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New Orleans-Style Fried Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "Kevin Belton's Big Flavors of New Orleans"


Recipe Introduction

"Crunchy. Moist. Flavor. Done right ... is New Orleans fried chicken. All this wonderful flavor is simple and good."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 (3 ½-pound) fryer chicken
â—¦ Salt and pepper, to taste
â—¦ 1 egg, slightly beaten
â—¦ 1 cup half-and-half
â—¦ 1 cup water
â—¦ ½ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 3 tablespoons Creole seasoning
â—¦ Vegetable oil
â—¦ ½ cup chopped parsley
â—¦ Dill pickles


Recipe

Cut up your fryer, rinse, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Whisk egg in a bowl large enough to dip chicken pieces. Add half-and-half, water, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Combine flour with Creole seasoning in a separate bowl and set aside.

Dip chicken pieces in seasoned flour. Dip in egg mixture. Coat thoroughly. Set all pieces aside. (Just before placing chicken in skillet, dip again in dry seasoning and immediately place in the pan. This keeps the coating from sliding off. If that happens, the crunchy outer layer will not form as gloriously!)

Heat oil in a large skillet, place chicken in hot oil, and brown on all sides. If oil is popping too much outside of the pan, reduce the heat a bit. Cook thoroughly, about 10 to 12 minutes until outer layer is crisp. Garnish with parsley and serve with pickles.

Serves 4





• Tips and Suggestions:

It's very important to coat the chicken dry, wet, and then dry. You get the very best results. You can also season the chicken the night before and refrigerate as cold as possible. The chicken will fry better cold. If you have a deep fryer, it is a great way to get solid results. If you are using a skillet, you want to start with about an inch of oil and place the big pieces, breast and thighs, in the skillet first, careful not to overcrowd the skillet. If you need to add more oil during the cooking process, that is fine. Just make sure you allow the oil to heat to heat up before adding the next batch of chicken. Also, turn the pieces every couple of minutes as it just helps the cooking process and keeps the chicken from overcooking.