I absolutely love fried chicken. My car will literally drive itself into the drive-thru at the KFC in Somerset, Mass, when I'm at the Home Depot next door. I don't know how it happens...I go to Home Depot for light bulbs, and I come back with a bucket of chicken and grease stains on my clothes!
So when I saw the story where the nephew of Colonel Sanders revealed the 11 secret herbs and spices that made KFC's original recipe chicken a worldwide success, I had to try it! I have to say, it may not be exactly like KFC, but it’s darn close!
Making the chicken at home means I do have some control over product quality. I can use pastured or organic chicken. I can use clean oil. And I can oven-fry my chicken, meaning I fry it in oil until golden brown, then finish the cooking process in the oven.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
5 lbs. chicken pieces...your choice
oil, for frying
Combine the flour and the "11 herbs and spices" in a bowl. Mix well.
In another bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg. Add the chicken pieces to this bowl and let the chicken soak in it for 10 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pour a couple of inches of the oil into a pan with high sides and heat it to 340 degrees, using a thermometer. Don't fill it with too much oil, because oil expands when hot and it could spill over.
Take the chicken pieces and coat them with the seasoning mix one at a time, making sure you coat them well. Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil. Don't overcrowd the pan...work in small batches. Too much chicken could cause the oil to spill over the top.
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Once you've got all the chicken fried and on the baking sheet, place in the 350-degree oven and cook until done! Make a lot because it's damn good...and tastes great cold, too!