Fried Chicken

Ingredients

8 pieces broiler/fryer chicken

2 cups low fat buttermilk

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

2 Tablespoons Hungarian paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Flour, for dredging

Vegetable shortening, for frying

Procedure

Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk

Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours (or as long as you have)

Melt enough Vegetable shortening (over low heat) to come just ¹/₈ inch up the side of a 12 inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan

Once shortening liquefies raise heat to 325°F

Do not allow oil to go over 325°F

Drain chicken in a colander

Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper

Liberally season chicken with this mixture

Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess

Place chicken skin side down into the pan

Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan

Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)

Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. Don't drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags

If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven, especially if it's a gas oven

Yield

4 servings, 2 pieces of chicken each

Date

June 10, 2007

Source

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_15279,00.html
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats, Episode - Fry Hard 2: The Chicken (Fried)

Cook Time

30 minutes