Making Great Fried Chicken Recipes

Posted by Christine Szalay-Kudra on July 19, 2010

Warm weather for many of us means thoughts of summer, great weather, and memories of homemade fried chicken. If you love this dish, but have not had much luck recreating Grandma’s secret recipe, you could benefit from these cooking tips.

You can decide to make your fried chicken the Sunday dinner main course, along with gravy and biscuits, or take cold fried chicken on a picnic with coleslaw. This tasty meal has a lot of memories associated with it, and for many people, there is only one way to make truly fantastic fried chicken. However, all good chicken has a few things in common, including juicy moist meat, a crispy breading that is not too greasy, and taste great.

There are a few aspects that are vital to making any batch of southern fried chicken a success. One of them is being sure you cut the tips off the wings to the last joint. No one really eats them, and wing tips are good for chicken stock later on. If you take them off now, you do not have to worry as much about crowding the chicken in the pan.

The amount of space the chicken pieces have in the pan is extremely important. They can touch, but should not be crowded. A twelve inch diameter skillet or more is important, and it should be made of a heavy material such as cast iron or heavy steel that will retain heat effectively.

Many people use cooking oil, but melted shortening is some people’s go-to fat for frying chicken. No matter what fat you use, make sure it has a high smoke point and does not come to a temperature that is too high or low. Too high and the oil smokes and the outside cooks before the inside. Too low and the chicken will be greasy and take a long time to fry.

Usually, your pan should contain more than a half inch of oil, but less than a full inch, a quantity that works well for other recipes fried in the same style as chicken, as well as southern fried chicken recipes. Do not use too little oil or the sides will not cook correctly.

Flouring the chicken can be done by putting your chicken into a paper bag that is strong enough to hold it and dropping it in just a few pieces at a time. Shake the bag and the chicken is well coated. This method is not messy and coats the chicken well.

The shallow dish method of coating the chicken involves putting spices and flour into a dish, like a pie pan, and coating them by rolling them in the flour, instead. This is a messier method that lets you see what you are doing a little better.

Remember that the amount of chicken you work with should correspond to the recipe – three pounds at a time is common. You will want to trim excess skin and fat before cooking. People who use boneless chicken, boneless skinless chicken, or who trim all the skin will need to cook their chicken for less time than those using bone-in chicken or frying an entire bird. No matter what you do, take care and pay attention and you will get great fried chicken to match those old summer memories.

Need some tasty fried chicken recipes? If you do you will want to come where everyone goes to get there fried chicken needs filled, SouthernFriedChickenRecipe.com.

Grilling Chicken For The Best Results

Posted by Christine Szalay-Kudra on July 5, 2010

Chicken is an incredibly versatile meat, and it only gets better when the weather starts getting warmer and you can break out the grill. We are always ready for a break from the usual stir-fried, pot pie, and baked methods of cooking by that point, so grilling is a welcome change. It does not matter whether you favor charcoal or gas. A great grilled chicken is the same everywhere.

Birds that have been grilled well have a crisp, burnished skin, and are never burnt on the outside or raw on the inside. The meat is moist and juicy, and the flavor will be lightly tinged with smoke. Do not expect good grilled meat to be underdone in the middle or dry. Having trouble attaining this ideal? Here are a few tips that could help you fix the problem.

There are multiple ways to prepare grilled chicken recipes, from use of different cuts to various glazes, marinades, and rubs. No matter what recipe you are using, you can adapt it to create a delicious result. Just make sure you follow a few simple rules to turn out tender, moist meat with a crisp, delicious skin.

Depending on what part of the bird you are cooking, you will need the right grill temperature and cooking time to make sure that it turns out well. That is because poultry is much less forgiving and offers less leeway when cooking with too much heat than beef or pork. Both of those meats have a lot more fat, and their fattiness helps preserve moisture, even when the heat gets too high.

You need to think about the temperature the bird is on the inside, since it dries out pretty quickly above the minimum safe temperature for this meat. One option that can be a big help is buying an instant read meat thermometer and keeping it close to hand while you are grilling. This is a particularly good idea for large, bone-in cuts that can be hard to predict and have wide temperature variances.

You might have to take a few tries to figure out the timing of the grilling process, but there are lots of simple grilled chicken recipes out there that you can use and work with, so you will probably eat fairly well while you are working it out. This learning process is one you are going to look forward to and is easier than you think to achieve.

If you will be grilling a whole bird, you will need to butterfly it so that it will cook evenly throughout. This is best on birds that are between three and four pounds. You use sharp shears to remove the backbone of the bird, then press firmly on the breastbone to flatten it for even cooking.

There are, of course, options for people who do not want to deal with the extra hassle of bone-in pieces or whole birds. Choose boneless breasts and thighs for even quicker grilling times. Just remember that they are thin and consistent in texture, making them easy to overcook. Carefully watching these pieces and staying attentive is the secret to getting great boneless chicken on the grill.

There are so many leek recipes you can make. A classic is leek and potato soup. This is a rich, hearty thick soup that will keep you warm in the winter. The mild onion flavor is a great addition to the rest of the dish.