I’m delving into my 5 years experience working in a fried chicken shop as a teenager for this one. Whilst I was there, I learned how to joint the chicken, then we’d coat it in a special flour mixture (not a wet batter), and then it would be deep-fried in a big heavy-duty a pressure fryer. Of course, we’re having to do it without a pressure fryer at home, but you can still get perfect crispy-coating results from deep-frying it in a pan or a deep fat fryer. I’ve also added an extra step of marinating the chicken in a seasoned buttermilk mixture for the juiciest, most tender chicken.
Jointing a chicken into 9 pieces
First of all, I thoroughly recommend you watch the video (just above the recipe card) for this one. It’s so much easier to understand when you can see exactly what’s happening. Take a whole chicken and place it on a secure chopping board (1). We start by using a sharp knife to chop off the parson’s nose - which is the little tailpiece at the bottom of the spine (2).Then separate the lower half (thigh and leg area) of the chicken from the upper half - cutting through the backbone (3 and 4).Place the lower half of the chicken on the board skin-side-up and cut the lower half of the chicken in half - so you have two leg pieces that each consist of the thigh and drumstick (5). Now we feel for the joint between the thigh and drumstick (6).
Once you find that joint, cut through it so you have a thigh and a drumstick. Repeat with the other side (7). Cut off the wings at a 45-degree angle to the chicken body (8).Turn the chicken over so it’s breast-side down and cut the keel piece - cutting through the chicken at a 45-degree angle (9). Now slice the remaining rib/breast part of the chicken in half. To make the pieces even-sized, one of the pieces should contain the backbone and the other piece should contain the upper part of the sternum (breast bone) (10).
Marinating and frying the chicken
Marinate the chicken in a mixture of buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt (1 and 2). Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a large bowl (see recipe card below) (3 and 4).Lift a piece from the marinade and dredge in the crispy coating mixture. Repeat for all the pieces (5 and 6).Deep fry the chicken in batches of 2 or 3 pieces for 7-8 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle (7 and 8).
Fries! I’ve got: Shoestring fries Carrot fries Vegetable matchstick fries Oven-baked fries Poutine with twice-fried fries! Potato SaladColeslaw! Try the honey mustard coleslaw from this postMashed potatoes? Although it’s not something we generally serve with fried chicken in the UK, I believe it is in the US.Or how about a lovely Cobb Salad!
I don’t like bones in my chicken!
This method and coating works great for boneless and/or skinless chicken pieces too. The chicken generally takes a little less time to cook through with boneless pieces. Ensure the chicken is piping hot throughout and no longer pink in the middle.
Watch how to make it
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