fried chicken

[Fredia]

not talking popeyse or kfc.. etc. where can you get the real stuff? i am having withdrawal

[homer]

Lisa's in Fort Worth

[austro]

Dot's?

[chuck]

Henderson's Chicken Shack in Houston.

[Fredia]

sadly i am in austin

[pravata]

not talking popeyse or kfc.. etc. where can you get the real stuff? i am having withdrawal

At home.  Beat some eggs, salt, pepper, etc (paprika, cayenne), flour, Crisco or vegetable oil, big skillet, heat until water drops pop, about 12 minutes a side.  Cooked a dozen legs and thighs myself Sunday.  I hear you should soak the chicken overnight in low fat buttermilk, although personally Ive never seen anybody do it.

[jonbloozy]

. . . you should soak the chicken overnight in low fat buttermilk . .

Oh, it's worth the extra effort.  Unless you're hungry tonight.

[Ron Brand]

Top Notch on Burnet. The best.

[Noe]

There was a place in Temple when I had to visit a printing plant there.  Best Southern Fried Chicken ever.  However, you eat enough of that stuff, you won't make 30 years of age... you'll die of a heart attack first.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Back (1970's) when we used to make the trek from San Antonio to the grandparents in Ft. Worth I remember stopping at Leslie's Fried Chicken in Waco, it was the best ever. Alas, they a long gone.

[juliogotay]

At home.  Beat some eggs, salt, pepper, etc (paprika, cayenne), flour, Crisco or vegetable oil, big skillet, heat until water drops pop, about 12 minutes a side.  Cooked a dozen legs and thighs myself Sunday.  I hear you should soak the chicken overnight in low fat buttermilk, although personally Ive never seen anybody do it.

Last night the Good Eats show on Food Channel did a fried chicken lesson. He used the low fat buttermilk to soak the chicken pieces overnight. The viscosity of the low-fat buttermilk better penetrates the chicken to the bone. Regular milk is not a proper substitute.

[juliogotay]

Back (1970's) when we used to make the trek from San Antonio to the grandparents in Ft. Worth I remember stopping at Leslie's Fried Chicken in Waco, it was the best ever. Alas, they a long gone.

We had one of those in Corpus Christi when I was growing up. It re-opened a few years ago under different folks who bought the recipe. Don't know if it remains open. Great chicken....the best crust ever.

[HudsonHawk]

At home.  Beat some eggs, salt, pepper, etc (paprika, cayenne), flour, Crisco or vegetable oil, big skillet, heat until water drops pop, about 12 minutes a side.  Cooked a dozen legs and thighs myself Sunday.  I hear you should soak the chicken overnight in low fat buttermilk, although personally Ive never seen anybody do it.

I always soak mine in buttermilk, cause that's the way my grandmother did it.  Not sure what you do with the eggs though.

[Taras Bulba]

Leslie's customer base was primarily working men.  When you walked in the door, there was a little room that had this great wash basin that was operated by pedals, so two or three guys could wash up before stepping into the "dining room."  Great rolls with honey,too.

[pravata]

I always soak mine in buttermilk, cause that's the way my grandmother did it.  Not sure what you do with the eggs though.

dip chicken in beaten eggs, then flour.

[Trey]

dip chicken in beaten eggs, then flour.

Dipping them in the eggs first give you a thicker "skin".  I prefer mine without, but to each his own.

Starlite Diner at 4th and Colorado has a brunch special most Sundays that's fried chicken and waffles.  It ain't Grandma's homemade, but it's passable.  I haven't found anyone else in Austin that I particularly like.  Top Notch is OK.  The (Austin) Chronicle did an article about a year ago about the best fried chicken in town.  They declared it was some place in the Domain.  I tried it and was disappointed.

ETA: Jasper's is the restaurant.  Here's the article: http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:496996

[BudGirl]

My mom just dredges the chicken in seasoned flour and fries.  Pretty freaking good too.  Then she makes dumplings to go with it.  Life is great in those moments.

[drew corleone]

There was a place in Temple when I had to visit a printing plant there.  Best Southern Fried Chicken ever.  However, you eat enough of that stuff, you won't make 30 years of age... you'll die of a heart attack first.

Ervin's? I always get their chicken tenders when I eat there... you can get a meal w/ mashed potatoes and a fried apple pie for about $6, or at least you could the last time I went by there a few years ago.

[Noe]

Ervin's? I always get their chicken tenders when I eat there... you can get a meal w/ mashed potatoes and a fried apple pie for about $6, or at least you could the last time I went by there a few years ago.

YES!  Thanks, that's the place.  If you've eaten there, then you know the fried chicken there is truly outstanding and as authentic as one can get when it comes to Southern Fried.  However, I could never eat more than two pieces because that type of cooking will stuff your arteries with one sitting.

[pravata]

Dipping them in the eggs first give you a thicker "skin".  I prefer mine without, but to each his own.

Most of the recipes that have an egg wash, (also with milk, but we gradually let that go) are called "Southern Fried Chicken" .  That's what I grew up with.

[HudsonHawk]

dip chicken in beaten eggs, then flour.

OK.  The buttermilk does the same thing, but adds a bit more flavor. 

[pravata]

OK.  The buttermilk does the same thing, but adds a bit more flavor. 

Correct.  I think it has some tenderizing effects as well.

