Fried chicken is hilarious to me because of it's pop culture / social significance in the Northern United States. As a black guy in the North with family roots in the South, I've seen both sides of an interesting story.
In New York, it is a "black food" that some of my sophisticated African-American friends won't be seen eating in public... I mean, imagine the scandal of confirming the stereotypes that black folks like fried chicken.
In the South, fried chicken is just "food". This is not a food anthropology blog (and I would like to note that I have done absolutely no research on the subject even though it is mere keystrokes away). That not withstanding, it makes sense to me that when blacks in the South moved north during the Great Migration, they took the cuisine they share with white Southerners with them. It became known as a "black food" to Northern whites and second-generation Northern blacks because black folks were primarily the ones eating it in the region. Or is that even true?
If you ask me, everyone likes fried chicken. Sure, with the renewed national focus on health, it is not exactly the most popular puppy in the kennel, but when we can't resist the urge, we will always find a good reason to get our hands on some.
"It's Sunday!"
"Football is on!"
"I'm kinda hungry!"
Fried chicken is for the people and I guarantee you will love this recipe. It requires a buttermilk soak (of an hour or so) which means this isn't the quickest dish in the world to prepare, but boy is it worth it. Cook it in huge batches and share with friends with fresh squeezed lime juice and hot sauce. Of all of the things I make, this is one of the things I am most proud of. It could be one of the things you are most proud of too. It even get's the "Heavy Spoon" moniker in the the recipe title, so you know it's real.
Eating with a fork and knife is strictly forbidden.
INGREDIENTS
FEEDS 6
- 12 pack of assorted chicken parts
- peanut oil (or another high smoke-point oil like canola)
BUTTERMILK SOAK
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup of hot sauce
- (for spicy chicken, add 2 tablespoons of Sriracha)
FLOUR MIX RATIO
- 4 cups of self-rising flour
- 3 tablespoons oregano / Italian seasoning / herbs de province
- 1/2 cup of seasoning salt (like Lowry's)
- 2 tbsp cracked black pepper
EGG DIP
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup of hot sauce
COOK TIME
2:15 Hours
- 1:30 Hours prep time
- 0:45 Minutes cook time
hardware
- Four large bowls
- Oven rack
- Chicken fryer (the pot, not like a Paula Deen branded electronic device)
MARINADE
- Mix buttermilk, hot sauce, optional Sriracha and chicken in a large bowl and combine with your hands. Cover and let marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour.
BREADING PREPERATION
- In a bowl, combine 4 cups of flour, herb of choice, season salt and cracked black pepper.
- Every seasoning salt is different so you are going to have to taste test here to adjust the salinity of the flour mixture. Weird, I know. It's should be a little saltier than you would expect from cooked fried chicken, but not of course too salty. You will know exactly what I'm talking about. Wet a spoon, and dip in in the flour. You only need to taste a teeny bit, don't be a wuss about it.
- After you are done adjusting the mix, split it into two separate bowls and set aside.
- In a another bowl, beat egg together with hot sauce.
CHICKEN FRYING
- Fill fryer with at least 4 inches of oil and heat over medium heat.
- You can test the heat of you oil by dropping a pice of bread in the oil and seeing how it browns. If the oil doesn't bubble at all, your oil is probably to hot. If the oil begins to bubble rapid or the bread burns quickly, you oil is probably too hot. I suggest doing a test batch of chicken (1 or 2 pieces) to get a feel for the heat of your oil and the taste of your breading, especially if this your first rodeo.
- Fry for 8-10 minutes for dark meat and 10-13 minutes for larger pieces.
- Remove from heat and place on oven rack placed over paper towels.
Serve hot or cold or don't serve to anyone and eat it all yourself.
