Fried Chicken with 11 Herbs and Spices

Ingredients

• 2 cup all-purpose flour (White flour)
• 0.667 tbsp salt
• 0.5 tbsp dried thyme leaves
• 0.5 tbsp dried basil leaves
• 0.333 tbsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 tbsp celery salt
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried mustard
• 4 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 3 tbsp ground white pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg (Beaten)
• 1 chicken (Cut up; cut the breast pieces in half for more even frying)
• expeller-pressed canola oil (For frying; use about 3 inches in the pot)

Steps

1. 1

   Mix the flour in a bowl with all of the herbs and spices. Set the seasoned flour mixture aside.

2. 2

   In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and beaten egg until combined.

3. 3

   Place the cut-up chicken in the buttermilk mixture and soak at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.

4. 4

   Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off.

5. 5

   Dip the chicken pieces in the herb-spice-flour mixture, coating all sides. Shake off the excess coating.

6. 6

   Place the coated chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet and allow it to sit for 20 minutes.

7. 7

   Meanwhile, heat about 3 inches of expeller-pressed canola oil in a large Dutch oven or another heavy pot with high sides over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F.

8. 8

   Check the oil temperature with a deep-frying thermometer. Once it reaches 350°F, lower the heat to medium to maintain that temperature.

9. 9

   Fry 3 or 4 chicken pieces at a time, taking care not to crowd the pot.

10. 10

    Fry the chicken until medium golden brown, turning each piece once, for 15–18 minutes.

11. 11

    Transfer the fried chicken pieces to a baking sheet covered with paper towels.

12. 12

    Allow the oil to return to 350°F before adding more chicken, then repeat the frying process with the remaining pieces.

Notes

The published recipe does not include MSG because it was not part of the handwritten spice list. The test kitchen found that sprinkling a little MSG, such as Accent, on the finished chicken immediately before eating made it taste more like KFC. The recipe does not specify the exact amount of oil consumed or a precise chicken weight.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• fried
• American
• buttermilk-soaked
• chicken
• family-friendly