Southern Recipes
Southern Pan-Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 quarts cold water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt (regular table salt will make the brine too salty)
- 1 (3 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 1 pound lard
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham, cut into 1/2 inch strips*
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the water and the salt, stirring until salt is dissolved.
- Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour the salt water over.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
- Drain the chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in.
- Return the chicken to the bowl, pour the buttermilk over and cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours.
- Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.
- Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying: put the lard, butter and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30-45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the ham is browned.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat. (Reserve the fried ham for another use, such as snacking.)
- Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees F.
- Blend together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper.
- Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove any excess flour.
- Slip some of the chicken pieces, skin-side-down, into the heated fat. Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in batches, if necessary. Cook for 8-10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled (not flat) paper towels. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Notes
* A country ham (such as a "Smithfield" ham) is salt-cured, smoked and aged well. Whole country hams are expensive; it is possible, however, to buy country ham steaks. But you may also substitute thick-cut, smoked, streaky bacon
for the ham in this recipe.