Simple South West Inflected Fried Chicken

This came about to go into a sandwich with a coleslaw done for the CSA box. Nothing too fancy, no brining or soaking, just dip, shake, and fry.

INGREDIENTS:

1-1¼ pound boneless skinless chicken, breast or thigh meat, pounded 3/8ths–inch thick, trimmed into 3×4 inch pieces, roughly thereabouts

1 cup, or as needed, All-Purpose flour

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon heaping cumin seed, ground to a powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne or dried chipotle chile, powdered, or to taste

Salt and pepper as called for

1 cup, or as needed, buttermilk

Avocado, grapeseed, or other high temperature oil for frying

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 200°F. Line a sheet-pan with paper towels, and put a rack on it if you have one. Put in the oven.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Mix the flour with the spices, garlic powder, and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to a re-sealable bag, and shake to thoroughly mix.

Heat ½-inch of oil in a heavy Dutch-oven, frying pan, or sauteuse. Get temperature to 360°F and try to hold it there.

Put the buttermilk into a shallow bowl, then dip a piece of chicken into it and allow excess to drip into bowl. Transfer to the bag with the flour, then shake like mad to cover the chicken in flour.

Using tongs, gently immerse around half the chicken into the oil. Try to avoid crowding so the entire piece is surrounded by hot oil. Fry, turning after a minute or two, until the crust is golden and the chicken is opaque all the way through (You’ll have to cut into a piece). When done, transfer to the pan in the oven, allowing to drain and stay hot.

Return the oil in the frying pan to temperature before adding the rest of the chicken. Repeat as above. The chicken is now ready. Eat hot, or allow to cool, then refrigerate and take on a picnic or to lunch. For the Southwest sandwich with slaw, use right away.

Chef’s Notes: If you like it really crunchy, repeat the dipping process after the first run for a thicker layer of crust. If you have leftover buttermilk, there are plenty of things to do with it, such as pancakes, biscuits, or use it to start a crème fraiche.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen