One Step Closer to Heaven

Today I got back to work on my fried chicken recipe, and I made some good progress. I have had a lot of frustration with chicken dishes, and frying things is not my long suit, so it would make me very happy to get fried chicken working correctly before I die.

I made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

The chicken breading was very tasty. Almost where I need it to be. Here’s the breading ingredient list:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. salt
5 tbsp. white pepper
1 tbsp. chipotle powder
3 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. turmeric
3 tsp. ginger

I used beaten eggs to make the breading stick. I see a lot of Internet people coating chicken which has been dried with paper towels, but it hasn’t worked for me.

I have quit trying to find scent-free lard. Today I used refined coconut oil. My buddy Mike told me about it. The coconut smell has been removed, so what you end up with is a lot like quality lard. I bought a jar at Winn-Dixie, and I decided to reserve it for frying things like chicken. I’ll keep pouring it back in the jar after I use it, until it develops problems.

The white pepper in the recipe has to be reduced. White pepper smells a little bit like a dog, so if you overdo it, your food has the same smell. I’m going to cut it severely with black pepper. I think I’ll also reduce the chipotle a little. The salt needs to be increased slightly, too.

I had to use boneless chicken because no one sells genuine frying chickens near me. A fryer shouldn’t be bigger than three pounds. Chicken pieces that are too thick just don’t work.

I thought I was cutting the chicken thin today, but I need to be merciless next time. Nothing more than half an inch thick, period.

I quit using a fancy marinade. I used orange juice, lots of salt, and fresh garlic. I think it’s sufficient.

I don’t believe all the people who say to fry chicken at 350°. It always burns. I shot for 300-325°, and it worked very well. I used a thermometer probe dangling in the skillet.

The next effort should be excellent. After that, I may try doing something with a mixture of corn flour and wheat flour. Something not too far from corn dog batter.

Sooner or later, this will work. Then I’ll spite the world by taking the recipe with me to heaven.

As for potatoes, I’m all done boiling them. It’s too easy to make them grainy. From now on, I’ll bake them and then mash them. It’s less work than boiling, anyway.