for getting rid of it. As you can see from this post, it hasn’t killed me yet!!!

San
San
11 years ago
Reply to  Debra Williams

Yes, one time is too wasting. But I had to get rid of it for health. I wish my neighbors want to fried the food at the same time, then, it will be less waste. Day dream a little. LOL!

Esther Edwards
Esther Edwards
11 years ago

This looks so yummy I am trying it on Sunday. Thanks for posting. Love your site.

Ally Somers
Ally Somers
11 years ago

I like to roll my chicken in flour and herbs before I fry it in olive oil.

Hachin
Hachin
11 years ago

hm…. it looks great anyway…

jyoti karnik
jyoti karnik
11 years ago

once used oil, musnt be re-used, its unhealthy, so better use a little at a time

bozlul chowdhury
bozlul chowdhury
11 years ago
Reply to  Susan Griesse

BMW 6 Series Convertible

hkc vietnam
11 years ago
Reply to  Susan Griesse

i like Fried chicken so much. but i dont known how to do it? can you tech to me?

KatZoonHyte
KatZoonHyte
11 years ago
Reply to  Susan Griesse

Susan, I stain mine and freeze it for use in many things. However. it will make a good weed killer hot and dripped on each weed

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Please do not read this as disdain for Cast Iron. I love my Cast Iron cookware, but never use it for Fried Chicken. My Fried Chicken Recipe is basically the same as yours, but I use an Electric Skillet or, sometimes, my Deep Fryer. I find it difficult with my ceramic top electric stove (or any electric stove) to maintain the temperature of the oil. Of course, when I fry chicken, I do fry two-four chickens, so the ability to put an entire cut up chicken in an Electric Skillet is a major plus to me.

Mani
Mani
11 years ago

Same recipe… But chick it in the Philips Airfryer (available at Williams-Sonoma)….gives you the same great taste minus all the unhealthy oil !!

Mani
Mani
11 years ago

Same recipe… But chick it in the Philips Airfryer (available at Williams-Sonoma)….gives you the same great taste minus all the unhealthy oil !!

mchan
12 years ago

How are you maintaining the temperature? I notice you don’t have a thermometer on the skillet. This is the worst part of deep frying on the stove for me.

Adam Amateur Gourmet
Adam Amateur Gourmet
12 years ago
Reply to  mchan

I have this great new thermometer that folds in on itself and has a digital display; so I stuck it in the oil, periodically, to see where it was at. Super easy.

Debra Williams
Debra Williams
11 years ago

Try using a little plain flour to test the tempurature of the cooking oil; a lot easier and a lot less expensive. After all it’s just fried chicken, not Peking duck!!

gyulalala16
gyulalala16
10 years ago

helo

Agent Strong
Agent Strong
12 years ago

Cast iron rules! I rarely use my fancy All-Clad anymore. Cast iron is just better.

Debra Williams
Debra Williams
11 years ago
Reply to  Agent Strong

All-Clad is awful expensive to use just to fry chicken.

Foodwanderer
11 years ago

Never imagined using cast iron to deep fry! Awesome idea.

Linda Mathieu
Linda Mathieu
11 years ago

I saw a recipe the other day using duck fat to fry chicken in. That sounds intriguing to me-now I have to see if I can find the article again. I haven’t had fried chicken in ages. I’d rather grill because it isn’t so messy but it’s hard to beat the taste.

Sunnylil
Sunnylil
11 years ago
Reply to  Linda Mathieu

Best fried chicken I ever had was my Grammy’s. She always used lard and a cast iron skillet. Grammy’s been gone 30 years. This article is calling me to put my cast iron to some long needed good use. Fried chicken here i come.

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago
Reply to  Linda Mathieu

Duck fat is delicious, but it’s very expensive. Using it to deep fry chicken might cost a hundred dollars.

