Trisha Yearwoods Fried Chicken Recipes

GWEN'S FRIED CHICKEN BY TRISHA YEARWOOD

Steps:

• Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl and cover with water. Sprinkle salt in the water, cover the bowl, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight, up to 24 hours.
• Pour oil into an electric frying pan or deep, heavy skillet. Heat the oil to 375°F. Check the temperature by sprinkling flour over the oil. If the flour sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
• Drain the water from the chicken and pat lightly with paper towels. Sprinkle each piece with pepper and coat with flour (you may not use all of the flour). Carefully place chicken in the hot oil. Cover the pan and open the vent to allow a small amount of steam to escape.Partially cover pan if no there is no vent on lid. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cover. Using tongs, turn each piece of chicken. Replace the cover and cook for 15 minutes more, or until done. Use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to check for doneness by slicing a drumstick to the bone. Neither the meat nor the juices should be pink. Drain the chicken on paper towels.

PICKLE-BRINED FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Drain the juice from the jars of pickles into a baking dish or bowl. Add the chicken and flip to coat. Let brine, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Fill a Dutch oven halfway with oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 320 degrees F.
• In 3 bowls or baking dishes, set up a breading station. In the first dish, mix the flour with the salt, paprika and pepper. In the second dish, mix the hot sauce, mustard and eggs. Put the cracker crumbs in the third dish.
• Dredge each chicken piece first in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, then in the crackers. Place the breaded chicken pieces in the oil a few at a time. Don't overcrowd the pan; the pieces should not be touching in the oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until the chicken is a deep golden brown and fully cooked to 165 degrees F when checked with a thermometer, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven until ready to serve.

COMPANY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat the chicken breasts in the dressing mix.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the chicken and cook undisturbed until well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken, add the butter to the pan, and cook until the chicken is just golden brown on the reverse side, 3 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large baking dish.
• To the skillet, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Spoon the mushrooms on top of the chicken.
• In a medium saucepan combine the soup, cream cheese and wine. Stir over medium-high heat until well blended and heated through. Pour the sauce over the chicken and mushrooms.
• Bake, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, 1 hour. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a clean surface. Place a piece of the steak on the plastic wrap and top with a second piece of plastic wrap. Using the textured side of a meat mallet, tenderize the steak until it is very thin. Flip and repeat on the other side. Repeat with the remaining pieces of meat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Place 4 cups of the flour in a large bowl or shallow dish. Combine the eggs and 1/4 cup of the milk in a separate bowl. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Flick some flour into the oil; when it sizzles the oil is hot enough. Dredge the steak in the flour, coating both sides and shaking off excess. Dip in the milk and then again in the flour. Fry the steak, a few pieces at a time, until the edges turn golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Pour the cooking grease into a heatproof bowl or measuring cup. Without cleaning the skillet, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the drippings to the skillet, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. When the oil is hot, whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup flour until the flour begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining 2 cups milk, whisking constantly until the gravy begins to thicken, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the fried steak to a serving plate and drizzle with the gravy.

UN-FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine the buttermilk and hot sauce in a shallow bowl. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper and submerge in the buttermilk mixture.
• Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and a pinch each of salt and black pepper in a shallow dish. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, letting the excess drip off, and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture until evenly coated. Lay the pieces flat on a nonstick baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the chicken until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Divide the chicken among 4 plates and squeeze the lemon over the chicken.

GWEN'S FRIED CHICKEN WITH MILK GRAVY

Steps:

• For the chicken: Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl and cover them with water. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons salt in the water, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. When you soak the chicken overnight in salt brine, the salt infuses into the meat and makes it so tasty!
• Pour oil into an electric frying pan or deep, heavy skillet to a 1-inch depth and heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Check the temperature by sprinkling flour over the oil. If the flour sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
• Drain the water from the chicken, sprinkle each piece with some salt and pepper, and coat the pieces with flour, shaking off any excess. Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil. Place the cover on the pan, leaving a small opening for steam to escape. Cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove the cover and, using tongs, turn each piece of chicken. Replace the cover and cook for 15 minutes more, or until done. Use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to check for doneness by slicing a drumstick to the bone. Neither the meat nor the juices should be pink. Drain the chicken on paper towels and keep warm.
• For the gravy: Spoon about 4 tablespoons of oil that the chicken was fried in plus the brown bits into a medium skillet. Over medium heat, sprinkle in the flour and cook while whisking, until the flour is browned, about 1 minute.
• Slowly stir in the milk and cook until the gravy thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the chicken.

FRIED CHICKEN WITH BLACK PEPPER GRAVY

Steps:

• For the chicken: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, paprika, garlic and onion powders, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce and vinegar in a second bowl.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Line a second baking sheet with a cooling rack.
• Place the chicken on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper.
• Working with one hand dedicated to the flour mixture and one hand dedicated to the buttermilk, dredge the chicken thoroughly in the flour mixture. Shake each piece individually to make sure it is fully coated and any excess flour is released. Place in the buttermilk mixture and toss gently to coat. Place the chicken back into the flour mixture to dredge again. Remove from the flour mixture and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. (Reserve flour mixture.)
• Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable shortening to the skillet and heat until melted. Once all the shortening has turned to liquid, add oil to the skillet until it comes up 1 inch from the rim. Attach a deep-frying thermometer to the skillet and preheat the oil to 350 degrees F.
• Carefully add half the chicken to the oil. This will cause the temperature to decrease, so adjust the heat to maintain 325 degrees F. Fry the chicken, flipping only once halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat, avoiding bone, registers 170 degrees F, 14 to 18 minutes. Remove the chicken to the cooling rack. Sprinkle with kosher salt and set aside; fry the remaining chicken.
• For the gravy: Transfer 1/4 cup of the frying oil to another cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the flour mixture used to dredge the chicken. Cook until a smooth paste is formed, 2 to 3 minutes. While whisking continuously, pour in the milk. Simmer until the sauce thickens and can easily coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pour the gravy over the fried chicken.