When I am out on the road, away from home and most of the things that are important to me, there are two things that I inevitably miss, and that could instantly take me there - those are my Family and some good Southern "Soul Food". Somehow, these two ideas meld most on Sundays when my loved ones get together for a big "Family" meal, a meal that can consist of anything from my Dad and I cooking to, some stew that has been stewing on a dreary, cold winter today, to a birthday celebration where the "owner" of the day gets their pick of what we will all be dining on - though each other's company and celebration far outweighs any contents provided on the table that evening. It might sound strange, but when I think "Soul Food" one of the first things I think of is the Dwarf House, one of the original Chick-Fila restaurants. Several of these full service restaurants (nothing like the restaurant chain today) exist in the southern outskirts of Atlanta, and have since 1946 and provide southern fair in much of the same context that they do today, however, the menu was a bit more extensive. For us Atlantans, we are born and bred as Chick-fil-A advocates in much the same way as we are of Coca-Cola, thus to come full circle back to the original context of my rambling, it is on Sundays when I miss my family most and always have the dire need for an often, hungover, chicken biscuit, or midday snack of a chicken sandwich. Thus - I took things into my own hands - I recreated it. The sandwich - everything, and the chicken is pretty damn close. I can tell you one thing. From now on, this is my go to recipe for Fried Chicken..... Almost Fried "Anything", and I am happy to share it with you.
Ingredients for Marinade:
- 1 Cup of Pickle Juice
- 1 tsp. Texas Pete Hot Sauce
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
Ingredients for Fried Chicken:
- 1- 1.5 Pounds Chicken Breast - 3-4 Pieces
- 1 Cup Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 1/4 Cup Buttermilk
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp each of:
- Black Pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Ground Thyme
- Granulated Sugar
For Frying:
- 1 Large Pot
- 2 Qts. Peanut Oil at 350 Degrees
(Do not fill pot more than half full, seeing as when chicken is submerged pot will continue to fill)
Preparation of Fried Chicken:
- Marinate Chicken in pickle juice and hot sauce for atleast 1 hour or up to 6 hours
- When ready to prepare, pat chicken dry and create a battering station - next two steps
- Combine dry ingredients, and sift to ensure there are no lumps in flour and lay evenly in shallow bowl
- In separate bowl, whisk eggs and buttermilk to combine
- Submerge chicken in Egg mixture then evenly coat with flour and set aside, until remaining chicken has been battered
- When all chicken has been battered, and oil has reached 350 Degrees, gentle lay each piece of chicken in oil and cook for 6-8 minutes.
- (if you choose to use assorted dark and light meat chicken, know that dark meat is going to take about 1.5 times as long to cook)
