Finger Lickin' Chicken
Makes as much as you want.
By Dennis W. Viau; modified from several recipes.
I don't know if this is an urban myth or not, but supposedly someone got their hands on a sample of the coating mix used by Kentucky Fried Chicken and paid a laboratory $5,000 to determine the ingredients. Only four ingredients were found: flour, salt, pepper, and monosodium glutamate (MSG). The story goes back even further to say that the Colonel did use 11 herbs and spices in his original recipe, but after the restaurant chain was sold, and sold again, the owners discarded the original recipe and went with a cheaper mix to increase profits, and that's how the coating mix ended up with only four ingredients. WikiAnswers says: "Ron Douglas, a former JP Morgan employee who tries to reverse engineer recipes from chain restaurants, thinks he can create a KFC replica so good that no one will be able to tell the difference." Todd Wilbur included a formula in his book, A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes. The recipe below is a combination of all these ideas. I've made it many times and I think it's delicious. It's easy, too.
Ingredients:
The supposed 11 herbs and spices:
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried basil; ground
1 teaspoon dried marjoram; ground
2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon MSG (monosodium glutamate, found as Accent in stores)
4 cups all-purpose flour
For the chicken:
Use as many pieces as you need to feed your guests. I prefer to use boneless thighs, cut in thirds.
For the coating:
1 egg; beaten well (more as needed for a large batch)
½ cup milk (more as needed for a large batch), or buttermilk, which is even better
For the frying:
1½ (about) cups of oil
Directions:
I mix up the coating ingredients in a large storage container and store it in the cupboard for whenever I feel like making fried chicken.
Combine the egg and milk in a shallow bowl. Pour some coating mix in another bowl. Dip the chicken in the dry mix, coating well, then in the egg mixture, and then in the dry mix again. Shake off any excess coating.
Fry in hot oil (350°F / 175°C) until golden brown, turning the pieces over about halfway through the cooking, 5 minutes or longer per side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness and temperature of your chicken. Cold chicken and/or whole pieces will require a longer cooking time. Drain on paper towels.
Serve hot. Can be served with a dipping sauce, such as the following honey-mustard sauce.
Honey Mustard Sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ tablespoons honey
¼ cup (244g) plain yoghurt
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and spoon into small dipping bowls to be set alongside each plate.
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