NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In honor of National Fried Chicken Day, Hell’s Kitchen season 21 winner and Murfreesboro native, Alex Belew, is coming in hot with a personal note on how to cook the best fried chicken!
Brine that bird. Use buttermilk with a little hot sauce, pickle juice, or make your own brine. But no matter which direction you go just make sure to do it. Overnight is best but even four hours makes a noticeable difference.
Use beef tallow or animal fat to fry. You’ll get a lot more flavor, crunch and nutritive value over frying in oil. But if you can’t find animal fat, peanut oil is best.
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Add cornstarch to your breading. For that extra crunchy crunch add in almost 50% cornstarch instead of flour. It’s a much lighter breading but crisps up like a dream.
Salt it right after it comes out of the oil. Salting when the chicken is fresh outta the fryer means the heat from the chicken will help the salt dissolve into the breading.
If you’re worried about a leg or thigh being cooked through, cook it sous vide first. Then it’s just a quick 2-3 minute pick up in the fryer.
Let your chicken come to room temp first before frying. This will ensure the breading doesn’t burn before the inside is cooked and you’ll have a much juicier bird.
For wings, fry them at 225 for 12 minutes and then fry again at 375 for 4 minutes. Perfectly juicy and crunchy at the same time!
Make a banging sauce. No fried chicken hates a dunk in the sauce pool. Jazz it up a little with a saucy friend. Add a little buttermilk to your dredge to give your chicken some of those extra crispy bits around the breading.