Susan Griesse
Susan Griesse
12 years ago

Thanks for posting this! I’m curious what you do with the oil afterwards. I made donuts a few weeks ago and basically discarded the oil after I was done because I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Matthew Zoglmann
Matthew Zoglmann
12 years ago

Use a cooling rack to drain off the excess buttermilk, then let the breaded chicken sit a spell, while the breading hydrates from the buttermilk that remains.

organicSFS
11 years ago

I love deep fried chicken and this recipe looks yummy. It’s going to be one fun weekend for us. Thanks for sharing this.

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Dried sage actually works well in the spice mix

Mani
Mani
11 years ago

Same recipe… But chick it in the Philips Airfryer (available at Williams-Sonoma)….gives you the same great taste minus all the unhealthy oil !!

lee5510
lee5510
11 years ago

Sorry. I absolutely don’t mean to be a buzzkill, but if you’re frying anything in vegetable oil – canola, peanut, or otherwise – you’ve already taken your recipe off of the “Best Anything” list. Try coconut, palm, lard, beef tallow, or any combination of the above. Vegetable oil is rancid before it hits the store shelves (remember – we’re talking about mono- and poly-unsaturated fats that are just waiting to saturate, typically with oxygen and/or exposure to light, which is the very description of rancidity). Look up the process of refining, bleaching, and deodorizing (RBD) vegetable oils. One would think they’re talking about crude oil, but they’re talking about so-called “edible” oils. Folks have already been educated (I hope) about trans-fats. Factory-processed vegetable oils are almost as bad, devoid of taste, and full of free radicals. Personally, I’ll only use palm oil, coconut oil, and/or fresh lard, including bacon drippings (I’d use grass-fed beef tallow if it were easier to find and purchase). And, even if you don’t care about any of the above information about rancid vegetable oils, the taste of foods fried in quality oils is beyond compare. I encourage you to try it for yourself. (Think it doesn’t really matter? Try this for an easy comparison: fry one egg in butter and another in vegetable oil. The difference is night and day, or, as I like to say, edible and inedible.) Also, to be on the “Best Of” list, you’ve got to start with the freshest and highest quality chicken possible – local if available, and definitely free range (actual free ranging, wandering around in the yard/field, eating whatever they want) chickens. Sound like too much for a skillet of fried chicken? Hey – I didn’t declare the category of “The Best Fried Chicken of Your Life” – I’m just working within the stated parameters. BTW, I’ve already had the best chicken of my life. It was on a farm prepared with one of their freshly dispatched farm-raised chickens. This was many years ago, and nothing since has even been close. (Unrelated Bonus Info: Only buy your store-bought extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil in cans, and make sure it has a pine or evergreen smell to it.)

Agent Strong
Agent Strong
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Oh God… first-world problems.

lee5510
lee5510
11 years ago
Reply to  Agent Strong

Actually – no. But you’re doing a terrific job of showing how not to deal with what appears, in your case, to be information overload. Label it, mock it, dismiss it. Much easier than dealing with it. My post wasn’t an elucidation on dealing with one example of the panic-inducing strife caused by the daily minutia suffered by 21st century American Urban Dwellers. It is a response to, and clarification on, what constitutes “The Best”. Horrible oils and factory raised chickens are not ingredients in “the best fried chicken”. If you have a disagreement or contradictory information about any of the facts presented, please post them. If it’s simply a matter of disagreeing with how much effort should be put in to making fried chicken, that’s okay. That’s definitely a subjective matter. Even I am not going to run out and buy the absolute freshest spices called for in the ingredient list. But please don’t dismiss a well-researched and earnestly written response to a “Best” recipe as an example of “first-world problems”. By your logic, the whole concept of making the best fried chicken is a first-world problem! How about this – some of the entries under “Also On Amateur Gourmet” are titled “The Right Way To Eat A Muffin”, “An Avocado Horchata Smoothie”, “Look Who Made My Rainbow Cookie Cake”! Can I assume you plan to also offer your pompous dismissal in those posts as well?

