Fried Chicken

Why are people so afraid of this little chicken? We condemn fried chicken for fear of its artery clogging abilities. We assume that a few bites of this now and then will cut our life short by years..how could something so good be so bad? (That might be a subject for another post entirely)

But you know what, you are all a bunch of hypocrites. Who does not love this food? Find me someone, anyone who does not drool at the smell and sight of really good (crunchy, crispy, moist and juicy) fried chicken. Its roots are soul food and that couldn't be closer to the truth- SOUL food it is...

I make fried chicken wings 2-3x a year. It's usually around football season I get the motivation to stand at my stove for a few hours coating and dipping and frying. Its labor intensive, I won't lie to you but not complicated and the results are just so so worth it. They freeze really well (if there is actually any left) and are amazing either cold or hot.

I consulted all experts on this when searching for the perfect recipe- Paula Dean (if she can't fry a chicken, who can), Ina Garten, Cooks Illustrated, Emeril..but in the end it was Cooks Illustrated's version that won out. They suggest covering your pot while the chicken cooks for about 5 minutes and that will seal in the juices and create the moistest chicken possible. They are right..

So if you are feeling indulgent...if you need some wow factor for a Super Bowl party this year, look no further than this. You will not be sorry.

(Adapted from CI)

Approx 50 Chicken Wings(if more, just add more flour and seasonings) (I like to remove the tips but you can leave them on if you like)
6 cups All Purpose Flour
4 TBL Kosher Salt
1 TBL pepper
1 TBL Paprika
1/2 TBL Garlic Powder
Vegetable Oil
Buttermilk

Soak the Chicken in buttermilk for 6-8 hours
Drain buttermilk and discard
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
Toss chicken in flour mixture and let sit on a cooking sheet with a rack so the excess flour is removed. Continue with all chicken pieces.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Pour Vegetable Oil in to a large dutch oven until it reaches 3" below the top of the pot.
With a fry thermometer, get the oil to 375 degrees (no hotter)
Fry 10-12 wings at a time (do not overlap), cover pot with lid and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Remove lid, toss with slotted spoon and cook an additional 7-9 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oil, put the wings on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until the remaining wings are finished.

I like to keep them in the oven for an additional 10 minutes to ensure the insides of the chicken are fully cooked. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a bit more kosher salt and if desired a pinch of cayenne pepper.