[matadorph]

Mmmmmmm fried chicken. I haven't had fried chicken since I don't know when. I eat a lot of chicken but I usually either roast or smoke the whole bird or sautee the breasts and finish off with a pan sauce. Tonight I'm making chicken breasts with sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts over parmesan polenta.

I'm making a mental note to check out that Top Notch place sometime in the near future and attack my arteries.

[HudsonHawk]

Correct.  I think it has some tenderizing effects as well.

Yea, the acid in the buttermilk will start to break down some of the tougher meat, in addition to giving it a bit more tangy flavor.  I like buttermilk for all sorts of things.  I couldn't make cornbread without it.

[HudsonHawk]

I'm making a mental note to check out that Top Notch place sometime in the near future and attack my arteries.

Good Southern fried chicken isn't greasy and doesn't clog the arteries like many think.  It's the bad stuff, the deep fried, with batter and shit, that's bad for you.

[matadorph]

Correct.  I think it has some tenderizing effects as well.

Off topic, but useful nonetheless: buttermilk is good for tilapia. I'm not a fan of that fish because it has that dirty taste from the geosmin the tilapia ingest on the bottom of farm ponds. The flavor is disgusting. Soaking the tilapia fillets in buttermilk for 45 minutes or so before cooking will break down and remove the geosmin from the fish.

[Noe]

Off topic, but useful nonetheless: buttermilk is good for tilapia. I'm not a fan of that fish because it has that dirty taste from the geosmin the tilapia ingest on the bottom of farm ponds. The flavor is disgusting. Soaking the tilapia fillets in buttermilk for 45 minutes or so before cooking will break down and remove the geosmin from the fish.

That's good to know because I do not like tilapia because of the odd flavor.  I shudder when someone suggest ordering tilapia at a restaurant.

[matadorph]

I bought some recently at HEB because it was on sale and I'd forgotten how bad it can be. The algae flavor was so strong I could barely choke it down, even though I'd drenched it in a lemon-caper-garlic butter sauce.

[Outlawscotty]

Off topic, but useful nonetheless: buttermilk is good for tilapia. I'm not a fan of that fish because it has that dirty taste from the geosmin the tilapia ingest on the bottom of farm ponds. The flavor is disgusting. Soaking the tilapia fillets in buttermilk for 45 minutes or so before cooking will break down and remove the geosmin from the fish.

Not sure of tilapia, but on catfish at least, I use mustard instead of egg or buttermilk.  This probably doesn't kill any geosmin, and will hardly cover any mud taste from store bought catfish, but good and easy.  I haven't tried it on chicken as of yet.

[Noe]

I bought some recently at HEB because it was on sale and I'd forgotten how bad it can be. The algae flavor was so strong I could barely choke it down, even though I'd drenched it in a lemon-caper-garlic butter sauce.

Speaking of which, I bought some pecan-crusted trout at the super HEB on 620 the other day.  It was some of the best eating I've had in a while.  It is hard to find a good seafood place in Austin, but if you can cook your own, I would recommend the trout they sell at HEB, especially the pecan-crusted fillets.  Very nice.

[Trey]

I'm making a mental note to check out that Top Notch place sometime in the near future and attack my arteries.

I enjoy their burgers more than their chicken.  To Hudson's point, I didn't find their chicken to be all that greasy.

In case you weren't aware, Top Notch is the restaurant they used to film the drive-in restaurant scene in Dazed and Confused.  It's a veritable Austin institution.

[austro]

I enjoy their burgers more than their chicken.

And the onion rings. Yum.

[Fredia]

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/ballpark/fiveseven_grille.jsp?partnerId=ed-2258988-74972996&source=ed-2258988-74972996

nothing to do with chicken ..(i dont think) but talking bout icons will feature baggy and bidges faves... go meat..

[Duke]

This thread reminds me of Southern Culture on the Skids' first album.  Two songs about fried chicken, 8 Piece Box and Fried Chicken and Gasoline.

[JaneDoe]

go meat..

I needed a laugh!  Thanks!

[Ron Brand]

I'm not a fan of that fish because it has that dirty taste from the geosmin the tilapia ingest on the bottom of farm ponds.

When we all went to Kenya last year (me, Mrs. Brand and the two kids) the first night they had a lavish buffet dinner for us all but it was a mixture of British and African foods. The only thing the kids MIGHT eat was the baked tilapia, which is super-plentiful because it has taken over Lake Victoria and they have lots of it to spare. I was trying my best to convince them that the fish was good because I knew if we started out wrong they wouldn't eat anything the whole trip and they'd be miserable.

I put a large piece in my mouth and started to chew but it was rancid. I couldn't spit it out or they wouldn't eat for the next two weeks, but I couldn't swallow it either. The more I chewed the worse it got and my gag reflex wouldn't let me swallow it. Finally I was able to discreetly spit it into my napkin when they glanced away.  The rest of the tilapia they prepared was ok and the kids ate it and ended up loving it. I can't eat it anymore, the thought is revolting to me.  And then I saw some TV show recently about water treatment plants, and one specifically uses tilapia to "clean" the solid waste from the water as part of the treatment process. I'm off tilapia, thanks.

[EasTexAstro]

That's good to know because I do not like tilapia because of the odd flavor.  I shudder when someone suggest ordering tilapia at a restaurant.

Soaking the fish in beer for an hour or so and then rinsing can do the same thing, if you are short on buttermilk.

Beer, is there anything it can't do?