You're hungry. You're tired. You're cranky. Your kids are whining, your spouse is nagging, and the only thing on the menu is chicken fried chicken (CFC). It's really not that hard to make homemade fried chicken, honey! Just turn on your oven, pop in some baking powder like you would for biscuits or cornbread, mix in flour to help with the gluten-firming effect of wheat flour or all-purpose flour, boil off some of the fat gathered during frying by adding a little extra lard or olive oil to quicken it up even more for crispy goodness...
Throw in some spices for flavor and to get the job done... Tthen toss the bird pieces in some flour, egg, and milk so they can absorb the flavors while still being batter-like enough for frying. And voilà! Fried Chicken! Plus it's ridiculously cheap, too! You know you want to try it. Here's how:
1. Make your own chicken stock. While you're at it, you might as well make your own chicken bacon broth, too. It'll be cheaper than buying them premade and not nearly as delicious (trust me).
This chicken stock recipe is just the thing, especially for fried chicken.
2. Clean out your fridge/freezer of any leftover meats that are not in date. Place the meat on a baking sheet or cutting board and season generously with salt and pepper. Place in freezer to cool completely (about 30 minutes). Toss with flour, egg, and milk (egg white with some whole eggs blended in works well, too).
3. Heat oil (or lard if you can) in your deep fryer over med-high heat to about 360 degrees F (180 C).
Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of deep frying in an electric deep fryer. It's convenient and I understand that it's healthier than frying in lard or oil, but the temperature is very hard to control and unless you have a digital thermometer, it can be quite dangerous. You'll notice that the chicken pieces are not uniformly golden brown. Because of this, you'll get some chicken pieces that are overcooked while others are undercooked, especially if you're dealing with more than one batch of chicken.
4. Take each piece out after it is golden brown (about 10 minutes).
Ingredients
30 saltine crackers
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry potato flakes
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Directions
Step 1 Place crackers in a large resealable plastic bag; seal bag and crush crackers with a rolling pin until they are coarse crumbs. Add the flour, potato flakes, seasoned salt, and pepper and mix well.
Step 2 Beat egg in a shallow dish or bowl. One by one, dredge chicken pieces in egg, then place in bag with crumb mixture. Seal bag and shake to coat.
Step 3 Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 4 Fry chicken, turning frequently, until golden brown and juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.