Agent Strong
Agent Strong
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Oh, I’m so sorry. I forgot YOU were the preacher. Proceed.

lee5510
lee5510
11 years ago
Reply to  Agent Strong

Interesting. A person offers suggestions in an attempt to make a recipe better, does so apologetically, and even backs up their comments with some facts to support their statements. Then, they’re obligated to respond when their remarks on a recipe have been called out and condescendingly insulted, which then causes them to be accused of preaching. All of this occurring on a website devoted to food, cooking, and recipes. All I can really do is ask again – if you have a disagreement or contradictory information about any of the facts presented, please post them.

Agent Strong
Agent Strong
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Oh dear, I didn’t mean to sound condescending, like you did:”You’ve already taken your recipe off of the “Best Anything” list.” (because you should know)”Remember —” (thanks for reminding us)”Folks have already been educated (I hope)” (Say your prayers!)”Think it doesn’t really matter?” (you’ll show us!)”Sound like too much for a skillet of fried chicken?” (Oh you poor, ignorant fools!)”Hey – I didn’t declare the category of “The Best Fried Chicken of Your Life”” (Just pointing out your terrible error!)”BTW, I’ve already had the best chicken of my life. It was on a farm prepared with one of their freshly dispatched farm-raised chickens. This was many years ago, and nothing since has even been close.” (Goody for you. If only our own lives were so rich and fulfilling)”But you’re doing a terrific job of showing how not to deal with what appears, in your case, to be information overload.” (Ah, you assumed I hadn’t read through your entire sermon)”Can I assume you plan to also offer your pompous dismissal in those posts as well?” (Oooh, is calling someone out on their I’m Better Than You attitude “pompous”?)You’ve outdone me. Maybe you should get off your high horse.BTW, I wasn’t disputing any of the information you offered, just annoyed by the self-righteous tone of the delivery.

fatty
fatty
11 years ago
Reply to  Agent Strong

hot oil BURN!haha…Your last sentence was the best.

John Heneghan
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Its not the idea of you making a recipe better, its the pompous crap you put in between, I use peanut oil, and i use it twice, there is not any health changes for reusing oil for the second time.

kyle
kyle
10 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Yard chickens are by far the best chicken I have ever eaten in my life. My father and my brothers raised chickens growing up and my dad lived on a farm. He could cook or fry anything better than your precious recipes. My wife’s grandmother can cook anything and it will taste good and I’ve only known her for 8 years. IF you want to taste good food despite what type of oil used, come to Louisiana and then you will see, until then go away the men are talking (Cooking). Oh yea Agent Strong, more power to ya!

Debra Williams
Debra Williams
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

I pay for my chicken so I’ll cook it any way I see fit!!!

greenrobin
greenrobin
11 years ago
Reply to  Debra Williams

amen. also, freshly killed chicken has an unusual taste–maybe it’s the trauma. i prefer to refrigerate or, better, freeze my birds to allow that flavor to dissipate. just sayin’. oh, yeah–we raise chickens. and butcher them.

Dan
Dan
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Why cans, because of light exposure?

lee5510
lee5510
11 years ago
Reply to  Dan

Exactly. Even green bottles don’t completely block light, and light by itself will cause rancidity (this also applies to beer, except the issue there is skunking). Even with cans, the oil will go rancid eventually. When you replace your olive oil, smell the new stuff and then smell the old stuff. If there isn’t much difference, you might question how fresh your source is. If it’s really good olive oil, you’ll detect a distinct pine or evergreen scent that will be noticeably absent in the old oil. BTW, take a look around at all of the vegetable oils sold in the supermarkets – nearly all of them are sold in clear bottles, meaning they’ve been going (even more) rancid the moment they hit the store shelves (because, again, that’s what polyunsaturated oils want to do).

John Heneghan
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Oil is not beer

Debra Williams
Debra Williams
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Vegetable oils haven’t killed me yet as you can see from this post, so I’ll stick with what works for me!!!

