Make the Bread, Buy the Butter - Jennifer Reese [51]
6. When the fat registers about 300 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer, dip the chicken thighs into the first bowl of coating to cover. Dip them into the buttermilk, allowing the excess to run back into the bowl, then dip in the second bowl of coating. Transfer to the parchment-lined pan until all the thighs are coated.
7. When the fat registers 320 degrees F, lower the thighs into the hot fat. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring gently. Cook undisturbed until the chicken is a deep golden brown, about 12 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, coat the chicken drumsticks. You will fry the rest of the chicken just as you did the thighs, starting with the drumsticks, moving to the breast pieces, and finally the wings, letting the fat return to 320 degrees F and adjusting the cooking time so that the smaller pieces fry more quickly. As the pieces are done, remove them to a cooling rack to drain. Serve immediately.
Serves 6 to 8
OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN
Much easier and almost as good.
½ recipe of Keller’s brine
One 4-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces (2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and 4 breast pieces; put the back in the freezer in a labeled bag for future use in making stock)
COATING
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1½ teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
1. The night before you want to oven-fry the chicken, make the brine. Let it cool on the counter, then put it in the refrigerator.
2. In the morning, drop the chicken pieces into the brine.
3. When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat completely dry.
5. Combine the coating ingredients in a bowl. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, start melting the butter over medium heat.
6. One by one, toss the chicken pieces in the coating, then drop them into the hot butter, skin side down.
7. When all the chicken pieces are in the pan, let fry for 1 minute. Place the skillet in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Flip the chicken and continue cooking on the other side for another 25 to 30 minutes. Test for doneness by cutting into a piece—it should not have a trace of pink. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
POPCORN
Popcorn wasn’t junk food until the twentieth-century miracles of trans fats and the microwave came along. Virtually all brands of microwave popcorn have in recent years eliminated the chemical diacetyl, which gives popcorn the flavor of butter and gives humans who inhale enough of it respiratory disease. However, the microwave bags sometimes contain a chemical—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)—that is thought to be carcinogenic. Home-popped corn remains relatively healthy—fattening if you drown it in butter—but relatively healthy.
Make it or microwave it? Make it.
Hassle: Anyone can make popcorn except, of course, people in an office without a stove. It takes about 2 minutes longer than the microwave.
Cost comparison: Microwave popcorn and standard popcorn cost about the same, though you’ll have to shell out a penny or two extra for the salt, and maybe $0.30 for the butter if you pop your own.
3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
⅓ cup popcorn
Melted butter (optional)
Salt
1. In a large pot, heat the oil with 5 kernels of the corn. Cover with a lid. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn and agitate the pan so the kernels don’t burn. The kernels will all be popped in a few minutes. You can tell because … they stop popping.
2. Toss with melted butter and salt to taste.
Makes about 2½ quarts
CARAMEL CORN