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Maryland Chicken Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Fried" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"In Maryland, these crispy biscuits are called chicken biscuits, for the simple reason that they're traditionally shallow-fried in some of the same fat used to fry chicken — but at a higher temperature. If frying in batches, do make sure that the temperature of the oil remains at 375° F to avoid greasy biscuits, and by no means fry the biscuits for longer than 5 minutes total. When frying these biscuits, I might well add 1 or 2 tablespoons of bacon grease to the oil for wonderful additional flavor."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 3 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 3 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
â—¦ ¾ cup buttermilk
â—¦ Vegetable oil for shallow frying


Recipe

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, add the shortening, and rub with your
fingertips till the mixture is mealy. Gradually add the buttermilk, stirring with a wooden spoon till the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and turn the edges toward the middle, pressing with your hands. Press the dough out about ¼ inch thick and cut straight down with a 1 ½-inch biscuit cutter into rounds. Gather up the scraps, press the dough out again, and cut out more rounds.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat about 1 inch of oil to 375° F on a deep-fat thermometer, add the biscuits in batches, and fry till evenly browned, about 2 minutes on each side, turning one with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Makes about 16 biscuits