Summertime invokes several memories for me. One being fried chicken at picnics. I love fried chicken any how, any way. I am intrigued by the following recipe. I have had so many “a-ha” moments with this recipe!
Real Fried Chicken On A Gas Grill
Poultry
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 1 hr, 40 min | Servings: 10 pieces, 2 servings
Description:
Info above includes 1 hour of marinating time.
SPECIAL TOOLS A large heavy Dutch oven (4-quart or larger), frying thermometer (although you can make just about any handheld digital thermometer work), protective gloves, tongs, a spider or slotted spatula like the one in the image on page 94. I prefer to do this on a gas grill, but it can be done in a charcoal grill.
Ingredients:
1 cup dill pickle brine (or 1 cup distilled white vinegar with 3 tablespoons Morton Coarse Kosher Salt)
1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 teaspoons French Rub (page 167)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups neutral-tasting vegetable oil (or enough to fill the Dutch oven to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches)
Directions:
1 MARINATE. If you are not using pickle juice, make the brine by mixing the vinegar and salt. Cut the chicken into 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, and 2 breasts, and cut the breasts in half so they are about the same size as the thighs. Instructions for breaking down a bird are on page 263. Pour the brine into a large zipper bag or a bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Put the chicken in there and let it soak for an hour or two.
2 SEASON. Sprinkle the French Rub and baking powder on the bird. I have no idea why so many recipes tell you to season the flour with salt and spices and not the bird. If you season the flour, you can’t control how much salt and spices get on the bird. It’s also a waste because you never use all the flour. Also, salt in the breading can degrade the oil.
3 DUNK. Pour the cornstarch and flour into a 1-gallon plastic bag and mix. Drop the wet chicken pieces one at a time into the bag and shake to coat thoroughly. Take it out and put it on a sheet pan. Designate a dry hand and a wet hand. Put the dry hand behind your back and with the wet hand, one at a time, dunk the chicken pieces back in the brine, and back into the flour bag, coating thoroughly. Shake off the excess. Place the chicken back on the sheet pan.
OPTIONAL. For super shaggy coating, add another bowl to the process. In it put the same amount of dredge as above and lightly mix it with 1/4 cup brine. This makes it lumpy. Tack on the lumps by hand. They stick to the chicken and make crunchy shards.
4 FIRE UP. Set up your grill for 2-zone cooking.
5 Add about 1 1/2 inches oil to a large Dutch oven. You don’t want the oil any deeper because you want some of the meat in contact with the hot metal on the bottom of the pot and some of it above the oil. Leaving some of the chicken above the oil allows steam to escape and that helps prevent the steam from knocking off the crust. Put the pot on the hot side, close the lid on the grill, and bring the oil temperature to about 375°F (stir the oil before taking its temperature). If it goes higher, dial down the gas or move the pot off the flames onto the indirect side. At lower temperatures the coating can absorb too much oil. But don’t worry: The oil can’t enter the meat. Food is mostly water and the steam coming out does a good job of keeping the food from getting greasy.
6 STAY SAFE. When you add cold food that is 75% water, it immediately creates steam, and that’s what all that bubbling is. Use longhandled tongs. Slide the chicken in slowly so it doesn’t go nuts and splash you and so the exterior has a few seconds to firm up. This keeps the pieces from sticking together. Handle hot oil with respect. Keep children and pets away. Wear an apron or clothes you don’t mind getting a little grease on. I find it’s a good idea to wear my glasses.
7 DON’T CROWD THE OIL. Cold chicken really knocks the dickens out of 375°F oil all the way down to 300°F or so. If you are frying in batches, let the oil come back up to temp before putting in more food. You want it 350°F minimum. Close the lid of the grill, but don’t put a lid on the pot. After 4 minutes you can look at the bottoms of each piece. When they are Golden Brown and Delicious (GBD), flip them over. After you flip they should take another 4 to 5 minutes. Let the color of the crust, not the meat temperature, decide when to take it out of the oil.
