Fried Chicken...without the greasy smell

Fried Chicken can be one of the tastiest, lip smacking, finger licking best recipes.  However no one likes when the rest of your house smells like it for a week.  If you are interested in doing this recipe and other fried foods, there are two items you'll need to invest in, a splatter guard and a cast iron pan.  I got the splatter guard in stainless steel at SurLaTable for $20.  The cast iron pan (made by Lodge in the USA) was also purchased at SurLaTable for $19.  Using the guard to cover the cast iron pan was great, I wasn't burned once, nor did I have a huge mess to clean up afterwards, just the normal counter top wipe down. 

Now that we've got that covered, on to the recipe.  The key to this recipe is using Crisco Shortening instead of oil.  It doesn't produce the greasy smell nor does it burn unless over heated.  I also found that using a tupperware container with a tight lid to bread the chicken worked really well since it coated the pieces very well and was tossed in the dishwasher so easily cleaned.  Also, buying a fryer/roaster chicken whole and cutting it yourself will save a decent amount of money, since they go for 5 to 7 bucks or so.  Plus knowing how to break up a chicken yourself is a handy skill that can be applied to many recipes.

 Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 cups low fat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• All-Purpose Flour, for dredging
• Crisco Shortening for frying 

Directions

Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Melt enough 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 degrees F. Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees 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.

Enjoy!

- Dan

Comments

[Sandra Shaver]

This basic fried chicken recipe is one of best. I use it alot, it's great.