Dinner!

I am making this recipe for dinner tonight. I got it from topsecretrecipes.com, and it's supposedly a copy of KFC's crispy chicken. The chicken is marinating as I type. I will be posting the recipe in chicken_recipes, as well.



KFC Extra Crispy Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole frying chicken, cut up (smaller is better)
8-12 cups vegetable shortening (amt. required by your fryer)

Brine

5 cups water
¼ cup salt
2 tsp MSG

Coating

1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
¾ tsp MSG
½ tsp poultry seasoning

Instructions

1. Trim any excess skin and fat from the chicken pieces. Combine the water, salt, and 2 tsp MSG for the brine in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and let it sit for 2 hours. Turn the chicken a couple of times as it marinates.

2. Preheat the shortening in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Combine the beaten egg and milk in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, combine the remaining coating ingredients (flour, salt, pepper, paprika, ¾ tsp MSG, and poultry seasoning).

3. When the chicken has marinated in the brine, transfer each piece to paper towels so that excess liquid can drain off. Working with one piece at a time, first coat the chicken with the dry flour mixture, then the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the flour. Toss the chicken around in the breading to build up a heavy coating on each piece. Stack the chicken on a plate or cookie sheet until each piece has been coated.

4. Drop the chicken, one piece at a time, into the hot shortening. Fry half of the chicken at a time (4 pieces) for 7-10 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. You should be sure to stir the chicken around halfway through the cooking so that each piece cooks evenly.

5. Remove the chicken to a rack and drain for about five minutes before eating.