1. ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT:

I'm going to suggest some equipment that I feel you should have in order to make this.

 • Digital Meat Thermometer
 • Pig Tail Food Flipper
 • fresh vegetable oil
 • cutting board
 • ceramic knife, for general cutting
 • filet or boning knife (optional)
 • Deep Cast-Iron Skillet, suitable for frying

The meat thermometer removes all the guesswork. Probe the chicken and remove from the hot oil when it reaches 160°F. This is essential since the last thing you will want to do is serve undercooked fried chicken!

The Pig Tail is the best way to turn over the chicken pieces while they are in hot oil. Much better (and safer) than tongs!

I can't think of a better way to deep fry than using an old cast-iron skillet. I hear Lodge makes new ones that will do the job. A Dutch Oven will work too. Or, go ahead and use that fancy electric one you received as a Wedding Gift (that's still in the box).

Fresh oil will make the end product so-much-better. Don't skimp (or is it reuse?)

A cutting board and knife will change your life, save you money (and put the butcher out of a job!)

2. CHICKEN:

This part is optional. You can always buy boneless chicken breasts from the supermarket and skip directly to STEP 4. Or buy split breasts and/or thighs and skip to STEP 3.

But if you are adventurous, cost sensitive and want to learn a new skill, keep reading...

3-4 lb. whole chickens, cut up

Buy WHOLE CHICKENS and cut them up. There is no reason to be afraid of chicken! It is so easy. They are basically designed to be cut up! Plus, you can decide on the amount of chicken you'll fry.

You don't need to use all the pieces. Take what you need and put the remainder in a Ziploc bag and store in the fridge or freezer for another meal or even better, more fried chicken!

I'll give you a quick run-down. I do this without thinking, so the more chickens you cut up the easier it will be. And you can even fry up a double batch and reheat the following day.

Remove the chicken from the bag and place on the cutting board with breast-side facing down.

We're going to deal with the wings and legs first.

Wiggle the wing around and cut it off at the joint, slicing straight through the cartilage. Then cut the wing in half at the main wing joint. You will now have two wing pieces. You may also cut off and discard the tip (optional). Repeat for the remaining wing.

Grab a leg and twist it backward to basically dislocate it! You'll hear it pop. Cut the skin near the breast and pass the knife through the joint. You now have a "chicken leg quarter". Wiggle the leg again and dislocate the leg/thigh joint. Cut the thigh from the leg. Repeat for the remaining leg.

Turn the chicken so its standing up like the sinking Titanic. We're going to cut the back off and to do that we'll run the knife between the rib cage and the back. The rib cage has a spot just for us! I kid you not. Cut down through the ribs and chop the back off! Keep for soup or discard.

Now we have the breasts but they are still connected. We're going to cut the "keel bone" straight down the middle, and in the process we'll make "split breasts!".

Lay the breasts on their back with the keel bone on top. Using your knife, press the point of the knife through the center part of the keel bone. Draw the knife back towards you and press down and you'll have success! Once you're through, go all the way through, including the skin. Now we have two breasts!

You have now successfully cut up a chicken... Can we do more? Yes! Let's remove most of the bones!

3. BONELESS CHICKEN:

Why? Because it makes it *MUCH* easier (and quicker) to fry (and eat!)

Lets start with the breasts. Run your knife along the keel bone of each breast and separate the meat from the bone. You may encounter part of the wishbone -- remove it at the same time. (Make a wish!) Repeat for the other breast.

The thighs are very easy. Rotate the thigh until you see the side where the bone is closest to the surface. Cut along the length of the bone and extract it.

The drumstick is tricky. It is basically the same as the thigh except you'll find the skin at the tip of the drumstick will give you some trouble. The trick is to just pull on it then cut and discard!

4. PREPARING THE CHICKEN PIECES:

So you cut up the chicken (or cheated). We're going to get the pieces ready for breading. One trick that we're going to do is make all the pieces UNIFORM in size. That way they'll all take the same time to cook plus we get extra pieces with extra breading!

The first one to do is the breasts. Now I implore you at this time -- leave the skin on! It is the tastiest part of the whole situation.

Cut the "tenderloin" away from the breast. It's the part they sell for big money and should be easily recognizable. Put the breast on its side and cut down the middle lengthways. We're going to reduce the width of the thickest part by half. Then cut each of the two remaining pieces into thirds. Repeat for the other breast.

Cut the thigh meat in half, and do the same for the drumsticks. The wings we will leave alone.

5. SEASONED COATING:

This is where the fun begins. Hopefully you'll have some seasonings in the house. My favorite seasoning is CAYENNE PEPPER. My second favorite seasoning is GARLIC POWDER. My third favorite seasoning is ONION POWDER. Mix and match or add your own favorites. You can't go wrong!

bread crumbs
garlic powder
onion powder
cayenne pepper (FRANK'S®)
chicken & poultry rub (Lawry's)

I don't measure so what I'll do is I'll fill a breading tray with bread crumbs, then sprinkle a coating of each seasoning on top. Stir to combine.

Crunchy Variation: Mix some "Panko style" crumbs in with the regular bread crumbs -- 1/3 Panko + 2/3 regular makes a good combination.

6. SPICY EGG WASH:

2 to 4 eggs (4 if doing a whole chicken)
Wondra flour (important - no substitutions!)
taco hot sauce
cayenne pepper

Crack eggs in a bowl suitable for dipping the chicken pieces. Sprinkle Wondra flour over to coat the eggs. Add taco hot sauce (I pour a figure 8) and sprinkle cayenne pepper. Beat eggs using a fork.

7. FINALLY -- FRYING:

Add vegetable oil to a clean and dry cast-iron skillet and start heating to 360°F. Set up a plate with paper towels to receive the fried chicken pieces. Be prepared to do your frying in batches -- each cut up chicken breast will be one batch, for example.

First place your pieces in spicy egg, coat, then roll around in seasoned bread crumbs. I do this per batch, so while I'm frying a batch I'll get the next batch ready.

Place your coated chicken pieces into the hot oil and "let them be" for a minute or so. Then use the Pig Tail to flip them. Once browned, check with your digital meat thermometer. When they reach 160°F use the Pig Tail to transfer to paper towels. Repeat until done...

And there you have it. Your family and guests will LOVE your Fantastic Fried Chicken. Enjoy!

Submitted by: The Magician