Fried Chicken: Make the Takeout

No Comments | Written on January 3, 2012 at 9:00 am, by The Editors

Buttermilk-Brined Fried Chicken With all due respect to a certain goateed colonel, as well as a nod to Olive Oyl’s better half, fried chicken is just better when you fry it up yourself. The breading piled on at your favorite takeout fried-chicken joint is just too much of a good thing, and also too much of things you’d probably like to cut down on, namely salt and fat. OK, we admit to having a soft spot for the occasional bucket of the stuff, but the money we save by firing up our own fryer is all the incentive we need to opt for home cooking.

It can be fairly said that southern fried chicken, paired with cole slaw or potato salad, is some of the best picnic food (or weeknight-dinner food) around. But whether you’re from North Carolina or Nebraska, fried chicken is just all-American good eating.

Not sure you want to mess with all that lard or cooking oil? It’s easier than it seems. Get tips in “How to Make Fried Chicken” here.

And then start with some of our favorite recipes:

Old-Time Fried Chicken: Evaporated milk is the creamy key to this chicken’s rich flavor. Mixed with flour, salt, and pepper it makes a luscious coating.

Buttermilk-Brined Fried Chicken: Letting your chicken bathe in a buttermilk-salt-and-pepper brine for a couple of hours before cooking it amps up the flavor.

Beer-Battered Buttermilk Fried Chicken: A crisp beer such as a lager or pilsner (along with some cayenne pepper) add depth of flavor to the traditional buttermilk batter.

Oven-Fried Chicken Breasts: If you love fried chicken but want to cut the fat, this option is terrific. With an herbed coating and an optional gravy made with sherry and caramelized onions, it’s a soul-satisfying substitute for the fryer.