HOW TO DEEP FRY CHICKEN RECIPES

Steps:

• Rinse chicken breasts and thighs to remove any residue and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and place in a nonreactive bowl. Pour buttermilk over, cover, and let marinate, preferably overnight, refrigerated, but at least 2 hours.
• Heat oil in deep-fryer to 350 degrees F, or as directed in the manufacturer's instructions of your deep fryer for chicken pieces.
• Set up your breading station: in separate bowls put flour; beaten eggs; and cornmeal which has been seasoned with the paprika and salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the chicken 1 piece at a time from the buttermilk and dredge in flour, allowing any excess flour to fall away. Dip the floured chicken in the egg wash and then coat with the cornmeal mixture. Deep-fry coated chicken pieces in batches until they are cooked through, about 13 to 20 minutes. (Use the manufacturer's instructions for your deep-fryer for basic reference for chicken pieces, then test the chicken see that it is fork tender.) Allow to drain on paper towels and serve.

Steps:

• Thoroughly rinse the chicken pieces, then place them in a bowl and cover with 4 cups of the buttermilk. Soak in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours.
• When you're ready to fry the chicken, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, just to take the chill off.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 360˚ and mix up the breading. Place the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, black pepper, thyme and cayenne (plus extra cayenne if you like heat) in a very large bowl. Stir together well.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and gradually mix with a fork until there are little lumps throughout; these will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to make the breading slightly lumpy.
• Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 365˚. Lower the heat slightly, if necessary, to keep the oil from getting hotter.
• Working in batches, thoroughly coat each chicken piece with breading, pressing extra breading onto the chicken if necessary. Place the breaded pieces on a plate.
• Add the breaded chicken to the oil, 3 or 4 pieces at a time; make sure they don't stick together. Cover the pan and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Turn the pieces over, cover again, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes more. All the while, monitor the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken doesn't burn.
• Transfer the fried chicken to a baking sheet and continue frying the rest of the chicken. When all the chicken has been fried, remove the wings and legs to a rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep covered. (These should be cooked all the way through by now, but always check if any pink juice or meat is visible. If so, return to the hot oil for another minute or so, until fully cooked.) Leave the thighs and breasts on the baking sheet.
• Bake the thighs and breasts for 15 minutes to finish cooking. (You can cut into the thicker part of one of the larger pieces just to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If any pink juice or meat is visible, the chicken needs to continue cooking in the oven.) Drain on the rack set over the baking sheet.