Fried Chicken

Ingredients

Practice

step 1

In a suitably sized pan, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat until translucent, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Cook the onions and garlic for about 30 seconds, then add 3 tablespoons of kosher salt and remove the sautéed onions and garlic from the pan. Add the rosemary and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the water and lemon, squeezing the juice from the wedges into the water and removing any seeds. Bring the water to a boil, stir to dissolve the salt, remove the pan from the heat, allow the brine to cool, and refrigerate until chilled.

step 2

Place all chicken pieces in a large, sturdy food seal bag. Place the bag in a large bowl for support. Pour the cooled brine and aromatics into the bag. Seal the bag, and if you are placing it in a cookware that is not holding it up, such as a plate, then expel as much air as possible to fully submerge the chicken in the brine. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours, stirring the bag occasionally to redistribute the brine and chicken.

step 3

Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse with cold water, pat dry, and place on a rack or paper towel. It can be placed in a ventilated area for a few minutes to allow the surface to dry.

step 4

Mix the flour, black pepper, paprika, sea salt, cayenne pepper and baking powder in a Ziploc bag. We can also add some cornstarch, which is often used in Asian fried chicken recipes. The combination of flour and corn starch produces the crispiest results. You can substitute corn starch for all flours, or you can try using a similar non-gluten flour or flour blend instead of traditional all-purpose flour. Pour the buttermilk into a bowl.

step 5

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs and water; dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then place in the Ziploc bag that just contained the flour and seasoning, seal the bag and shake to coat well. Scoop the chicken out of the flour and shake off any excess flour. Dip the chicken into the bowl of buttermilk, shake off the excess buttermilk, place the chicken again in the Ziploc bag that just contained the flour and seasoning, shake off the excess flour, and place the processed chicken on a rack for one minute to prepare for frying.

step 6

Fry in a pan over medium heat to 350°F/180°C. Add as many chicken pieces as possible without crowding the pan. Cook the chicken, turning the pieces occasionally, until they are cooked through. The average piece of chicken takes 14 minutes to fry. However, each piece will be different, so be sure to set the internal temperature of each chicken to a minimum of 165°F. White meat will have the highest juiciness at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Dark meat can be cooked to 170-175°F for best texture. Transfer to a clean rack and let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve on a plate garnished with fried rosemary and grated lemon zest.

Key Points：
One of the challenges that people face when making fried chicken is that the crispy skin comes off. There are usually several reasons why this happens. Here are some tips to make sure your breading doesn't come off.

1. When coating the chicken with breadcrumbs and breading, be sure to knock off any excess buttermilk and excess flour.
2. After coating the chicken with the flour mixture, gently tap the chicken to make sure the flour sticks to the buttermilk.
3.Make sure your pan is not too crowded. You want to make sure the chicken doesn't bump into other pieces of chicken that can be knocked off the breading.
4. Only flip the chicken once when frying. The more you fuss with your chicken, the more likely you are to knock off or break some of the crispy coating.