Best Fried Chicken - EVER!
May 19, 2008 1:03 pm book/magazine/dvd reviews, culinariaIf it’s quick weight loss you’re looking for, this probably isn’t a post you should read. But if you are interested in some damned good fried chicken, read on…
One of our favorite restaurants is Jasper White’s Summer Shack. That’s why I was so excited to see that Jasper has finally put out a cookbook, which contains many of the recipes he uses at the restaurants.
Many people are hesitant to cook seafood at home, or to attempt deep frying. This book contains simple, step-by-step instructions which will make it all a snap. Many of the instructions are fully illustrated to make them even easier to follow. You’ll learn not only how to cook a lobster, but how to eat it, as well. There’s also a whole section called “Fry Cook 101″ which takes all of the mystery out of successful deep frying at home.
When Mike and I go to the Summer Shack, we always go for the seafood. But Jasper’s fried chicken is one of the best in the Boston area, and the recipe is in this book. Last night, I decided to try it at home.
If you have one of those deep frying appliances, you could certainly use it, as long as you have a way to monitor the temperature. But you really don’t need a special appliance; I don’t have one. Jasper recommends a good old fashioned 12″ cast-iron skillet and a deep fry thermometer. Cast iron is excellent because it holds the heat very well; if you have to fry the chicken in batches, as I did, the oil gets back up to temperature very quickly.
Oil temperature is VERY important. Too hot, and your food burns and overcooks. Not hot enough, the food will soak up too much oil and be all nasty and greasy. You can buy a decent deep fry thermometer for about ten bucks or so; do not deep fry without one! The one I have has a clippy thing on it, so I can set it in the pan of oil and not have the dial part fall in.
There are two *mixes* you need to make in order to make this recipe. The first one is a “seasoned salt for chicken”…
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup lemon pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon all-purpose flourMix it all together. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge, or freezer, if you don’t plan to use it right away. Can be made in advance; this is more than needed for the chicken recipe.
You’ll also need to make the “New England Style Fry Mix”. This is the same breading the Jasper uses on most of his fried seafood dishes, as well.
2 cups corn flour or masa harina (look for this in the Spanish food section of the store)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepperMix it all together, and store, covered, in the fridge until ready to use. I found that this made a lot more than I needed for the chicken, but it will keep!
In addition to the pan and thermometer mentioned above, you’ll also need a pair of tongs, and a sheet pan lined with paper towels, and a large wire cooling rack to put over that. The one fault I found with Jasper’s instructions was that he has you putting the raw, just dipped and breaded chicken onto this rack, and then putting the cooked chicken on the same rack setup. This isn’t a good idea, because you don’t want raw chicken juices touching food that’s already been cooked. What I did here was just put the chicken, as it cooked, on a large plate lined with paper towels, and when the last batch of chicken was frying, washed the rack and placed the cooked chicken to rest on it. Or just use a second rack if you have one. If you don’t have a rack, just use paper towels.
This recipe calls for buttermilk. If you don’t have any or can’t find it at the store, make your own. Place a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice in a 2-cup measure, then fill with regular milk. Let stand for at least 5 minutes; this will *sour* the milk.
The original recipe also calls for a whole chicken cut up into 10 pieces. In the book, there are illustrated instructions for cutting up a whole chicken. You can also buy the equivalent amount of already-cut-up chicken parts…I used leg quarters, because I got them cheap, and cut the drumsticks and thighs apart. I also cut off that annoying bit of backbone that is attached, I saved these to make chicken stock for gravy (recipe to follow).
2 cups buttermilk
New England Style Fry Mix
One 2 1/2 - 3 pound chicken, cut into ten pieces (or equivalent in already-cut-up parts)
Seasoned Salt for Fried Chicken
4 cups oil for frying (I used corn oil, because it’s cheap and the breading has corn meal in it anyway…but you can also use peanut or canola oils)Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl, one large enough to dip chicken parts in, and fry mix in another bowl. Have your rack/paper towel setup nearby. Season the chicken generously with the seasoned salt. Then dip each piece into the buttermilk, shaking off any excess. Then dip into the fry mix, making sure that it’s covered well. Shake off any excess, and place chicken pieces on the rack or paper towels.
Set the skillet over medium heat, and pour in the oil, should be about an inch in the pan. When the oil gets to 325 degrees F on your thermometer, carefully place chicken pieces in it, skin side down. You will probably have to do this in batches, do not crowd the pan. Cover the pan and cook for about 8 minutes. Check it about halfway through to make sure it’s not getting too browned, if it is, your oil is too hot. The oil temp should hold steady at about 300 degrees F as the chicken cooks. If it’s hotter than that, turn the heat down a little.
Uncover, turn, and cook further, uncovered for 8-10 minutes more. Remove from the pan and place on rack/paper towels to drain. When the oil temp gets back up to 325, add the next batch, repeat the whole process until all of the chicken is cooked.
The chicken should rest for about 5 minutes before serving. It might be a little undercooked when you pull it out of the oil, but it will finish cooking as it rests. If you have an instant-read thermometer (not the same as the deep fry one), check the internal temps…should be about 145 F when you pull it out, and about 160 F when it’s ready to eat. Or else, just poke into a piece of the dark meat to make sure it’s no longer pink inside, and that the juices run clear, not pink.
And that’s it! This recipe worked perfectly for me, the oil stayed to temperature as it should have, and the chicken was perfectly cooked. Also, it did not smoke up my kitchen, as has happened in the past with other recipes.
I was so excited as it cooked, because the breading smelled just like that on the yummie fried clams I’d had at the Summer Shack last week. This recipe is a keeper!
I highly recommend that you buy this cookbook. I’m looking forward to cooking my way through it this summer!
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Bourbon Gravy for Fried Chicken
This is not one of Jasper’s recipes, but it is really great to put on mashed potatoes that accompany the chicken. Of course, you can put it on the chicken, too, if you’d like.
After the chicken is cooked, carefully pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil. Place the pan over medium low heat, and whisk in two tablespoons of the New England Fry Mix (there will be plenty left over after breading the chicken). Cook, whisking constantly, for about two minutes.
Whisk in 2 cups of hot chicken broth or homemade stock. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Then add 1/4 cup of bourbon (I use Jack Daniels, “old #7″), whisk constantly for another 2 minutes. The gravy will thicken up nicely. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Enjoy! 
