Fried Chicken

One of the reasons why I wanted to get myself a deep fryer, was so I could make fried chicken! I started out looking for a clone for Popeye's fried chicken, but instead found a seasoning blend for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

KFC’s Secret Herbs and Spices

- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Accent (an MSG-based seasoning)

Then I looked for a fried chicken recipe that utilized pork rinds for the crunchy coating.

Fried Chicken to Die For
Makes 4-8 servings.
Ingredients*

• 4-8 Pieces of Chicken
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 eggs' whites (no yokes)
• 1-2 T. Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 - 1 bag of crushed pork-rinds
• Oil or Lard (lard preferred)

Instructions: Heat oil to about 370 degrees. You can fry this chicken in a pan, but I prefer a deep fryer. Thaw and pat dry chicken with paper towel. Rub salt and pepper into chicken. In bowl, mix or whisk heavy whipping cream, egg whites, and Tabasco sauce. In second dish, finely crush pork rinds. Dip chicken into liquid mixture then into the pork rinds. You may have to pat or press the pork rinds a bit to insure they stick to the chicken. Next, place in oil and cook for 9 or 10 minutes. If pan frying, turn chicken half way through. If you are using a small deep fryer, don't overfill, cook 2 or 3 pieces at a time. Enjoy!

Instead of rubbing the chicken with salt and pepper, I used the KFC clone blend, and I omitted the Tabasco sauce, for Tom's benefit. For half of the chicken, I used Panko as the coating, since Tom doesn't like pork rinds. Unfortunately, the Panko got too brown with this cooking time, but didn't cook through enough for Tom's liking. My half, the half with the pork rinds, turned out well enough for me. It was crunchy, and had good flavor.