Fried Chicken at Bill's

Every few months, our friend Bill invites all the neighborhood ladies over to his house for lunch. Since I am not one to refuse an opportunity to have someone cook for me, I gladly accept his kind offer and advise him that breakfast and dinner are available.

Today's menu was homemade fried chicken. I'll admit I was a skeptic. I can't recall having had homemade fried chicken, in well, ever. Fried chicken has always struck me as something requiring a deep fryer, a lot of patience, and the fire department on speed dial.

Here's Bill. He's got a blog now. I'm his muse. Go ahead. Ask him. In fact, you can read his blog here.

That's Ed. He comes to every lunch. Ed is happy. He's not drinking the diet tea. I'm just sayin'.

That's Bernice, Bill's mom. She doesn't look to happy in this photo but trust me, she's a sweet heart. We were both starving at this point. Hungry can make you look grumpy. If you could read her mind you'd hear her saying put down the damn camera and let's eat before the chicken gets cold.

Bill put out a spread of fried chicken, homemade cole slaw and homemade mashed potatoes. It was fantastic.

Look at that crunchy crust. OMG. I've posted the recipe below that Bill found in Saveur magazine. Yes, I have male friends who actually read and cook from this magazine. Bill says the special ingredient is matzo meal in the breading.  I didn't want to be a pig so I had one (two) pieces.

That's Julene. I think she's thanking God she came and had this awesome chicken. It was that good.

There were homemade cookies, too. Did I mention those?

Thanks for the great meal, Bill!

Recipe below:

(The following recipe is from the Savuer website: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Northern-Fried-Chicken)

The fried chicken at Blue Ribbon, a restaurant in New York City, boasts extra-crunchy skin thanks to a matzo meal crust; the chefs there serve it with bright collard greens quick-sautéed in browned butter. SAVEUR’s executive food editor, Todd Coleman, profiled this dish in our April 2010 issue (see "Prize Chicken").

Source: Saveur

Canola oil, for frying
1⁄2 tsp. hot paprika
1⁄8 tsp. each cayenne pepper, dried basil, dried parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder

4 egg whites, beaten
1⁄2 cup flour
1⁄2 cup matzo meal
1⁄4 tsp. baking powder
1  3-lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Honey, for dipping

1. Pour oil to a depth of 2" in a 5-qt. Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°.


2. Combine paprika, cayenne, basil, parsley, and garlic and onion powders in a bowl; set aside. Put egg whites into a bowl. Combine flour, matzo, and baking powder in another bowl.


3. Working with one piece at a time, dip chicken in egg whites and press into matzo to coat. Shake off excess; transfer chicken to a rack set inside a baking sheet. Working in 2 batches, fry chicken until crispy and cooked through, 10–12 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and the reserved paprika mixture. Serve with honey, if you'd like. 


SERVES 4

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #128. All Rights Reserved.