Andrew Coppolino: How to find fried chicken heaven at home
There is little that's better than a really good piece of fried chicken. Except, perhaps, two pieces of fried chicken. Or three. The snap of the crisp exterior releases the hot juiciness of tender meat, and the salty-spicy seasoning contrasts with the rich sweetness of the chicken breast or thigh. It's a classic comfort food that satisfies all the senses.
While fried chicken is a very old creation that was prepared in Middle Ages Europe, Scotland and later in the American south, it has experienced a boost in popularity in North America over the last decades. Most people know of Colonel Sanders' influence, but do a Google search for "fried chicken and waffles" and you'll find local restaurants serving it in elevated styles as well as stories about its history and provenance.
About a decade ago, American food writer and historian John T. Edge wrote a book called Fried Chicken: An American Story, but today I believe it is also a Waterloo Region story, a Mexican story and a Japanese story.
Whether you make it at home or devour it at a restaurant, it turns out that everyone loves fried chicken.
Fry it at home
To make the dish at home, first and foremost be careful with that hot oil. You don't need a countertop deep fryer; a large, deep and heavy pot will suffice. In either case, use caution with deep frying oil, which should be heated to around 175 C or 350 F.
Here are a few tips for home deep frying:
- Use good quality, clean oil for best results (canola, safflower, peanut depending on budget).
- Be aware that white meat cooks faster than dark meat.
- Use a meat thermometer to verify that the cooked meat's internal temperature is 75 C or 165 F.
- If using chicken breasts, cut them into smaller chunks.
- Marinate the raw chicken in buttermilk in the fridge for at least four hours.
- Before deep frying, warm the chicken at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.
- Dredge the chicken lightly in seasoned flour, then in beaten egg, and then in flour again.
- Fry in small batches with lots of space in the pot or deep fryer.
- Remove the cooked chicken to a wire rack rather than onto paper towels for cooling. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before eating to allow juices to reassemble in the meat.
Southern U.S. favourites in area restaurants
There are several places offering fried chicken in and around Waterloo Region, but here are a few that stay true to authentic American styles and tastes.
- The Lancaster Smokehouse serves up many southern U.S. dishes including buttermilk-fried chicken.
- Both Grand Trunk Saloon in Kitchener and Hogtails Bar-B-Que in Waterloo serve buttermilk-fried "Bucket o' Chicken" with fries and slaw as special features. There's no sign of the Colonel's "Grecian bread," however.
- Kitchener's Gilt Restaurant prepares spicy buttermilk chicken and waffles with maple hot sauce and candied bacon.
- The Red Rabbit in Stratford has "Colonel Collins," fried chicken with 13 herbs and spices, served with hot sauce and maple syrup.
Fried chicken with international flavours
- At Waterloo's Taco Farm, you can get Mexican-inspired fried chicken finished with a drizzle of tequila and lime or a shaving of real chocolate made locally by Ambrosia Pastry Company.
- Waterloo's Bao Sandwich Bar prepares Japanese katsu chicken with cilantro and sweet soy.
- Hakka Hut in Cambridge serves a crispy sesame chicken.
- Kinkaku Izakaya in downtown Kitchener serves the chicken prepared in the karaage, or deep fried, method: boneless thigh meat with a thin, crisp crust.
Chicken under pressure
A patented technique called "broasting" uses a pressure-cooker deep fry method to cook the chicken more quickly and more crisply – and purportedly using less oil.
- Camp 31 BBQ in Paris, Ont. uses pressure deep frying to prepare its double flour-coated southern-fried chicken.
- The famous Anna Mae's in Millbank boasts a broasted chicken that has made it to the Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here!"
Read more food columns from CBC KW's columnist Andrew Coppolino.
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