Fried Chicken
Edna Lewis was a legendary chef and cookbook author who in large part contributed to the view of Southern food and cooking that is popular today. When she wrote her famous cookbook “The Taste of Country Cooking” in 1976, Southern food was not the prolific and iconic American cuisine we now know and love. American cuisine was forming an identity and the majority of chefs and consumers exulted French cuisine as the pinnacle of what food should be. Miss Lewis’ writing captured the beauty of the American South, it gave virtue to simple, homegrown ingredients and arguably began the food to table movement. I encourage you to learn more about Miss Lewis’ life and her food. For those that are interested in learning more, the Splendid Table just released a podcast celebrating Miss Lewis. Or pick up a copy of “The Taste of Country Cooking” and learn from Miss Lewis as she would have preferred: by cooking.
I have made fried chicken many times before, but not like this. I was reminded of the scene from the 2011 movie “the Help”. (not the pie scene!) The scene where Minny teaches Celia how to cook fried chicken using a giant tub of crisco and a cast iron skillet. This fried chicken felt authentically southern, terribly fattening and irresistibly delicious. It is certainly time consuming, but the result was worth the wait.
The recipe calls for cooking ham pieces in with the butter and lard. I did not have any ham, so I added some Schmaltz (chicken fat) instead. The important thing is to continue to cook until the butter has stopped foaming. You are essentially getting rid of all of the milk product and water so you are left with pure fat. This can take 30 minutes, but is necessary to end up with a cooking oil that is flavourful and can withstand frying temperatures.
Some notes on breaking down the chicken. If you have never cut up a whole bird before it can be daunting at first. But once you get familiar with this skill it is very useful. Whole chickens are often sold much cheaper than its various parts. Breaking down a bird yourself is more economical, and it gives you more cooking options. I use a sharp boning knife and boning sheers. I start with removing the backbone and the wingtips (these are great for making broth). I cut the legs away from the bird, and break each leg down between the thigh and the drumstick. Then split the breasts down the center and lastly separate the wing tips from the breasts. For frying, I like to cut each breast in half so that the pieces are relatively the same size as the remaining chicken parts. Need more instruction? Check out this helpful demonstration video from Serious Eats.
My last note- this recipe takes several days. Plan ahead!
Fried Chicken
Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock
Serves 4
One 3 pound chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces (see note above)
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 quarts (8 cups) cold water
1 quart (4 cups) buttermilk
1 pound lard
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup country ham pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
To make the brine: Stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved. Place chicken parts in a nonreactive bowl or pot; add enough brine to cover completely. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.
Drain the brined chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in. Return the chicken to the bowl, and pour the buttermilk over. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.
Meanwhile put the lard, butter and country ham (if using) into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the country ham is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat.
Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees. Prepare the dredge by blending together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper. Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove all excess flour.
Using tongs, slip some of the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the heated fat. (Do not overcrowd the pan or the cooking fat will cool.) Regulate the fat so it just bubbles, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and registered 160F on an instant read thermometer. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on paper towels, and serve.