If you are a health nut or adverse to things fried, then just skip right over this post because there is nothing healthy or healthful about this recipe. But it is delicious!
I am a born and bred New Yorker, but there is a large part of me that wishes I was a true Southern gal. I love country music and I especially love Southern food. But whats a kosher gal to do when it comes to fried chicken!? In order to come up with an authentic fried chicken recipe that I could also adapt to be kosher, I did my homework and interviewed lots of real Southern gals over the years to find out their secrets to good fried chicken.
It seems that what the matzo ball is to Jewish women, fried chicken is to many Southern women: everyone has their own “perfect way” to do it. Some ladies shared that you must use a cast iron skillet. Others preferred an egg dip instead of soaking in buttermilk. Even though I am not really Southern, I think the key to a quality kosher fried chicken is the multiple phases of seasoning and using a deep fryer. I like using this Calphalon Deep Fryer but if you don’t have a deep fryer you can also use a large, deep pot.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
4 cups soy or almond milk (not vanilla)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp pepper
1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 Tbsp paprika
vegetable oil for frying
Directions
In a medium bowl combine soy/almond milk, vinegar, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces to soy/almond milk coating completely. Pour chicken and soy/almond milk mixture into large ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl or pyrex dish whisk together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika. Dip chicken pieces into flour mixture and then tap off excess.
Gently place chicken pieces into oil. Turn chicken pieces over to ensure browning on all sides. Breast, legs and thighs will take approximately 15-2o minutes; wings will take approximately 10 minutes. Don’t try to fry the entire chicken at one time, make sure you fry in batches to ensure even cooking.
Drain chicken on paper towel or cookie rack.
kosher
Pronounced: KOH-sher, Origin: Hebrew, adhering to kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary laws.
