Fried Chicken Recipes
Herb Fried Chicken
This flavor-packed crust has plenty of texture (from oats and herbs) and colorful specks of green.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder (fresh garlic burns when fried)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped
- 6 to 8 sprigs fresh sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves
- 4 or 5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
- 5 or 6 sprigs fresh basil leaves
- 6 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup beer
- Canola oil for frying
- 1 whole frying chicken (cut up) or 2-3 pounds tenders, drumettes or drumsticks (remove skin if desired)
Instructions
- In a food-processor bowl, combine flour, oats, garlic powder, salt, black and red pepper, and all herbs. Pulse just until ingredients are thoroughly mixed and herbs are in large, still-discernible chunks. (You want texture and color here.) Place this breading mix in a gallon-size freezer bag and shake.
- Using a hand-held or conventional blender, beat egg whites, mustard and beer until frothy. Pour into a shallow baking pan.
- In a frying pan, heat an inch of canola or other vegetable oil until hot. Working piece by piece, dip chicken in egg-white mixture, then place in plastic bag and shake until thoroughly coated with breading. For an extra-thick crust, repeat the procedure.
- Fry each piece until golden brown on all sides and until juices run clear when pierced with a fork. This should take about 15 to 17 minutes for whole pieces of chicken or 10 minutes for chicken tenders.
- Drain on several thicknesses of paper towels.
Notes
If you wish to make fried chicken the day before a picnic, drain it thoroughly on paper towels, then store it in the refrigerator on a clean layer of paper towels, covered only by a second layer of paper towels on top. This keeps it crispy, whereas covering the chicken with plastic wrap or foil makes it soggy.
Source: From a story by herb gardener Lynn Alley in the April/May issue of Natural Home & Garden.