Hank Mirtl
Hank Mirtl
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Fully agree with you. We live in the Philippines and use only coconut oil. And it’s the best for everything

lee5510
lee5510
11 years ago
Reply to  Hank Mirtl

Thanks, Hank. After the adversarial conversation with another party (not to mention the silly psychoanalysis), I’d decided not to join in on this conversation anymore. I’m curious – I get my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions, who say they get theirs from the Philippines. Had you used coconut oil elsewhere, and can you tell the difference in what you’re purchasing there?

Hank Mirtl
Hank Mirtl
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

I have found that there is no difference in coconut oil sourced from different companies here in the Philippines in any case. Saying that I can’t imagine anyone corrupting the oil to change the characteristics so what you buy from the Philippines would be similar from each Philippine supplier.

bozlul chowdhury
bozlul chowdhury
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

bmw cars sorry

John Heneghan
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Really, I didn’t come here to listen to politics about fried chicken and oils.Yes, you are a buzzkill and you are on the wrong site.Have to have 1 person that changes a post.

Metro Foodist
10 years ago
Reply to  John Heneghan

Approaches that lead to a better tasting result isn’t really politics.

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Actually Lee, you are absolutely correct. The best frying medium is rendered lard. If that is not available non-hydrogenated lard. The taste is superior. Coconut oil is second on the list. Don’t bother with anything else.

lee5510
lee5510
11 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Thanks. We have a supplier of freshly rendered lard (from their farm raised pigs) in our area, and you’re right – it makes food taste better than any other oil. I once helped cook wild game for several hundred people. They had always used vegetable oil, but I used fresh lard. They said we got more compliments on the fried venison than they’d ever heard. And it helped make an incredible gravy (which they’d been making with vegetable oil. Um . . . eeww.) I still use coconut oil more often, but mostly because of its more neutral taste. About the only thing I won’t use it for is frying eggs, but it’s the only way I’ll reheat pizza now, which I do by “sauteing” in a medium hot pan with a lid for about 3 minutes. It crisps the crust and invariably makes it better than when I originally ordered it. IMHO, I’m convinced that fried foods aren’t unhealthy, it’s just the terrible oils they’re fried in.

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Fats are a necessary nutrient. We now know that inflammation is the real culprit in destroying our endocrine system. Without getting too pedantic I will write that limiting sugar and wheat and avoiding manufactured foods (trans-fat and high-fructose corn syrup) is beneficial. Great idea on the leftover pizza.

John Heneghan
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

Sounds like to me that Lee is a salesman

fatty
fatty
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

You are correct. Lard is an amazing cooking substance.My wife did duck leg in lard and duck confit. Fried in a pan… Unbelievable.

fatty
fatty
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

You did indeed, just kill my buzz.

kyle
kyle
10 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

hippy alert!

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

There’s a lot of good information in here, but the tone is somewhat unpalatable.

Sean Townsend
Sean Townsend
9 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

1000 times yes. Vegetable oil is horrible for human health. Lard makes the best fried chicken.

Sean Townsend
Sean Townsend
9 years ago
Reply to  lee5510

1000 times yes. Vegetable oil is horrible for human health. Lard makes the best fried chicken.

efnord
efnord
11 years ago

If you pick the Value Pack at the Amazon link, you get a silicone handle cover and the price goes down to $24!

moleskinx
moleskinx
11 years ago

that sounds delicious, cant wait to try it.

Jeffrey Ng
Jeffrey Ng
11 years ago

yum yum yum!

P6 Chad M
P6 Chad M
11 years ago

welll i would love to know what s the recipe for that fried chicken. Looks pretty easy to make and appetizing!!

shahidul935
shahidul935
11 years ago

Health definition by WHO: Accordingto WHO (world health organization) only 5% people are healthy. So, whatabout the others? If question arise in your mind then you are on theright track to be gainer. very soon you will be honored by being thehealthy one among the 5% people.

