TDG: Holly v. The Chicken

[Fat Guy]

In which our correspondent endeavors to fry The Chicken.

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[jhlurie]

Holly. Rules.

That is all! Signing off.

[Chad]

Holly, sounds great! Claiborne's recipe is pretty close to the way I do it, but ya gotta use buttermilk. Lactic acid is good, it imparts a slightly tangy flavor. An overnight soak is good because the buttermilk thickens even more. That's the real advantage to buttermilk, the viscosity. Stuff just sticks to it better and your crispy coating doesn't fall off.

I also use a rub of sorts prior to dredging. Just a little garlic powder, cayenne & kosher salt. I sprinkle the rub liberally on the drained chicken then coat with flour. That way the cayenne doesn't burn in the pan.

Just a couple of thoughts for your next frying adventure.

Chad

[Lyle]

Holly, did Claiborne instruct you to spoon the gravy over the chicken, or was that your own doing?

Nice, thorough article Holly. Thanks.

[Rachel Perlow]

Why'd ya choose to use lard & butter when everyone on the original thread seems to say that Crisco shortening is mandatory?

[LEdlund]

Now I want pan fried chicken for dinner!

Great article. A couple of years ago, right before she passed away, my grandmother spent a day teaching me the fine art of pan frying chicken. Reading your article transported me to that time spent in her kitchen. She was a fantastic cook and I'm lucky to have been the recipient of many fine meals of hers.

BTW, used buttermilk too.

[Dave the Cook]

Why'd ya choose to use lard & butter when everyone on the original thread seems to say that Crisco shortening is mandatory?

I think the consensus was that shortening was the best alternative to lard, which is not always available. Fifi summed it up, I think:

In the absence of lard, Crisco rules.

Plus, the Claiborne recipe called for lard and butter.

[pogophiles]

Good job Holly! All I can add is that a brown paper bag works much better for soaking up the grease on fried chicken when you remove it from the pan. And I loved the following as it describes my cooking environment perfectly:

Uncluttered surface areas are scarce real estate anywhere in my house, especially the kitchen. I take a few minutes to load up the dishwasher and otherwise clear-cut sufficient workspace.

Love it!!!

[FoodMan]

Delighted, I wonder if such unanticipated generosity is Whole Foods' policy or is due to the customer service guy's grandfather and I having the same first name.

They are normally very good at stuff like that at Whole Foods. Once when they were out of their 365 Vanilla Ice Cream and could not find any in the back, they happily offered any other ice cream I like free of charge. Another time, when I complained that Vanilla beans were much cheaper at the same store in my last visit a week earlier, they gave it to me for that old price.

I want buttermilk pan fried chicken for dinner too. Great job Holly.

FM

[Rachel Perlow]

My only question regarding the freshness of your chicken is that you bought it first (in June?), then went to another grocery store for a few more supplies, while the chicken sat in your car? Spoilage is not surprising in that situation.

[Lyle]

Huh. In my Whole Foods the only whole chicken is sold from behind the counter; if there were any spoilage, it would be evident when it was weighed and bagged.

[suzilightning]

Why'd ya choose to use lard & butter when everyone on the original thread seems to say that Crisco shortening is mandatory?

rachel-

before my mama started "oven frying" her chicken all she used when doing fried chicken was lard.

course she also made her pie crusts with that geen and white box, too. and she made the best lemon meringe pie ever.....

[snowangel]

before my mama started "oven frying" her chicken all she used when doing fried chicken was lard.

course she also made her pie crusts with that geen and white box, too.  and she made the best lemon meringe pie ever.....

When I was growing up, it was lard (but rendered by the lady at the next farm).

But, the chicken was hand picked and killed by me and my grandmas. Based on size, and "activity," per my grandmother. One wanted a chicken not too big, but not too small, and one not too active. An active chicken, according to grandma, was to be stewed, or roasted.

The buttermilk was unpasturized, from the farm two farms down.

But, this was in a different time and place. Summers in Nebraska in the 60's. Ah....

[suzilightning]

[but, this was in a different time and place.  Summers in Nebraska in the 60's.  Ah....

or the east end of long island - same time frame

[pogophiles]

This thread reminds me of my first job in the kitchen -- being sent to the basement to get a cup of lard from our lardstand (which we rendered the previous fall)...

[EGQuan]

Holly,

I was so inspired by your article, I decided to try to fry a chicken for the first time ever (I only started cooking about 3 years ago). But, I left your instructions at work. So I consulted two or three other cookbooks and ended up with a composite recipe. I also decided to "oven fry" the chicken. It was v. tender and tasty, but a lot more work than my favorite chicken in the oven recipe.

(For anyone interested, my favorite recipe involves a baking dish, some lemon juice, some olive oil, some whole garlic cloves and whatever herbs I have on hand. You set the pieces of chicken on top, cover tighly with foil, bake at 400 for 1 hour and remove the foil to brown for just a few minutes at the end. The chicken is tender and flavorful and you have all that yummy garlic to eat along with. I've done it with all different cuts of chicken and it's almost fool-proof. Also very good option for any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.)

Also, I now have 1/4 gallon of whole milk. I'm thinking of trying kheer, Indian rice pudding. Anybody have a favorite recipe?

Elizabeth

[Holly Moore]

Greetings All

Have been overseas and away from an Internet connection so am catching up on this thread. (Was on an army base helping to film a documentry for the History Channel titled "We Can Make You Talk." This, one of my business ventures will explain Team Delta)

Chad: I'll be hankering for some fried chicken when I return to the US of A, so buttermilk it will be. Garlic powder-cayene-salt rub sounds good too.

Lyle: I doubt Mr. Claiborne had to cover the blemishes like I did. At the same time, there is very little that doesn't benefit from a blanket of pan gravy.

Rachel: Others answered, but Mr. Claiborne requested lard and butter, and I knew what lard did for french fries. So lard and butter it was.

Pogophiles: Good idea re the paper bag, but I didn't want to remove too much grease.

Rachel again: Sitting in the car for an additional hour might have caused it to go sour, but I suspect it was old age. Maybe not.

General Whole Foods Comment: I am not comfortable in healthy, organic environments. I always imagine some mother pointing me out to her child, "See, if you don't eat your tofu and bean sprouts you'll grow up looking like that man."

[Priscilla]

Great article, Holly. I trust Craig Claiborne in all sorts of cooking situations.

I rely on the biscuit recipe from his Southern cookbook you reference, when biscuits are indicated.

[Varmint]

Holly, when you come down in October, I'll make all the biscuits you want!

[Holly Moore]

Holly, when you come down in October, I'll make all the biscuits you want!

Of course you will.

But as they say, "Teach a man to fish...." Not that I want to be taught. I have more fun blundering forth on my own.

With the biscuits both red eye and rich man's gravy please.

[meatman]

Not a bad job on the chicken but here are a few helpful hints, garnered from experience. After soaking the chicken if you insist, season the bird with a blend that contains equal parts of kosher salt, black pepper and paprika. Now dedge in flour that contains the same seasoning blend. lard is ok but not necessary. Make sure that your oil is hot. Test it by dropping a small piece of crumb into the fat to insure that it begins to fry instantly. Carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil. Turn often. One final note, what makes good fried chicken is two things, the above seasononig advice and an absolutely fresh, wholesome and natural chicken. At one time I owned a butcher shop where we fried chicken once a week that was so good people called up to reserve it.