A delicious, tantalizing and simple recipe for southern pan fried chicken. The ultimate comfort food of the south it will remind you of a lakeside picnic.
Fried chicken in the south
Southern fried chicken is something that most southerners grew up with. There was a time that it adorn the dinner tables of many in the south at least two or three times a month if not more. I remember watching my mother and grandmother make some of the prettiest fried chicken that I have ever seen in heavy cast iron skillets. As a kid (all of eight years old) I thought you had to be really strong to cook fried chicken because whenever it was my turn to help wash dishes those skillets and Dutch ovens really seemed heavy.
There are many ways and so many different recipes when it comes to fried chicken that no one can claim to be a fried chicken expert. With that being said traditional southern fried chicken might be dipped in egg or marinated in buttermilk (real buttermilk) but it’s never prebaked or boiled nor is it twice fried. Southern fried chicken is just not that complicated as a matter of fact making good fried chicken is rather simple.
Start with good oil
To fry chicken you should choose oils with a high smoke point, such as vegetable shortening, canola oil, lard or peanut oil. Oils such as these will allow you to fry batches of chicken without creating a bitter or burned taste.
Season both chicken and flour
It is very important to season both chicken and flour. When both are seasoned it will increase the flavor of the fried chicken many times over. Use the best seasonings that you can afford it makes a difference in fried chicken.
This is a delicious, tantalizing and simple recipe for southern pan fried chicken. It will remind you of the chicken that comes from some of your favorite chicken restaurants, every bit as good. The ultimate comfort food of the south.
If you are the type that like to add a little salt or your own secret house seasoning as in comes out of the frying pan well, that’s okay just always make sure to do so while fried chicken is still hot.
You will see that the cook time on this southern fried chicken is 30 minutes. That is because when pan frying chicken you will usually have to cook the fried chicken in two batches.
Southern Pan Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
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Clean chicken pieces under cold running water, then soak for at least one hour in 2 quarts of water with 1tbsps of salt added. Remove from water and pat dry with paper towels and place in a bowl.
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Add egg to chicken, then season with half of the seasoning, mix well. Combine the flour and remainder of seasonings in a paper or heavy plastic bag. Add chicken pieces 2 or 3 at a time and shake until well coated.
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Put the oil in a heavy skillet deep enough to hold chicken pieces and heat to a temperature of 360 degrees. Fry the chicken uncovered for a total of 12 minutes for white meat (6 minutes on each side and 14 minutes for dark meat, (7 minutes on each side) turning with tongs once during frying for even browning.
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Remove from the pan, drain on paper towels, let rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Serving Size 5oz
Servings 10
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 377
- Calories from Fat 188
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 21g33%
- Saturated Fat 5.7g29%
- Cholesterol 126mg42%
- Sodium 118mg5%
- Potassium 328mg10%
- Total Carbohydrate 4.4g2%
- Dietary Fiber 1.1g5%
- Protein 40g80%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
For pan frying your oil should be high enough to cover half of the chickens thickness.
If you find heat is too high, turn it down and turn the chicken, even if the other side has cooked long enough. It is better to turn for a minute or two than burn it. When you do this you let both sides of the chicken share in the high heat.
