Around the World in 80 Dishes: Classic Fried Chicken
In our ongoing video series Chef Eve Felder, from The Culinary Institute of America, demonstrates how to make a classic Southern Fried Chicken with Country Gravy
Perhaps the only thing better than having a good Southern cook make fried chicken for you is having her show you how to make it yourself. Chef Eve Felder, of The Culinary Institute of America, grew up in Charleston , South Carolina , where she ate fried chicken every Sunday. In our videos, Felder shows how to marinate, batter, and pan-fry chicken to crispy perfection.
When frying chicken, it's important to look out not just for visual cues (such as a brown, crispy-looking exterior) but also audible ones: In the videos, you'll hear what chicken sounds like frying in oil that's just the right temperature. If the oil bubbles too aggressively, your chicken might burn, but if it's not hot enough, then the chicken can soak up too much oil and get greasy (you'll know the oil temperature is too low if you don't hear crackling).
After the chicken is fried, it's incredibly easy to whip up pan gravy: You simply reserve a small amount of drippings, whisk in flour to make a blond roux, add milk, and season with a little salt and pepper. Chef Felder likes to serve fried chicken with mashed potatoes (see our 250-plus mashed potatoes recipes) and collard greens (see collard greens recipes).
RECIPE
Text by Megan O. Steintrager, illustrations by Matthew Brennan, photo by CIA/Keith Ferris
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