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

great article…..bestwishes4u.com

Anonymous
11 years ago

its fat but i ll eat it 😀

PeterV
PeterV
11 years ago

From seriouseats.com:For the record: Many people claim that foods fried at a temperature that is too low will absorb more fat than food fried at a higher temperature. This is an easily unproven (but far-reaching) kitchen myth made up to make people feel better about eating delicious fried food. Don’t believe it. Foods fried at a higher temperature absorb more fat. On the other hand, they also gets crisper, and stay crisper longer.That’s why you want to fry at a high temperature.

Debra Williams
Debra Williams
11 years ago

I hear the phrase “best fried chicken” all the time and sometimes end up disappointed, so I stick with what works for me: salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, all-purpose flour,and plain vegetable oil to cook with; you can’t go wrong!!

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

great article…..bestwishes4u.com

Mark
Mark
11 years ago

How do you cut a breast into four pieces?

Anhcim Enaid
Anhcim Enaid
11 years ago
Reply to  Mark

you read it incorrectly… she said she cuts up two four pound chickens into 10 pieces…

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago
Reply to  Mark

It’s badly written. They cut each breast in half; four pieces are yielded by a chicken having two breasts.”2 whole chickens (4 lbs each) cut into 10 pieces (2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 legs, the breast cut into 4)”One chicken yields ten pieces. One half chicken yields five pieces: one wing, one thigh, one leg, and one breast halved. If they’d written “the breasts cut into 4,” it’d be clearer that they mean two pair (2+2+2+(2*2)=10.)

selfsafety
11 years ago

i agree….

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
11 years ago

Adam, it looks gorgeous! I’m famous for my fried chicken and I use even less oil than you did. That’s the “secret” of great fried chicken – there IS no secret! You can deep fry, you can shallow fry, doesn’t matter. You just need to keep the oil at the correct temperature. (My best fried chicken secret? Cook it at friend’s house so I don’t stink up my own house! LOL)

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

great article…..bestwishes4u.com

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

great article…..bestwishes4u.com

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

nice

Sophia Garcia
11 years ago

Ohhh nice – this recipe is awesome!

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

great article…..bestwishes4u.com

Quotesquote
11 years ago

Thanks for sharing this Post.

Designer
Designer
11 years ago

This recipe is a keeper! Can’t wait to cook this for my daughters!

Quotesquote
11 years ago

Thanks for sharing this Post.

Tony
Tony
11 years ago

There’s a lot of great recipes on AG, but what is the easiest/tastes the best if I’m trying to impress my girlfriend who thinks I can’t cook?http://www.midzy.com/poll/326

Quotesquote
11 years ago

I have read your blog in this blog you have shared such a nice and informative information.

Vũ Thùy Linh
11 years ago

So delicious

Arlyn Lichthardt
Arlyn Lichthardt
11 years ago

Interesting observation about a skillet v dutch oven — both of mine are cast iron, so one should work as well as the other with the DO winning because the sides are higher. Less worry about fire. Any thoughts?

Quotesquote
11 years ago

I have read your blog in this blog you have shared such a nice and informative information.

sam thompson
sam thompson
11 years ago

Hi,I love your food it always looks amazing, I’ve been reading your blog for ages now and love everything you do. I am definitely going to give these a go! I recently found this food delivery service called Gousto who make really nice healthy food and the deliver it to you for free! Check out there awesome blog here: https://www.gousto.co.uk/blogSam

Free Coupon dunia
11 years ago

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Jody M
Jody M
11 years ago

DO NOT put the burner on high, or you are sure to burn the chicken because the temp will be at about 450. Medium heat will get the desired temperature you need if your burners are working right.

Claus Agerskov
11 years ago

sounds delicious .-)

Anonymous
11 years ago

love that stuff ;D

Kirra
10 years ago

why people eat animals which has got bones,muscles and same colored blood like humans , perhaps animals are weaker than humans…why cant we go vegan?

Metro Foodist
10 years ago
Reply to  Kirra

Maybe the same reason lions and other carnivores don’t go vegan. We are animals in a food chain, and we think that having this kind of protein as part of our diet is tasty and good for us.

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