Fried Chicken

I said in my opening post that one of my goals was to eat food that is nutritious. But looking over what I have posted, it isn't exactly health food.

And it isn't. The food I cook isn't quite as healthy as what I would cook for myself because, frankly, I want the rest of my family to eat it. And cooking up some ribs in the long run is probably better for everyone than serving up some steamed veggies that no one will eat, leading hubby to make a fast food run later.

Tonight, I made the mother of unhealthy foods...fried chicken. And oh was it delicious.

But fried chicken is a great example of how home-cooked food can be much healthier than fast food or other restaurant food, even when it's a notoriously fatty dish.

How? Well, when I fry chicken (which I don't do very much at all), I fry skinless boneless chicken breasts, normally cut into three or four big chunks of meat. Having no skin makes the chicken far healthier. Yes, you can pull the delicious, thickly battered skin off of your KFC, but who has the willpower to not eat at least a few bites?

Also, you know what you are frying in. There is no 'healthy' oil to fry in (olive oil is no good--it can't handle the high temperatures of frying). But good ol' vegetable oil is still better than trans fats or lard, which are both used in many restaurants.

So, I still maintain that fried chicken can at least be healthier at home, even if it is still a long way from quinoa and arugula.

This is my simple frying recipe:

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 large chicken breasts, cut into 3 large chunks each
Vegetable oil

Beat the eggs with the milk and then pour it over the chicken and let it sit for a few minutes, turning once. Put the flour, salt and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Drop a chunk in one at a time and shake a few times to coat it.

Meanwhile, heat about 1.5 inches of vegetable oil. I prefer cast-iron skillets for frying--they hold up wonderfully over high heat and heat evenly. Also, an occasional deep frying is a great way to keep a cast iron skillet seasoned--just make sure you empty it promptly afterward (and not down your drain, either!)

There are two main secrets to good fried chicken. First, like with all breaded and fried things, you have to have the oil very hot before you put the chicken in the oil. If the oil isn't hot enough, the breading just sloughs off or it absorbs too much oil and gets gummy. Before you put anything in the oil, it should pass the water test--get your hand wet and then shake a few drops of water into the oil. It should pop violently when you do so. That's when it's ready.

I fry for about 14 minutes, turning once in the middle. After the first minute or so, you can turn the heat down a bit--it still need to be medium/medium-high, though. You may want to keep thicker pieces in for just a bit longer.

And that's it! Make enough so that you can make yourself a chicken sandwich the next day, or send some fried chicken chunks in your kids' lunches, and it's worth all the cleaning your going to have to do in the kitchen, since it's impossible to fry chicken without making a mess.