8 GBD. Remove the chicken pieces from the oil when they are GBD all over, and put them on the indirect side of the grill. Sprinkle with salt. If you probe the meat you may learn that it is not 160°F yet. But if you pull it out when it is the perfect color and place it on the rack in the indirect side, when you close the lid it will continue to bake to perfection without burning the crust. Then temp it before serving it.
9 KEEP THE OIL CLEAN. Skim off bits and chunks that come off the food. When the oil gets cloudy, time to change. Now add more chicken to the oil and close the lid of the grill.
10 Place on a wire rack or paper towels to drain and then serve.
Notes:
ABOUT PICKLE BRINE. You want the brine from classic dill pickles. Nothing sweet.
NO BUTTERMILK OR EGGS. Practically every Southern chef either marinates or dips chicken in buttermilk or eggs before the flour. I explain why on page 175. The problem is that they tend to make the crust turn brown when fried, before the meat is cooked through. It then must go into an oven to finish cooking to a safe temperature. Personally, I think fried chicken should be golden, not brown. But just about any acid can have the same effect on protein as buttermilk. A quick soak in pickle juice, vinegar, or lemon juice has the same effect and creates better flavor without the browning. With vinegar, the meat gets a nice tang reminiscent of salt and vinegar potato chips. Try pickle juice. You get the tenderizing of vinegar and the flavor and moisture benefits of salt. Trust me. Fried chicken works fine without the buttermilk.
ABOUT EVERCRISP. Many restaurants use a product called EverCrisp for fried chicken. It makes dredges and batters crunchier and keeps it crunchy longer. It’s a powder made from a starch called wheat dextrin,that’s all. Just substitute it for 20% of the flour/cornstarch mix.
SERVE WITH. I like to put salt on the table in case someone wants more. I also like to put some things on the table to drizzle on. Honey is traditional in the South. Sweet vs. salty is a natural combo. Why not Hot Honey? You can put out some barbecue sauce, but my personal favorite is Thai Sweet Chile Sauce (page 200).
Source: The Meathead Method Cookbook
Real Fried Chicken On A Gas Grill
Poultry
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 1 hr, 40 min | Servings: 10 pieces, 2 servings
Description:
Info above includes 1 hour of marinating time.
SPECIAL TOOLS A large heavy Dutch oven (4-quart or larger), frying thermometer (although you can make just about any handheld digital thermometer work), protective gloves, tongs, a spider or slotted spatula like the one in the image on page 94. I prefer to do this on a gas grill, but it can be done in a charcoal grill.
Ingredients:
1 cup dill pickle brine (or 1 cup distilled white vinegar with 3 tablespoons Morton Coarse Kosher Salt)
1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 teaspoons French Rub (page 167)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups neutral-tasting vegetable oil (or enough to fill the Dutch oven to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches)
Directions:
1 MARINATE. If you are not using pickle juice, make the brine by mixing the vinegar and salt. Cut the chicken into 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, and 2 breasts, and cut the breasts in half so they are about the same size as the thighs. Instructions for breaking down a bird are on page 263. Pour the brine into a large zipper bag or a bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Put the chicken in there and let it soak for an hour or two.
2 SEASON. Sprinkle the French Rub and baking powder on the bird. I have no idea why so many recipes tell you to season the flour with salt and spices and not the bird. If you season the flour, you can’t control how much salt and spices get on the bird. It’s also a waste because you never use all the flour. Also, salt in the breading can degrade the oil.
3 DUNK. Pour the cornstarch and flour into a 1-gallon plastic bag and mix. Drop the wet chicken pieces one at a time into the bag and shake to coat thoroughly. Take it out and put it on a sheet pan. Designate a dry hand and a wet hand. Put the dry hand behind your back and with the wet hand, one at a time, dunk the chicken pieces back in the brine, and back into the flour bag, coating thoroughly. Shake off the excess. Place the chicken back on the sheet pan.
