Hoosier Fried Chicken Recipes

FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Trim off all fat and discoloration, etc. with kitchen shears or a sharp knife from the chicken. Wash under cold water. Put the flour into a plastic bag. While the pieces are still very wet, place them 1 at a time into the flour. Shake the bag to coat each piece. Melt about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of shortening in a pan on medium heat. Shake the bag again to keep the pieces from sticking together.
• When the shortening is melted and very hot, remove the chicken from the bag. Gently shake off the excess flour and lay into the hot fat. When all the pieces are in the pan, cover with a lid and allow to fry about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove cover and check each piece to see how brown it is. When it is lightly golden brown, turn to fry the other side. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to each piece on the browned side. Cover again and allow the other side to brown. Season the second side. At this point, you may remove the cover and continue to fry the chicken to the desired "browness" you prefer. Turn often.
• It should be nicely browned with a very crisp outside and a moist, tender inside. You may want to reduce the heat a little after you have browned the second side. Boneless, skinless chicken cooks much faster than meat with the bone in. Place the fried pieces on a wire rack covered with a paper towel to drain off the excess grease. For best flavor and texture, serve about 7 to 10 minutes after you remove from the pan.

HOOSIER FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken sit in refrigerator overnight. When ready to fry, roll pieces in mixture of flour, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Heat ¼ inch of cooking oil in cast iron skillet until bubbly. Lower the heat slightly and put in pieces of chicken. Cook to a golden brown, turning often to brown evenly and to prevent sticking. When all the pieces are golden brown, add water, cover tightly and cook slowly in a moderate oven at 325 F for 40 minutes until fork tender. Remove lid and cook chicken 5 minutes to re-crisp the coating. The chicken has an extra special flavor when oil is seasoned with approximately 1 t. of bacon drippings.

FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl or baking dish, whisk together 1 quart of the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 teaspoons of chile de arbol powder, or hot sauce, and a little bit of pepper, if desired. Add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl. Stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika, and 2 teaspoons chile de arbol powder (or cayenne) in a large bowl. Divide flour mixture among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper. Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess. Put the chicken pieces on a piece of waxed paper or on a clean platter while you heat the oil.
• Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot.
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix the buttermilk, sugar, salt, and hot sauce until combined. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Remove the chicken from the buttermilk marinade and pat completely dry. Place the chicken on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before frying.
• For the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and chile de arbol until combined. Slowly whisk in the water and whisk until smooth. Let the batter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large Dutch oven. Transfer half the chicken into the batter. Remove the chicken, 1 piece at a time, from the batter (allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl) and carefully transfer to the oil. Fry the chicken, adjusting the burner as necessary to maintain the oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees F, until deep golden brown and just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Drain the chicken on paper towels and then transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and season with a little fine sea salt. Bring the oil back to 350 degrees F and repeat with the remaining chicken.

HOOSIER FARM FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Wash chicken, trim loose parts and fat off.
• In a medium size bowl, beat the egg with the water. Put flour into 1 gallon zip lock bag. Season the flour with the house seasoning. Dip the chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour mixture.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot or cast iron Dutch Oven. Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil. To save cook time, partially precook chicken in 350 F oven for 20 minutes before "wash & flour".
• Fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer then white meat. It should take dark meat about 13 to 14 minutes, white meat around 8 to 10 minutes.
• House Seasoning is MAdCity Dale's Luv seasoning #520519.

BEST-EVER FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk egg, milk and lemon juice until blended. Dip chicken in flour mixture to coat all sides; shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, then again in flour mixture., In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time, 6-10 minutes on each side or until skin is golden brown and juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.

SOUTHERN LIVING'S BEST FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine 1 tablespoon salt with 3 quarts water in a large bowl or container. Add chicken, cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse with cold water and pat dry.
• Stir together remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Sprinkle half the mixture evenly over chicken.
• In a large sealable plastic bag, combine remaining pepper mixture and flour. Add 2 pieces chicken to bag and shake well to coat. Remove chicken pieces, shaking off extra flour, and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Take a large (10- or 12-inch) cast-iron skillet or chicken fryer, for which you have a lid, and fit with a candy or deep-frying thermometer. Add oil and bacon drippings and heat to 360 degrees over medium heat; the oil will ripple and possibly give off a few wisps of smoke.
• Using tongs, immediately add chicken pieces, skin side down (work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding pan). The oil will drop to about 325 degrees, where it should stay; adjust heat so that oil is bubbling gently around the pieces. Cover and cook 6 minutes; uncover and cook 9 minutes. Turn chicken pieces; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook another 5 to 9 minutes, depending on size of pieces. If necessary for even browning, turn pieces over a few times toward the end.
• Drain on paper towels or paper bags. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.