<p>Having grown up on all things fried (and still alive to tell about it), I must urge the OP to rename this thread as I just can’t conceive of “Southern” fried chicken containing even a drop of ranch dressing. That is just wrong.</p>
<p>As most have pointed out, real “Southern” fried chicken is simply chicken pieces dipped in milk/buttermilk, rolled in flour, seasoned generously with pepper and modestly with salt, fried in a skillet of hot oil (not too hot, that’s the tricky part and why an electric skillet can come in handy). Variations for dipping and resting time - but the basic ingredients are solid. It does take a little bit of know how to get the process right, especially cooking temperature.</p>
<p>My grandmothers were true masters. Of course one would even start the process by identifying the best chicken out in the yard to be used for Sunday dinner…</p>
<p>I like Ezells- it’s the only fast food place we go to- ( well & Red Mill…and the mexican cart outside Home Depot & Dick’s… aand the hot dogs outside the Sunset tavern…do vietnamese sandwiches count?) </p>
<p>I wouldn’t compare it to southern fried chicken the way my grandma made it, because at grandmas’ it wasn’t just about the chicken, it is the white corn on the cob, the wilted lettuce salad, tomatoes still warm from the sun, rolls & sweet tea. The rolls however- Ezells is spot on ( not having to clean up spattered oil from everything counts , as does not getting burned by it. grandma didn’t make chicken that much anyway- she made pork tenderloin dipped in egg and soda cracker crumbs that her farmer siblings brought up on their visits)</p>
<p>I agree with cast iron- I use either cast iron or ceramic coated steel for everything.</p>
<p>And yep, cast iron is the way to go. I’ve been looking for a new 12" skillet but none of the department stores have much of a selection. I’d hate to be forced to go to a high end kitchen shop and ponder spending next month’s salary on a iron skillet. Man, it wasn’t that many years ago that the stores were practically giving the darn things away.</p>
<p>LakeWashington, you may want to look at local tag sales, Goodwill or other thrift store, or even ebay. You can on occasion find a good used 12" Lodge, Weber, or Griswold for a buck or two. </p>
<p>Of the three I mentioned, I believe only Lodge is operating currently, and I THINK their production is still domestic rather than imported cast iron. Try googling Campmor, they always had some of the best prices on Lodge. </p>
<p>I love my cast iron. Takes a bit of extra care, but will outlast you and your grandchildren if treated properly.</p>
<p>Anyone familiar with campfire or scout cookery will attest about what can be done in a Dutch oven on a campfire.</p>
<p>Dry out in the open at room temperature with air bacteria around? That sounds dangerous.</p>
<p>Also, any idea what to do with the buttermilk after you’ve chickenised it? Is it reusable for anything? Also, I’ve added a tablespoon (or two) of lemon juice to each bag of about 6-7 drumsticks … does that interfere or complement the traditional buttermilk process?</p>
<p>Don’t reuse any buttermilk, flour, egg, etc., in contact with the raw chicken. Far more of a potential contamination that way than in letting the chicken air dry a short time.</p>
<p>Oh my - I didn’t catch that he wanted to reuse the milk that the chicken is dipped into - I was thinking of what you could do with the left over buttermilk.</p>
<p>Relax. Drying the chicken for 10 or 15 minutes is ok. (but if you are a total freak on the whole leaving the chicken out, just refrigerate it.) I don’t, but I guess that would solve your problem. Don’t reuse the buttermilk that you dipped the chicken in. And dude…I just don’t understand the lemon juice thing at all??? No lemon juice.</p>
<p>Galosien, not only is the thought of reusing anything that has come in contact with raw chicken potentially deadly, the idea of using milk or lemon with oil for frying tells us you need to stop and understand the critical basics here.</p>
<p>Your enthusiasm for cooking is wonderful. Take the time and learn the ABCs. You need to be very careful not to make yourself and others sick. And your interest is worthy of some simple lessons in cooking basics that can be found in cookbooks, online or at the local library.</p>
<p>So forget the lemon and the ranch dressing and really learn to cook dude (thanks artmommy, don’t think I ever used that word before) !!! It’s worth the effort.</p>
<p>Presumably, the chickenised milk has a lower concentration of bacteria than the chicken, so I couldn’t see what was dangerous if you cook both at the same time? The thing is, I regularly see recipes where you reuse the chicken marinade for something else later in the recipe. I certainly was not thinking of long-term reuse! (Wth.)</p>
<p>The lemon juice presumably, was to decrease the pH of the milk (more acidic => better tenderising potential?) as well as impart a lemonish flavour. The thing I’m mostly worried about is whether the acid interferes with anything the milk does. </p>
<p>Again, I wasn’t really looking for Southern-style per se, just something that tasted good to me and my friends, using a known style as a basis.</p>
