Flavorful chicken
There is nothing worse than over cooked dried out chicken without any flavor. So, a few tips.
Brine your chicken, especially when making deep fried chicken.
The following assumes you will be cooking for one or 2 people.
1 liter water. 1 TBLSP salt. Using your fingers, swirl the water until all salt has dissolved.
Place 3-4 pieces of chicken (skin on) in the brine and put in frig for a minimum of 4 hours , to a max of 8 hours. The dark meat will be especially moist and juicy. If the breasts are very large, cut them in half.
When ready to deep fry the chicken you will need 2 liters of oil in the heaviest pot you have. I use a heavy cast iron pot, which holds temp better.
Mix up 1 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup corn starch.
Drain chicken. Season to your taste, but not too much salt because you have already salted the chicken.
Dredge chicken in the flour/corn starch mix. Remove to a rack and allow the flour mix to fully hydrate on the chicken.
NEVER, EVER COOK ICE COLD CHICKEN, UNLESS YOU HAVE A PROFESSIONAL COOKER. COLD CHICKEN WILL CAUSE THE OIL TEMP TO DROP DRAMATICALLY.
bring the oil to a temp of 335 F ((168 C.) A heat proof candy thermometer is a must.
carefully place chicken in the hot oil using tongs so you don't burn yourself.
depending upon the size of the pieces, the chicken needs to be deep fried for aprox 12 minutes.
NEVER, EVER OVER CROWD THE HOT OIL. THE MORE CHICKEN, THE FASTER THE TEMP WILL DROP.
Remove chicken from oil and drain on a rack with a sheet pan under. Even though the chicken is out of the oil, it will continue to cook for a tad longer. NEVER DRAIN ON PAPER TOWELS. THAT WILL CAUSE YOUR NICE CRISPY CHICKEN CRUST TO SOFTEN.