I could have went to KFC.

epcotisbest

JRWhitee said:

I am a Popeye's guy myself, never much cared for KFC.

Yes, I like Popeye's too. Nice crunch, not very greasy. I also like Bojangle's and Church's will do in a pinch. Unfortunately, in our little town, there is no Popeye's. 
I used to like Publix grocery store deli department fried chicken, but lately it has too much salty batter. 
Now if I could find some @Dredger homemade fried chicken. That sounds good.

RRP

epcotisbest said:

RRP said:

This is no joke. Years ago on our return from a Florida vacation we came thru Corbin, KY, birthplace of KFC. Naturally we had to have some chicken there. I bought a 10 piece "thrift box" as it was called at the time and traveled on up the road half an hour or so before checking in to a motel room. That was the WORST fried chicken we ever had from KFC. It was too far back to return it for a refund. That experience soured us on KFC for several years.

You would think that would be the place where they put out their best effort. Thanks for sharing.

In retrospect the building was old, small and somewhat of a dump in the small downtown area. The chicken we got was undercooked and the skin with the "famous recipe" rub just fell off instead of staying intact as we bit it. Something clearly wasn't right!

Dredger

Here ya go @epcotisbest. This is the family's second favorite behind the newly found Popeye's recipe. The crunch you mentioned is the result of double breading and letting the chicken dry for a little bit. If you want a crispy crust, you have to break a few eggs. Any recipe will work. Also, putting the cooked chicken on a wire rack over a sheet pan versus a paper towel will keep it crispy and allow the grease to thoroughly drain off.

Southern Style Deep Fried Chicken
Ingredients
1 quart buttermilk
1 tsp garlic, granulated
1 whole cutup chicken
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
3 cups flour
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 Tbs sage, ground
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs Lawry's® garlic salt
1 Tbs Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt®
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
1. Combine the buttermilk and granulated garlic and mix thoroughly in a refrigerator proof container. Add the chicken, make sure it's thoroughly coated by the buttermilk and soak for at least six hours before you plan to cook the chicken.

2. Combine the flour, oregano, sage, cayenne pepper, Lawry's® Garlic Salt, Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt®, salt, and pepper in a 1 gallon sized Ziploc® bag. Zip the bag to close and thoroughly mix the contents. Put a drop of water on your finger and then touch the flour mixture with your moistened finger and taste it to see if you need to adjust any of the seasonings.

3. Mix the beaten eggs and water in a large bowl.

4. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, then dip in the egg and water mixture, then dredge in the flour again. Place on a sheet pan with a rack and allow the chicken to dry for about 10 minutes.

5. Add the amount of oil specified by your deep fryer manufacturer and preheat your deep fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for the recommended time, which should be approximately 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the deep fryer and place it on a sheet pan with a rack to let the oil completely drain off. Place it in a warm oven heated to approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the chicken warm while you finish frying the other pieces of chicken.

Here's the Popeye's recipe. It doesn't address drying the uncooked chicken on a rack or putting it on rack to drain, but you get the picture. Also, I double the amount of pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

Popeye's Extra-Crispy Spicy Fried Chicken with Delta Sauce

3 eggs
1/3 cup water
About 1 cup “Texas Pete” hot red pepper sauce
4 cups flour
2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon paprika
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 quart buttermilk (optional)
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder (to taste)
1 (1 to 2 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into pieces
Peanut Oil, for frying

Place cut-up chicken in a large bowl, and cover with buttermilk. Cover and chill for two hours, or overnight. This is an optional (but recommended) step.
In a large bowl, add eggs, water, and red pepper sauce. Whisk until combined.
In a large gallon freezer bag, mix flour, pepper, paprika, and cayenne.
Remove chicken from buttermilk (if marinated) and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Place all chicken pieces in freezer bag with flour mixture. Shake until all pieces are evenly coated.
Remove chicken pieces one at a time, shaking excess flour. Dip each piece in the egg mixture, and return to bag of flour. After all pieces have been dipped in the egg mixture and put back in the bag, give it a second shake to coat chicken pieces again.
Heat oil in deep fryer or deep pan to 350 degrees. Working in batches, drop each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Fry for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown, turning occasionally if oil does not completely cover chicken. Keep in mind that dark meat chicken takes longer to cook than white meat. Watch your wing segments, as well; these will finish cooking first.

Popeyes “Delta Sauce” Copycat
Makes about 1.5 cups

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2-3 dashes hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour before serving.

Happy frying. When company is partaking in dinner, I always have to do at least two chickens, but the recipes are easily adaptable.

henapple

Nothing worse than limp fried chicken 

Hub

I remember watching a show of famous chefs and their one most guilty pleasures.  Anthony Bourdain confessed that sometimes, late at night, he throws on a hoodie to help hide his face, goes to his local fried chicken joint, gets a bucket of fried chicken, and goes back to his place and eats the entire bucket.  They actually had video of it.  It was pretty cool.  In fact, he said “I like sub-par greasy disgusting fried chicken from a disreputable establishment. I don’t feel dirty. Oh yeah. Take me home and treat me bad. Whatever restaurant serves that, I want to OD on their cold tiled floor.”