The Ultimate Fried Chicken
The Ultimate Fried Chicken – original recipe from Tyler Florence and updated by adding my special Caribbean touch. Wow! That sounds interesting! You know I had to put my special touch on this recipe.
I have tried a few fried chicken recipes, and this one by far is one of my favorites. I am not sure if I said this before, but I enjoy trying out Tyler’s recipes because he is not afraid of using bold flavors.
I will never get tired of saying that! Tyler is a great chef not only because of his cooking but also in my opinion because he makes everything seems very easy and delicious. Have you ever watch him cooked on television? Not too many chefs on TV can look comfortable in a strange a kitchen like Tyler. It is almost like an actor/actresses who make you believe that they are the actual character.
The Ultimate Fried ChickenLike one of my favorite actor, Johnny Depp, who was born to play Captain Jack Sparro. I honestly believe that no one else can play it better. Actors such as Jack Nicholson, and Denzel Washington (my soul mate in my next life – LOL) is so comfortable in many roles they play that they make you forget who they are. I know I did not mention any women, but we are talking about guys, the human male species women can’t live without. Okay, please don’t frown now! It is true. LOL
On a serious note, I love cooking and I enjoy watching great chefs cooking on TV and in person if I’m ever lucky. A poultry dish such as Fried Chicken that everyone can cook can also be a nightmare. Remember the other day when I shared the post about cleaning meat. This dish is the perfect scenario where you want your meat cleaned. AND (big caps here)! Well marinated or seasoned. If not you will taste chicken with oil. Not a good taste.
The differences between the two recipes are meat cleaning, marinating time, chicken bouillon, and oil. I cleaned my chicken with lime, rinsed with cold water and pat dry well. I then marinate the chicken for about an hour or so in lemon juice, chicken bouillon and a few drops of Habanero hot sauce. With Tyler’s recipe, the chicken is fried in peanut oil, but I used vegetable oil. So just a small difference or variation and my Caribbean side are happy.
Enjoy my updated version of The Ultimate Fried Chicken by Tyler Florence.
The Ultimate Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 3 1/2- pound chicken cut into 10 pieces
- 2 limes cut in halves
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 few drops of Habanero hot pepper sauce or regular tabasco
- 1 gallon peanut oil for deep-frying vegetable oil
- 1/4 bunch of fresh thyme
- 2 big fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1/4 bunch of fresh sage
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1/2 head of garlic smashed, husk still attached
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Sea salt or kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- 4 large eggs
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Cut the limes in halves and clean the chicken by rubbing and squeezing out the juice onto each chicken piece. If preferred, you may remove the skin of the pieces before cleaning. Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry. Put them in a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, add the juice of the lemons, chicken bouillon and a few drops of Habanero Hot Pepper Sauce and mix well. Pour mixture over chicken, and turning the pieces so that the lemon juice gets all through it. Let marinate for at least 1 – 2 hours.
- Pour the oil into a large pasta pot. Add the herbs and garlic and heat over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees Fahrenheit on one of those clip-on-deep-fry thermometers. The herbs and garlic will perfume the oil with their flavor as the oil comes up to temperatures.
- Meanwhile, put the flour in a large, shallow platter and hit it with a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Use your fingers to mix the flour with the salt and pepper and then taste; you should be able to taste the salt and pepper. Crack the eggs into a large, shallow bowl; add a drizzle of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of water and whisk it all together with a fork.
- When the oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit, shim off the herbs and garlic with a slotted spoons; reserve. Roll the chicken pieces around in the seasoned flour until well coated. Shake off the excess, and then dunk them in the egg wash. Carefully drop chicken in the hot oil (you can cook it all at the same time) and cook for about 20 minutes, turning it with tongs every now and then to keep the color even. The chicken is done when the skin is crisp (that is if you had left the skin on) and golden brown and the chicken floats at the surface of the oil. Keep an eye on the temperature and adjust the heat to keep the temperature as even as possible.
- When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer and remove all of the from the pot, shaking of as much oil as you can, and lay it on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up the oil. Sprinkle all over with more salt and a dusting of cracked pepper, if preferred. Scatter the reserved herbs and garlic over the top. Serve hot with big lemon wedges, if preferred.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
