PREAMBLE

This is a recipe for a home made crispy chicken. I've borrowed different ideas from other online recipes to get to this particular one. Recipes for me are always fluid, meaning I'll probably keep changing it as I learn from each time I make it. 

While I used chicken with bone-in, you can also do this with boneless chicken, but the cooking time would likely be less with boneless. The ingredients and process are below.

I made 8 chicken thighs with these ingredients and amounts. I would have needed to increase the amounts in bowl 3 if I wanted to make more pieces.

If made right, it will be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

As much as this is a list of ingredients and process, I always play it by ear depending on the meat and the heat. 

You can download a pdf of this recipe here.

PREP

This probably isn't a traditional way to list a recipe, but this is how I got organized.

Bowl 1

Put a cup of water or buttermilk in the bowl.

Bowl 2

Whisk together:

• 3 cups of flower
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbs garlic salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• (optional: you can add cayenne pepper and other spices or change the ones above if you wish. You can also modify the amounts depending on what flavor or flavor consistency that you want to achieve.)

Bowl 3

Whisk together:

• 1 ¼ cups of flower
• 1 tbs salt
• ½ tsp of black pepper
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cup of whatever beer you wish (or water).

It’s batter, so check the consistency so it’s not lumpy or too runny and adjust with flour or fluids accordingly.

Process

• Bring your oil (vegetable or peanut, I prefer peanut for many different reasons) to 350 degrees.
• Take a piece of chicken and dip it in BOWL 1 on both sides to wet it.
• Then dip it in BOWL 2 on both sides and shake off any excess mix.
• Now dip it in BOWL 3 on both sides.
• Lastly, dip it in BOWL 2 again to coat the chicken and shake off any excess mix.
• Put it immediately in the hot oil (deep fryer or whatever you’re using; I used a deep fryer) from 10-15 minutes (depends on the size of your chicken piece so the time could be longer or less). You can cook multiple pieces at a time, but as usual, make sure your oil holds its temp or the coating will be soggy instead of crispy and the chicken may not cook properly. The internal temp of the chicken (bone-in) should be 165 degrees.
• When it’s ready, take it out and let it stand.

I served this with sweet potato fries and a red-leaf lettuce salad dressed with sunflower oil and red wine vinegar. 

This is an opinion article by Guido Piraino of  The Monthly Social Podcast. It may also be heard on The Path Radio Mix Online. You can read other opinion articles on the blog page.

For sports content, please consider The Coach's Call YouTube Podcast.