Before this fried chicken, I’d made one recipe out of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc cookbook.
It was his chicken pot pie recipe, funny enough. You may recall that pot pie is Daniel’s favorite, so of course I had to try it. There were things involved like boiling carrots, celery, and potatoes in separate pots with exactly 8 peppercorns in each … things I would never ordinarily do – but I did, because Thomas Keller said so.
It sounds fussy, and it probably is, but that’s not what Thomas Keller’s all about. What he is about is precise cooking methods in an effort to bring every ingredient to its very best possible potential. And while I can’t say that that chicken pot pie was the best I’ve ever made – my heart still belongs to Ina on that one – I am proud to say that this is the best fried chicken I’ve ever made.
It’s also the only fried chicken I’ve ever made.
But, allow me to say this: I can’t imagine ever making fried chicken another way. How ’bout that statement … bold enough for you?
In other news, this chicken made me do a happy dance. And … it’s on video. You can now officially watch me do a happy dance in my kitchen – it’s only fair, it does happen often enough that you fully deserve to see it – and I can now officially be embarrassed.
I kid. Lord knows it’s gonna take more than that to ruffle these feathers!
This fried chicken is better than anything I could ever imagine myself making. It might be news to some of you that you can even make fried chicken without a deep fryer … yes, please – and thank you! You sure can. Anyone can make this chicken, provided you have a few things on hand, such as: a digital food scale (to measure salt … it’s true), a VERY large pot or two, the ability to think 2 days ahead of your meal (you may need to set your alarm at 3am for a certain reason if you’re as crazy as I am – watch the video to find out why!) …
… annnnnd that’s it. That’s all you need. Seriously. I promise you that if I can make fried chicken on my first shot with THE sickest, crispiest crust ever and a juicy, flavor-packed interior you couldn’t have dreamed up if you tried, SO. CAN. YOU.
And you really can’t argue with me, because I made poor Daniel follow me around in our kitchen, camera in hand, on Memorial Day weekend a video to prove it.
“Enjoy! If you do watch my silly video and even remotely enjoy it for, like, half-a-second or more, please be a doll and give it a thumbs-up on YouTube or share it with a friend. THANK YOU! Your support means the world. ” xxSAS
This recipe is part of my Southern {Summer} Charm dinner party menu. Click here to get it! Planning Tip: Make brine 2 days in advance. Fry chicken 2 hours prior to guests’ arrival. Rewarm in hot oven prior to serving.
- 5 lemons, halved
- 12 bay leaves
- 1 bunch (4 ounces) fresh parsley
- 1 bunch (1 ounce) thyme
- ¼ cup clover honey
- 1 head garlic, halved through the equator
- ¼ cup black peppercorns
- 2 cups (10 ounces) Diamond Crystal kosher salt {if you use another brand, you’ll need a digital scale to measure}
- 2 gallons water
- Two 2-1/2 to 3-pound chickens
- Peanut or canola oil for deep-frying
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup onion powder
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Fleur de Sel or other fine sea salt
- Rosemary and thyme sprigs for garnish
- Two days before cooking, make the brine: Combine ingredients through the water in a large pot. (You may need to use 2 pots, if you don’t have one that will fit 2 gallons of water, like I did – or, you can try cutting the brine recipe in half. If you go this route, I would keep everything the same except for the salt and the water, which could both be cut in half). Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring until salt dissolves. Allow brine to come to room temperature and refrigerate overnight.
- hours before cooking, brine the chicken: Cut each chicken into 10 pieces (or have your butcher do this for you, which is what I did) and place the pieces into the cold brine. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. (No more or the chicken could become too salty).
- to 2 hours before cooking, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse to remove any herbs or debris. Lay out on paper towels to air dry.
- minutes before cooking, fill a large pot (at least 6 inches deep) with at least 2 inches oil – but don’t fill the pot more than ⅓ of the way up. Heat until it reaches 320 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, grab 3 large bowls. Pour the buttermilk into one, and the flour through the black pepper into another. Stir to combine the dry ingredients, and divide half into the last remaining bowl.
- Grab 2 baking sheets. Line one with parchment paper – this will be used to place the chicken as you’re dredging, and one with a cooling rack – this will be used to drain the chicken after frying.
- Time to get rolling! Dredge the thighs into the first bowl of seasoned flour; dip in the buttermilk, gently shaking off excess; dredge in the second bowl of seasoned flour. Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining thighs.