OPTIONAL. For super shaggy coating, add another bowl to the process. In it put the same amount of dredge as above and lightly mix it with 1/4 cup brine. This makes it lumpy. Tack on the lumps by hand. They stick to the chicken and make crunchy shards.
4 FIRE UP. Set up your grill for 2-zone cooking.
5 Add about 1 1/2 inches oil to a large Dutch oven. You don’t want the oil any deeper because you want some of the meat in contact with the hot metal on the bottom of the pot and some of it above the oil. Leaving some of the chicken above the oil allows steam to escape and that helps prevent the steam from knocking off the crust. Put the pot on the hot side, close the lid on the grill, and bring the oil temperature to about 375°F (stir the oil before taking its temperature). If it goes higher, dial down the gas or move the pot off the flames onto the indirect side. At lower temperatures the coating can absorb too much oil. But don’t worry: The oil can’t enter the meat. Food is mostly water and the steam coming out does a good job of keeping the food from getting greasy.
6 STAY SAFE. When you add cold food that is 75% water, it immediately creates steam, and that’s what all that bubbling is. Use longhandled tongs. Slide the chicken in slowly so it doesn’t go nuts and splash you and so the exterior has a few seconds to firm up. This keeps the pieces from sticking together. Handle hot oil with respect. Keep children and pets away. Wear an apron or clothes you don’t mind getting a little grease on. I find it’s a good idea to wear my glasses.
7 DON’T CROWD THE OIL. Cold chicken really knocks the dickens out of 375°F oil all the way down to 300°F or so. If you are frying in batches, let the oil come back up to temp before putting in more food. You want it 350°F minimum. Close the lid of the grill, but don’t put a lid on the pot. After 4 minutes you can look at the bottoms of each piece. When they are Golden Brown and Delicious (GBD), flip them over. After you flip they should take another 4 to 5 minutes. Let the color of the crust, not the meat temperature, decide when to take it out of the oil.
8 GBD. Remove the chicken pieces from the oil when they are GBD all over, and put them on the indirect side of the grill. Sprinkle with salt. If you probe the meat you may learn that it is not 160°F yet. But if you pull it out when it is the perfect color and place it on the rack in the indirect side, when you close the lid it will continue to bake to perfection without burning the crust. Then temp it before serving it.
9 KEEP THE OIL CLEAN. Skim off bits and chunks that come off the food. When the oil gets cloudy, time to change. Now add more chicken to the oil and close the lid of the grill.
10 Place on a wire rack or paper towels to drain and then serve.
Notes:
ABOUT PICKLE BRINE. You want the brine from classic dill pickles. Nothing sweet.
NO BUTTERMILK OR EGGS. Practically every Southern chef either marinates or dips chicken in buttermilk or eggs before the flour. I explain why on page 175. The problem is that they tend to make the crust turn brown when fried, before the meat is cooked through. It then must go into an oven to finish cooking to a safe temperature. Personally, I think fried chicken should be golden, not brown. But just about any acid can have the same effect on protein as buttermilk. A quick soak in pickle juice, vinegar, or lemon juice has the same effect and creates better flavor without the browning. With vinegar, the meat gets a nice tang reminiscent of salt and vinegar potato chips. Try pickle juice. You get the tenderizing of vinegar and the flavor and moisture benefits of salt. Trust me. Fried chicken works fine without the buttermilk.
ABOUT EVERCRISP. Many restaurants use a product called EverCrisp for fried chicken. It makes dredges and batters crunchier and keeps it crunchy longer. It’s a powder made from a starch called wheat dextrin,that’s all. Just substitute it for 20% of the flour/cornstarch mix.
SERVE WITH. I like to put salt on the table in case someone wants more. I also like to put some things on the table to drizzle on. Honey is traditional in the South. Sweet vs. salty is a natural combo. Why not Hot Honey? You can put out some barbecue sauce, but my personal favorite is Thai Sweet Chile Sauce (page 200).
Source: The Meathead Method Cookbook
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