How to cook fried chicken?

coasterqueen wrote: Ok, how on earth do I fry chicken? I told Dh I'd make him fried chicken for dinner and I don't believe we've ever fried chicken before, unless we did it back in college. SO how do I do it? I know I make a flour/spice mixture, but do I have to do something to the chicken first before frying it. I would think it would not get cooked all the way if I don't do something to it first.

my2monkeyboys replied: Well, I just rinse the chicken, dip it in milk, dip it in the flour/seasoning, and drop it in the hot oil. I put my stove on med-hi (not sure what the temp is) and cook it until it's done. (I think it's about 15-20 min, though it's been a while since I've made any.)
I'm not sure what you're talking about as far as needing to do something to it before you cook it, though. Sorry! I hope this helps.

MommyToAshley replied:
That's exactly how my Mom always made it too. (Or you can use egg or butter instead of milk to dip it in) I believe she always covered the pan with a lid too... I think. I am no help, I've never made fried chicken. I always bake chicken.

my2monkeyboys replied: Oh yeah, I always add a scrambled egg to the milk. Egg helps the flour stick better.
You can make a batter, too, if you mix the milk, egg and flour all together first and then dip the chicken in it.
And definitely cover it or you'll have oil spattering all over the place.

coasterqueen replied: I always bake chicken too and am so used to baking it for an hour, so the thought of just frying it in a pan for 15 to 20 minutes scares me. Will it be cooked thoroughly in that time? We've been down the food poisoning route before so I really don't want to under cook it.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Just make sure it's no longer pink inside.

Is it bone in or boneless?? If it's boneless you can pound it out and it will cook more evenly. If it has a bone the bone should cook the inside when it heats up.

my2monkeyboys replied: It will as long as it's hot enough. I think my deep fryer is usually at about 350 degrees, when I use that. What I do is once it's been cooking about 16-18 minutes or so, I'll check a piece. As long as the juices are clear and not pink, it's done. If you have a pan you're cooking it in as opposed to a deep fryer, it will take about 10 min on each side, with the breasts usually taking a minute or 2 less.

boyohboyohboy replied: I always do the same thing, but buy chicken breasts and split them in half so they are not so thick and then fry them in the oil with the lid on and they always get done in a short time, about 15 mins. you can cut them in half to check.
sounds like a good dinner idea

coasterqueen replied: Ok, well I'm going to attempt it. They are chicken legs. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, we are all sick from my cooking.

coasterqueen replied: Thanks everyone for your tips on cooking fried chicken. Now I know why I just buy KFC when we crave friend chicken. Frying chicken is rather disgusting and the smell in my house about made me puke all night to where I couldn't sleep. BLAH!!! I will never fry chicken again. ICK!!!

Our Lil' Family replied: Kuddos to you for trying but that's why we go to Popeye's!

MommyToAshley replied:
But, how was the chicken? Did you DH like it?

coasterqueen replied:
Ahh, it was ok. He liked it, but he agreed that baked chicken was a lot better. He thought maybe a real quick browning it (with a flour crust) in a pan, and then baking it might not be bad.

luvmykids replied: I don't think there's an organic version of Shake n Bake but if they ever come out with one you should try it, I love it.

coasterqueen replied:
Is it any different than flour and seasonings?

booey2 replied: Not sure, but you could probably try different things to coat the chicken instead of flour, like crushed corn flakes, special K cereal, crackers - they will give the chicken a different texture and taste. I don't think I have ever fried chicken, we only bake (especially since I am back at WW) the last thing I ever fried was potatoes -oh, about 8 years ago and really don't want to do it again, I have never even owned a deep fryer.

coasterqueen replied:
Well you aren't missing anything. The thought of it still makes me puke. Dh even said he regretted asking for fried chicken. It's not that he didn't like my cooking, it's just the smell of grease and all that was YUCK! ICK! AHHHH!

redchief replied: Heheh... I love fried chicken, but I've never had a lot of luck cooking it myself. I have a deep fryer that I'm going to put to use when the house is done, and I'm going to take some of these tips and put them to use. Thanks for asking, Karen, and thanks for answering everyone else!

luvmykids replied:
I think it makes it a lot crispier, like fried chicken should be.

DansMom replied: If you ever do want to try it again, here's what I do:

Beat boneless, skinless chicken breasts to even thickness. The thinner, the better---makes for quick frying time.

Have a little battering station set up as follows:

A plate of flour.
A small bowl of dijon mustard mixed with water to egg-like thickness (eggless version), OR scrambled egg. Mustard adds a nice flavor, though.
A plate of bread crumbs, seasoned with oregano, garlic and pepper. I buy Jaclyn's organic bread crumbs at the health food store.

Heat about a quarter to a half inch of canola and/or corn oil in large frying pan to Medium High. Coat chicken in flour, then mustard/egg, then bread crumbs. Cook about 10 to 12 minutes, flipping every now and then to avoid burning the bread crumbs. It is a good idea to run your hood fan. But this recipe is delicioso---a favorite in my house. With red skin potatos and green beans---awesome.