- Carefully lower all 4 thighs into the oil. Fry for 2 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to hold the correct temperature. Move the pieces gently, turning them so that they brown evenly, and cook for another 11 to 12 minutes until the chicken is deep golden brown and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, coat the drumsticks and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Remove the thighs carefully and place on the cooling rack, skin-side-up (this allows the fat to drain and prevents greasy chicken). Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel or fine sea salt. Fry the drumsticks in the same manner, taking care that the oil remains at the correct temperature. When the drumsticks are done, remove them and lean them meat-side-up against the thighs. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel.
- Turn the heat up so that the oil reaches 340 degrees F. Meanwhile, coat the breasts and the wings. Lower the breasts into the oil and fry for 7 minutes. Remove to the rack, skin-side-up. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel. Fry the wings for 6 minutes; transfer to the rack and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel.
- Turn off the heat and drop the herb sprigs into the hot oil. Let them sizzle for 10 seconds or so, then transfer to the rack.
- Serve chicken on a large platter with herbs. You can rewarm in a 400-degree oven for 5 minutes later if you need to.
Josh will love this!
I think so, too.
Have a great weekend, Maria!
This chicken totally deserves a HAPPY DANCE~ I just did one myself watching how effortlessly you make cooking look. Keep em coming!!!
You are an angel! xxSAS
Just watched your video– you are a natural in front of the camera & the chicken was unreal! Pretty sure I would have loved the bourbon cocktail too
Thank you SO much! And yes, I am absolutely sure you would have loved the bourbon. Wish we could have enjoyed it together!
Great video, it’s been WAY too long since I’ve had this fried chicken…it’s SO good. Quite possibly in the top 3 best things I’ve ever eaten =)
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Mmm Mmmm Mmmm! Looks so good! Love the happy dance! Too cute
Crazy how good this looks..and how complicated! You say its not but I guess its the length of the prep that seems time consuming? But then again, what lengths wouldn’t one go to for crispy, fried chicken. YUMMO!
Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Suzell! I think the it’s the length of instructions that makes it seem complicated, but it’s not – just detailing the steps, repeating the coating process with the different chicken parts, etc. For me, the most difficult part was the brine, since I don’t have a pot that big (which is why I think cutting it in half would be a good option). Hopefully, the video showed you that the rest is pretty easy.
This looks so amazing! I have the Ad Hoc cook book but haven’t made the fried chicken yet. I am definitely going to now!
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You did SUCH a great job on the video, I need to get in the kitchen and make me some fried chicken, like, SOON!!!! AND, I need peach infused bourbon!!! In fact, wanna just invite me over next time you make this meal? Cool, thanks!
Thanks so much, Julia! I agree, you definitely need some peach-infused bourbon in your life. I have a little secret … I actually made a double-batch, and the 2nd one’s waiting for us in the freezer. Come on over!
xxSAS
You are amazing. I love every recipe you do.
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I have GOT to get there one day…until then, I will definitely be trying this to tide me over
XOXO
http://TheSquishyMonster.com
Fried chicken is great, but fat and messy. Why not bake it in a way that it tastes like fried? Here’s how I do just that;
You can use any chicken pieces, (even works with fish, and pork chops).
What you’ll need is a box of Kelloggs corn flake crumbs,(these are sold in the market near the bread crumbs), some milk and some melted butter.
Wash the chicken, drain, dip in milk and roll in corn flake crumbs place on a cookie sheet on drizzle with the melted butter. Bake in the oven at 350 for about an hour or until done.
Thank you for sharing, Wendy! I totally agree, baked “fried” chicken is great … definitely a close second to the real thing.
One of the best fried chicken I made. This recipe and chicken wings are like man-candy!I dont have a lot of big pots for brining as well so I use a large ziplock bag and it works great too.
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Hi I just wanted to ask you one thing. I have made this before, straight from the book itself. The only problem I had was that after everything was said and done, and I had a mound of amazing smelling and looking fried chicken, I couldn’t eat it. It was inedible! I LOVE SALT! And this was waaaay too salty. My wife was so pissed off at me, I had made her wait for dinner, and when finally served, she also was unable to eat it. Really unfortunate considering how much time and money went into it.
Now, the question. Almost. I am a competent cook, and I know how to follow a recipe. That being said, I did as the recipe told, no diversions. Brined for the correct amount of time, added the right amount of salt, even the brand specified, to the spice mix for the dredging and everything.
My only idea is to either try again with fingers crossed, or would you suggest maybe a shorter brining time. Told you I had a question! I was thinking that a couple of hours wouldn’t make that big a difference, so I was going to cut it in half. I just worry that it won’t be as juicy, and it was juicy, just like it had been cooked in ocean water.
So ya, there it is, I would love to hear any advice from you given that you like the recipe well enough.
Thanks in advance.
Mark, or make sure you dont buy a chicken thats already salted (e.g., kosher chickens)