Apparently fried chicken is not study food. I have commenced Stage I of the recently announced Hot Chicken Moonshot, and though the contribution to fatty science was immeasurable, it eradicated my ability to complete schoolwork. (I would still be lying down had it not been for a crucial burp, which was well concealed enough that none of my guests left in a huff.) My approach last night was scattershot, a sampling of three different approaches to determine which is the most deserving of refinement. I started with the Internet, which has provided a surprising lack of opinion on the subject. Something called Uncle Phaedrus offered three suggestions, and I tried out two, in addition to the method that my mother most fancied.
The chicken, therefore, was divided into four groups:
- The Control: No brine, no seasoning beyond regular seasoned flour
- A Hot Sauce Brine: Soaked for two hours in a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot, and tossed in regular seasoned flour
- The 2008 Nashville Hot Chicken Award Winner: Soaked in a salt brine, tossed in plain flour and slathered in a paste made principally from cayenne and lard
- Mom’s Thought: Soaked in a salt brine and tossed in flour heavily seasoned with cayenne
I’ll have those results tomorrow. For now, a few observations on the cooking itself:
- As I observed last week, the most important thing is getting the oil hot enough (somewhere between hot as balls and hot as blazes) to brown the chicken within the first few minutes. Dropping floured chicken in roiling oil ensures a nice color, seals in a lot of the flavor, and makes a lovely noise.
- While the chicken is cooling, it is vital that as much grease be leeched out as possible. The less grease, the more crunch. The more crunch, the more compliments. Paper towels need to be changed before they are fully soaked through.
- Frying a piece of celery with the first batch of chicken seems to help with the golden-browning.
- If you eat five pieces of fried chicken, it will be hard to choke down any mac & cheese.
- Writing a blog entry about fried chicken will make you want to eat more. It is advisable to keep a few pieces in reserve.
Trying to keep four recipes distinct in my mind at the same time I was deftly bantering with my guests made for some sloppiness as regards those first two points. That, and the poor quality of Whole Foods’ expensive chicken, meant that last night’s fare was technically inferior to Wednesday’s batch, which was otherworldly in its crispiness. I will be more careful in the future.
