I am a huge fan of fried chicken and I can definitely tell the difference between good and bad chicken. However, with so many kinds of fried chicken in the world, how would I be able to tell good from bad if I don’t try them all? Because I have tried all kind of chicken. Here I like to show you one of the delicious crispy Cast iron chicken recipes which I cook several times and never screw up. It is yummy cast iron French fried chicken. Nothing here is hard to do. You just need to plan ahead to brine and marinate the chicken, that’s the two secrets to this recipe’s success. I must say marinating the pieces in buttermilk is absolutely the key to create moist and flavorful fried chicken. And here is the recipe.
YUMMY CAST IRON FRENCH FRIED CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole skin-on chicken (cut into 8 or 10 pieces)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
a few generous turns freshly ground black pepper
Duck fat or canola oil (for frying)
DIRECTIONS:
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- In a zip top big, pour in the buttermilk, Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, Dijon, buttermilk and cayenne. Then put the chicken in the bag. Massage everything together, seal the bag, and refrigerate overnight.
- Set two wire racks over two baking sheets. And in a large bag, mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper before you are ready to fry. Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk brine and coat them with the flour mixture. Working a few pieces at a time and make sure that the pieces are thoroughly coated. Then shake off some of the excess flour and set them on one of the wire racks over a baking sheet.
- Fill a Cast iron skilletat least 4 inches deep with duck fat or canola oil and heat up to 350℉ over high heat when you are ready to fry.
- Carefully place the chicken whose skin side down and fit in the pan. But be sure not crowd it. The temperature may decrease but try to keep the temperature of the oil around 325℉while you are frying. Fry the chicken until the bottom is nicely browned. Then use tongs to turn the chicken over and fry until the other side is browned and crispy perfectly. When seeing that the juices run clear, it is done.
- Remove chicken from the pan and transfer them on the wire rack. Use a slotted spoon to skin the fat or oil of stray pieces of chicken or allow excess oil to drip back into pan. Then fry the remaining pieces of chicken.
- Cool the chicken for few minutes and serve.
The chicken will take about 20 to 25 minutes to fry total, and if you want to make sure that it’s cooked completely, you can cut into the thigh piece near the bone. Soaking the chicken in buttermilk mixture overnight to help keep it moist. And cornmeal in this recipe gives more crunch and flavor. To tell the truth, fried chicken is a bit of a project, and not everyone is going to have duck fat on hand. So you can replace it with canola oil or others you like. If you live in France, you can find duck fat in most supermarkets so we have easy access to it. I think duck fat can help to fry one of the best fried chickens in the world. And I suggest you search this fat in your nearby store. Maybe you can find it! While frying, never leave Cast iron skillet even for a moment. Because this fried chicken can be easily over fried. Also you need make sure that kids and pets are well away from the cooking area. Safety first! Why not fry this easy but yummy fried chicken for you family and friends this Saturday?
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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Next time, I would like to share with you another fabulous but really simple recipe. It is CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE. Making these cookies is not that difficult. The ingredients are easy and convenient like most of my cookie recipes. I can assure you that no one can resist this deliciously sweet babies when serving with a cup of milk. Hope you like it！