What is a Sunday Dinner without Deep Fried Chicken? The family will love it especially when you cook it right at home rather than getting it from your local KFC or precooked from your grocery store.  Besides, when you cook it at home - you know what is in it and how you cooked it.

From KFC, grocery stores, or other Fast Food Take-Out - Who knows what type of chicken and what type of oil they used?

Deep frying is a delectable way to enjoy food. When you deep fry something, a delicious, crisply browned outside surrounds warm goodness inside. And you can deep fry anything: cookies, vegetables, chicken, ice cream, fruit, and more. In fact, if you get it in your fryer, you can eat it!

Keep in mind that deep frying needn't mean excessive fat consumption; your food will absorb no more fat than when you sauté or stir-fry. Perhaps most importantly, the proper attention will make deep frying as safe as any other means of cooking.

So take the plunge and enjoy!

IDEAL frying temperature is about 365 degrees F (185 C) - ascertained with a frying thermometer or by dropping a 2" square of bread in the hot oil - it should turn golden brown in about 60 seconds.

And there is a secret in getting deep fried coating crispy.... The more corn starch you use in the coating the more crispy it will be. For soft coatings use white flour.

You want to choose an oil with a high smoke point.
At its smoke point, an oil will emit smoke and give foods an unpleasant flavor.
The higher the smoke point, the higher temperature you can deep fry at, without imperiling quality.

Wikipedia lists the smoke points of some popular oils as:
Canola oil (Refined): 468°F (242°C)
Corn oil (Refined): 450°F (232°C)
Grapeseed oil: 420°F (216°C)
Lard: 370°F (182°C)
Peanut oil (Refined): 450°F (232°C)
Safflower oil (Refined): 450°F (232°C)
Sunflower oil (Semirefined): 450°F (232°C)
Vegetable shortening: 360°F (182°C)

These smoke points are not set in stone, as much depends on the oil brand and refinement process.
A general rule is that lighter, more refined oils have higher smoke points.

Many cooks prefer to use oils with neutral flavors, such as:

Lard
Safflower oil
Canola oil
Vegetable shortening

Deep Frying Health Concerns
Concerns about trans fats, ingestion of which is believed to increase the risk of heart disease, have reached the world of deep frying. The Indiana State Fair even banned oils with trans fats in August.
To avoid trans fats, do not use any oil labeled "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated."
Saturated fat is another health concern, as high levels may raise your blood cholesterol.
Wikipedia lists the saturated fat content of popular frying oils as:

Canola oil: 6%
Corn oil: 13%
Grapeseed oil: 12%
Lard: 41%
Peanut oil: 18%
Safflower oil: 10%
Sunflower oil: 11%

Despite their unhealthy reputation, deep-fried foods usually contain no more oil than stir-fried or sautéed dishes.
As long as your oil is hot enough, deep frying heats the moisture in your food, causing it to release steam. The outflow of steam prevents oil from seeping in.

The amount of oil a food will contain depends on its surface area; a potato slice will soak up more oil than a broccoli floret

Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe

1 good chicken (Kosher or 'natural' chickens are usually best), cut into serving pieces,
or use 8 to 10 leg pieces (drumsticks and thighs), trimmed of excess fat.

AND
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

OR

fines herbes mix:

1 tsp chopped tarragon
1 tsp chopped chervil
1 tsp chopped chives
1 tsp chopped parsley
(or any combination of the above, plus whatever else you fancy)

PLUS

1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 egg
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Enough oil or lard to fill skillet to a depth of about 1/2" - lard, lard and butter combined or vegetable:
Crisco shortening, corn, canola, peanut. Canola or corn oil imparts the least flavor, lard the most.
Crisco shortening seems to result in the 'crispest' chicken.
Canola is considered the healthiest.

Large heavy skillet or casserole with cover; large mixing bowl; tongs or a big fork for handling chicken pieces, frying thermometer (ideally).

IN a bowl, mix chicken with salt, pepper, spices, garlic, chili, egg and 2 tablespoons water. When thoroughly combined, blend in flour, using your hands. Keep mixing until most of the flour is blended with other ingredients and chicken is coated (add more water or flour if mixture is too thin or too dry; it should be dry but not powdery and not too wet - it has to adhere to the chicken).

ADD enough fat (oil) to your skillet to come to a depth of about 1/2 inch and turn heat to medium. If you are using butter, skim any foam as it rises to the surface.

WHEN oil is hot (see introductory paragraphs) raise heat to high. Slowly add chicken pieces to skillet.
Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium (more or less - oil should sizzle but not smoke) and cook for 7 minutes.

UNCOVER skillet, turn chicken and continue to cook, uncovered, for another 7 minutes.

TURN chicken again and cook for about 5 minutes more, turning as necessary to ensure that both sides are golden brown.

REMOVE chicken from skillet and drain on paper towels placed on newspaper (for additional absorption). Serve chicken immediately, or cold.

To cut down on any sign of a greasy taste - squeeze fresh lemon juice on the chicken
before serving.


Deep Fried Chicken Teriyaki

1 frying chicken, cut up
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cornstarch

SAUCE:

1/2 c. Dark soy sauce
1/2 c. sugar or maple syrup
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of ground ginger

Combine flour and cornstarch and mix well.
Roll chicken in flour and cornstarch mixture.
Shake off excess. Let stand 20 minutes.

Deep fry until done and drain on rack. Keep warm.
Combine sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat immediately.
While chicken is warm, dip in sauce.
Drain on rack.
May put in hot oven for a few minutes while draining to make it crispy and crunchy.

To cut down on any sign of a greasy taste - squeeze fresh lemon juice on the chicken
before serving

Caldwell - South Southern Fried Deep
Chicken Wings

First get a large mixing bowl.
Add: 1 tsp. salt or no salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. mustard
1/3 c. milk

Mix this all in the mixing bowl.

Clean your chicken wings.
Put chicken wings in the batter and flour the chicken wings and deep fry the chicken wings.
Let it fry until golden brown.

To cut down on any sign of a greasy taste - squeeze fresh lemon juice on the chicken
before serving

Deep-fried Chicken With Spicy Hoisin Sauce

This recipe is quick and easy to make - the sauce can be heated while you're deep-frying the chicken.
For a less spicy version, reduce the chile paste to 1 teaspoon. Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
Marinade:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

Sauce:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sugar or maple syrup
4 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons chile paste
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 green onion, washed and diced

Other:
cornstarch, for dredging chicken
3 1/2 - 4 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, optional

Preparation:
Deep-fried Chicken directions:
Cut the chicken into small, approximately 1-inch cubes.
Add the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce.
Combine all the sauce ingredients except for the green onions, whisking in the 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
Bring the sauce to boil on medium heat in a small saucepan.

Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.
In a wok or deep-fryer, heat the oil to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
Have a small bowl with the cornstarch for dredging the chicken ready near the stove.
When the oil is hot, dredge the marinated chicken pieces in the cornstarch and add them to the wok, taking care not to overcrowd the wok.
Deep-fry until golden brown.
Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the wok and drain on paper towels.
Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.
Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.
Stir in the green onion. Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over.
Garnish with sesame seeds if using. Serve with rice.

More Details about Deep Frying Anything
 

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