<p>Also, I find that with pan-frying, the chicken browns really fast but the inside remains undercooked. (I oven-baked but experimented with two drumsticks.) I suppose drumsticks aren’t that good for pan-frying compared to thinner things like breasts or wings? Or am I supposed to make the oil sizzling-hot but turn it down to the lowest setting as soon as I add the chicken in? Or would it be better to oven-roast (without any oil?) for maybe, 30-40 mins, then pan-fry to finish?</p>
<p>You’re cooking at too high a temperature if your chicken fully browns before it’s cooked through. Use a thermometer to keep the oil at the right temp, between 325-360 degrees depending on how crispy you like it. If you get it wrong, remove chicken when fully browned and put in a 375 degree overn until cooked.</p>
<p>galosien, if you have access, watch “Good Eats” on the Food Network. The host, Alton Brown, does a very informative and entertaining job explaining some of the chemical and physical interactions between different ingredients and the changes that occur both in prep and in cooking.</p>
<p>You can google food safety, salmonella, safe handling practices and come up with a range of do’s and don’ts. </p>
<p>I would advise against the lemon juice as well. Make yourself a cup of tea. Add milk. Then add a few drops of lemon juice. By all means experiment with spices, seasons, and ingredients, as some of the best dishes are the result of trial and error, or even serendipity. But it pays to have a basic idea of what works well together, and what doesn’t. </p>
<p>The cost of a few extra bread crumbs, flour, or left over beaten egg is not worth risking a nasty food born contamination. </p>
<p>If I’ve got left over beaten egg from a dipping step, it gets scrambled immediately and set aside as an addition to the dogs’ feeding. They don’t seem to mind and I haven’t lost one yet. ;)</p>
<p>Galoisien, in the spirit of high school “most likely to”, I believe you are most likely to have a strong, smart, beautiful, professional, successful woman order you out of her kitchen in the future!</p>
<p>Also I can’t see what was wrong with lemon juice. I mean, I’m not drinking the buttermilk, so does accumulating a few curds reduce the effectiveness of the buttermilk? (Actually I’m used to acidic marinades so I am only doing this buttermilk thing because it’s recommended and I have no idea how it’s supposed to interact.) I added it and the oven-fried ones came out delicious. (And I tossed the pan-fried ones back in the oven. They came out fine too.) </p>
<p>College dorm kitchens don’t provide you with thermometers. =(</p>
<p>I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with lemon juice.</p>
<p>What’s going on in this thread is a confabulation of a few things:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Many of us with a Less is More ethos. Southern Fried Chicken is a simple and straightforward taste - not to be conflated with Thai, Mexican, etc. influences. (I realize the OP has revised his intent for the thread, but the title got us all going in that direction.)</p></li>
<li><p>Many of us with a strong knowledge of cooking basics - temperatures to use, the way ingredients interact, what tastes work together and what don’t, how long a food can be left on the counter (15 minutes to let a breaded piece of chicken set is <em>not</em> an issue)… It is wise to learn these things, get them down pat, before learning to experiment.</p></li>
<li><p>A young OP with an obvious interest in and enthusiasm for cooking. We don’t want to discourage that, but at the same time we want to share our own knowledge and expertise.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>BTW, a 15 minute or 1 hour “marinade” or soaking of chicken in milk… with some lemon in the milk, is NOT going to add a noticeable lemon flavor to the chicken, nor tenderize it.</p>
<p>Well, a 12 hour/overnight marinade is done to impart certain flavors as well as possibly tenderize. But one doesn’t usually tenderize chicken. And I don’t know why one would add lemon to milk for a soaking. Some people add lemon to milk to substitute for buttermilk in baking, but it wouldn’t yield a “lemony” flavor.</p>
<p>If you want a lemon-y chicken, I <em>might</em> marinate in lemon and oil. But I would get better results by baking in oil and lemon. Take 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil and juice of 1-2 (or even more) lemons, depending on how lemon-y you want it. Whisk to form an emulsion.
Drizzle half over chicken pieces and bake at high temp (400~) for 12-15 minutes. Turn pieces over. Drizzle remaining oil/lemon mixture. Bake another 12-15 minutes. You can include herbs, such as oregano. Delicious; and pan juices are wonderful over rice or other grain.</p>
<p>Never use bottled lemon juice or those fake plastic lemons. The flavor is very metallic, imo. And it’s not that hard to squeeze a lemon, right :D?</p>
grandma didn’t make chicken that much anyway- she made pork tenderloin dipped in egg and soda cracker crumbs that her farmer siblings brought up on their visits)</p>