Last updated : Friday, July 30, 2010

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Ted Allen's Fried Chicken

Frying chicken can be messy, dangerous and overwhelming especially using hot oil. However, star chef Ted Allen, from the Food Network's "Chopped", let iMag in on a little secret - half an inch in your frying pan is all you need. Try his fried chicken recipe to skip the fuss and enjoy some digit-lickin’ results.

The Best Fried Chicken, Period.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 1/2 to 4 Pound chicken, cut into eight pieces
1 1/2 Cups buttermilk
1 1/2 Teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 Medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 Tablespoon roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves (just give them a whack or two to bruise them and release the flavor)
1 Quart canola oil
2 Cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

- Rinse the chicken under cold, running water. Pat dry with paper towels.

- In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, one tablespoon salt, one teaspoon pepper, the garlic, and thyme. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, or preferably, overnight.

- Heat about 1/2 inch oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan or Dutch oven – something that can be covered – to 350˚ to 375˚F on a deep-fry thermometer (a 13-inch straight sided frying pan is perfect).

- Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, and teaspoon pepper in a heavy re-sealable plastic bag. 

- Working with two or three pieces at a time, take the chicken out of the buttermilk, put it in the bag, close the bag and shake well to coat the chicken with the flour. Put the chicken on a baking sheet. Continue until all of the chicken has been coated.

- When the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken into the pan with tongs, skin side down. You may have to cram the pieces in – don’t worry about it; you can rearrange later. The important thing is to get them in before hot oil splatters all over you. Cover, and cook five minutes. Then uncover the pan and cook until the skin is nicely browned, five more minutes. Turn the chicken and continue to cook until well browned all over and cooked through, six to eight more minutes for the breast meat, eight to ten more minutes for the dark meat. If the chicken starts to brown too quickly, turn the heat down a little (you probably won’t have to).

- Line the baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels and drain the chicken on the towels. Serve immediately, at room temperature, or cold.

Note: It's better if you can let the chicken marinate overnight; the garlic and thyme infuse the bird with flavor, and the salty marinade also assures moist meat. The dish will still work if you don’t have that marinating time, but if you can plan ahead enough, and take that 15 minutes to prep the day before. 

For more recipes check out iMag's Food Page!

As a food, wine, style and entertainment expert, Ted Allen has perfected the art of the “clean-up,” which as it turns out, is just as important as preparing the meal. Ted has teamed up with Cascade to launch the first ever “Best Food Merger Hall of Fame,” where consumers can vote for the tastiest, yet hardest to clean popular food parings of all time. The pairings include spaghetti and meatballs, macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken with gravy. By simply visiting www.CascadeFoodMergers.com people can register their votes plus share their own cooking and cleaning challenges. 

 

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